What the meaning of winter without snow

Last winter 2008: Well, that is a million dollar question. Is it now is winter or musim tengkujuh?. We just sailed in the shortest day of the year for a few weeks in wet. Rain and rain and rain. As the first time in the winter season we were so excited to touch the snow with our bare hand. After heard about massive snow falls in the Mt. Ruapehu which is only about 4 hours from Palmy, we decided to go for it before it all melts away. As our first plan to go to Mt. Ruapehu been canceled coz of weather, we decided to split our group into three. Actually our first plan was to go to Mt. Ruapehu in a group consists all Malaysian members in Palmy. With the number of us became bigger it was very very imposble to have a journey in one group. So we decided to go in different day for each group.

"Mt. Ruapehu!, here we come"

Even though the weather forecast showed the dark cloudy rain that day, we gambled to proceed with our plan. The website we use to monitor the weather is run by the New Zealand Meteorological Department (Metservice) and usually pretty accurate and changes every 2 hours or so. They provide weather forecast for up to next 5 days usually, but I was so tickled by how they described rain for the next 5 days as there were always wrong.

From a cold drizzle morning along the journey it turned to a sunny fine day when we getting near to Mt. Ruapehu. What a great luck for us. And again, Metservice was wrong. Just as the sun was setting and clouds clearing a beautiful rainbow emerged across the sky. The view was stunning. After about 3.5 hours driving, the imposing Mt Ruapehu came into view. It was Majestic with snow on top. It was awesome.

With the warm weather and clear day, the road was crowded with the vehicle line up to get up to the mountain. The guard was busy giving turn to vehicle to get in the entrance. When we arrived, the place was full with crowd. Most of the rental snow equipment was out of stock. We had no luck that day.

"When you put all of North Island + some of South Island in a cruise ship

together, this is what you get".

"Some of our group members"

"Still waiting and praying for dropping snow"

"one of the big shot this year"

"Stop by for a while in the Army Museum, on the way to Mt. Ruapehu"


"Snowman making competition between male and female except the little one Asyraff, lost in the wrong group. Just to prove we were there....."

"What the heck of creature is that????"


"Still confuse what the different between snow and ABC

(Air Batu Campur lah)”




"My stomach is growling …food..food…. I need food”



"Stuntman in action"




"Expedition accomplished”

Last spring, 2008

Spring season kat New Zealand bermula pada bulan September till November. Spring weather kat NZ ni tak menentu, kekadang cold to frosty and kekadang warm to hot. Because New Zealand lies in the Southern Hemisphere and kami kat North Island, weather taklah sejuk sangat. My B kata suasana kat NZ ni taklah secantik kat Japan, coz kat Japan semua tempat penuh dengan bunga terutamanya sakura. Bagi akak pengalaman ni pun dah cukup indah. Kat sini kebanyakan kiwi tanam roses kat rumah diorang. Seseengah roses kat sini pulak besar bapak.

"Sorry akak lupa nama bunga ni, tapi my kiwi friend kata,
ini lah New Zealand's Christmas Tree"

Satu petang tu akak pujuk B pegi ke Rose Garden kat Victoria Explaned. Asyik dengar my friend Diyana Citer pasal keindahan Rose Garden mana boleh jadi. Dah banyak kali ajak B tapi gagal coz dia sibuk memanjang dengan assigment yang menimbun. Oleh kerana kitorang jarang explore victoria explaned walaupun cuma 5 minit je dari rumah, kitorang tak jumpa kat mana Rose Garden. Tulah, taknak tanya diyana dulu. Puas dah round kat explaned tu. At last B kata lain kalilah datang lagi. Dengan rasa hampa macam nak nangis kitorang balik. On the balik akak tetiba ternampak singnage "ROSE GARDEN". Ya Rabbi.. tu dia. Mana nak perasan garden tu tersorok kat sebalik pokok-pokok besar and signage yang tak seberapa besar tu ada kat main gate.

Bertempat kat IPC, kitorang pegi melawat Festival Sakura. Kitorang sampai agak lewat. Maklumlah Sabtu, seperti biasa kitorang akan menghabiskan setengah pagi dengan aktiviti garage sale. Lain kali akak citer one of the most happening aktiviti kat Palmy, Garage Sale. Sampai kat main entrance ramai orang dah balik. Kitorang terus menuju kat main stage. Persembahan kebudayaan pun hampir habis. Dapat le menonton tiga persembahan dari Indonesia and Japan. Lepas tu kitorang merayau kat stall-stall dari pelbagai negara, mostly Japan. Singgah sekejap beli sushi. My B ni memang suka makan sushi. Happening jugak festival ni. IPC ni kebanyakannya student Japan. Ramailah minah-minah Japan yang putih melepak tu merayau-rayau dengan kimononya. Terasa macam kat Japan sekejap. Rugi pulak tak amek gambar dengan diorang. Tulah asyik malu-malu kan dah tak dapat.

"Drum dance performed by a group of Japanese student, Fantastic"

"Pamoen and family, my B's classmate from Laos"