Monday Bruise

So, others have Monday Blues.. I have Monday Bruise! Tripped over a kerb, fell down, bruised both knees and scraped my foot. What a way to start the day.

If you have been following my blog and realised that I've been Missing In Action lately, that's because I was away on a trip and I didn't have a computer to blog. I did update on my Instagram (@allyoffduty) though! Here are some shots.

Can you tell where I went? ;) I will update more about this trip once I finish writing about New Zealand. Stay tuned! :)

Napier, New Zealand I: An artsy town

I arrived in Napier feeling lonely after parting with my French friends so I went to emo on the beach when these two Kiwis sat down next to me. I was quite taken aback but they were nice and invited me to hang out with them. But it started to drizzle a little so I headed back.

The next day I went to the viewing point to look down at the harbour and part of the city.

Then I explored the town which looks like a set in Universal Studios.

There are quite a few nice cafes and shops in Napier and I think if you are into Art, you will love this place. As for me, I think I prefer my mountains and sea.

Taupo, New Zealand: Lake Taupo is the size of Singapore!

Whenever locals ask me where I'm from, they'll tell me that Lake Taupo is the same size as Singapore. And we're more populated than the whole of New Zealand. Woohoo.

I walked to Huka Falls, passing by a hot stream where you can soak in the hot water for free! Huka Falls wasn't what I expected at all. I didn't expect the water to be in this gorgeous shade of turquoise. You can do water rafting here if I'm not wrong.

Then I headed to Craters of the Moon. It wasn't really an interesting attraction after Rotorua. But I saw Mt Ruapehu in the distance so it was worth it. There is an optional hike up to a summit on the Tongariro Crossing where you can see Mt Ruapehu up close but it is a challenging hike and you need to have enough time for it so I didn't do it. A guy on our bus did it and showed us photos of the snow capped Mt Ruapehu and it was SO SO SO BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL.

Then I had a romantic date with myself watching the sunset at Lake Taupo. You can see Mt Ruapehu at the horizon. The colours were unbelieve and the clouds! I mean, look!

The next day, I went 'sailing' at the last minute because the weather was fantastic. I saw a few parachutes drifting down from the sky and vowed to do it the next time. I felt it was the best way to explore Lake Taupo, incredibly relaxing under the sun. I'm glad I chose to do the sailboat rather than the ferry/cruise, as there were only a few of us so we found a spot and sprawled out. The people on the cruise looked over with envy as they sat rigidly on their uncomfortable chairs. Heh heh. You get a drink on board too! Beer, wine, juice. And I had a nice time chatting with a family whose daughter works on the sail and the captain who hilariously asked me to pose Titanic-style with the two German boys on board. He even let me steer! Just for a while but I've improved since my last boat rowing in Hangzhou. Tyvm.