Beaches Baby!
12:33 PM
I thought I was going nowhere this break. But I was wrong. Coz on Sunday evening I received unexpected text messages from Trish and Andrew enquiring if I was keen to hop along with their four-man-clan to the Eastern beaches north of Auckland. And needless to say, I was psyched beyond delirium! I found it a little peculiar at first coz both Andrew and Trish claimed that they were bogged down with work when I asked them about their plans. But who's complaining? The day trip turned out to be one of the most enjoyable ones for me to date. Enjoyable AND tiring. I think in a combined effort to capture every moment, we took almost 500 pictures.... Yikes! I'll probably be loading a good amount on FB after I go through the entire bunch with them. But here are some of my ultimate favs from my camera. =D
Black sand! the main reason I was interested in the beaches was coz of it. Imagine walking on a beach that was black... Ferum deposits from volcanic eruptions are the culprit.
I know... the sand hardly looks black here but you've to be there to truly experience it. LOL. I wish beaches in Malaysia were like this! Desserted and clean and breath taking.......If it wasn't freezing, I bet we would've all jumped in.
Deltas
The water was uber clear. This is Bettles beach btw, as you will see in subsequent pictures....
I have absolutely NO idea how Shoggy comes up with the oddest poses, again, as you will see in subsequent pictures.....
C'mon, who doesn't do a jumping shot when you're in a beach. OMG. I look spasticated.
Nice right? Waves crashing into rocks. Very therapeutic!
Barnacles........
Andrew, attempting Tom Cruise's cliffhanger pose in MI 2
Us. Attempting cave people poses. Did they do yoga in paleolithic ages? Explains the calm and serene-ness of our ancestors.
Themattempting cavemen poses. Apparently, the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual movement started in early evolution of the human kind..... N that hillarious dude, shoggie, conveniently placed his bottle in between the rocks and pretended that the water trickling out was originating from the cave. Hahahah. Errr, yeaaa........
We came up with a tagline for this shot. "New Zealand rocks! No. Literally...." LOL.
And then we decided to squeeze into this tiny space, fear of all claustrophobics, to take pictures. The waves kept trying to sweep us out.....
But it was worth it ay? I love the pictures of us taken here!!!
More of the amazing scenery captured at Bettles.
One of us came up with the idea of sand imprinting "we are here" in the sand on every beach we visited that day. ANd just that we did, also as you will see in subsequent shots.
Neuroticism spells fun.
I love how NZ roads are empty. It allows us to take suicidal shots like this one. Adeline and Trish were hell bent on reinventing scenes from The Notebook.
I was just happy being in a position where I could get up and get the hell away should a car appear out of the blue.
And then we were ALL onto it. LOOOOL
Our Hike. This was prolly the most tricky hike in my life! Coz 1. I didn't wear sneakers. 2. I had to change outta my shorts, in the car! 3. the amount of stair climbing was T_T 4. we discovered we were going in the wrong direction after my delicate slippers were undelicated. 5. ALL of them kept laughing at EVERYTHING i said!! it was like i was a stand up comedian of some sort all of a sudden. Hmmm. maybe i should change courses. 6. It showed that my fitness level was still not up to par. siiiiiiiiiigh.
Part of the trek.....
Oh yea, the destination was the waterfalls. I think it was called Fairies Wings' Falls.
Erm, yea, stairs. Tirin ass!
We finally got to the fall in one piece! The water was FREEZING!
BUt all that walking would've been wasted if we didn't dip our feet into the pool, freezing or not....
Hehe. Randomness....
After the long tiring walk back up to the car, we drove over to Arataki where the rest decided to snack on tea and biscuits like cultured people while I grazed on an apple like a submissive health nut. I'm trying to become a convert. A health freak convert...... failing. pfffT!
But the view from the lookout point at Arataki was wowwiE! Do you see a trend in Shoggie's poses already??
And then I saw Joanna there. LOL. this is a gecko. it was what I used to call her. I will stop now coz I realize that the quotient of her eyes to her face exceeds that of a Gecko's. hehe.
We used Adeline's camera and tripod to capture at least a thousand shots of us standing in this frame. It was cold and raining but anything for a picture....
That was our rented car. Nice and comfy. Even the booth.....
THis was the beach at KareKare. Our next destination. My cam was running out of battery so I didn't capture many pictures here although the rest did....
Hehe...
Piha beach from one of the lookout points! amazing huh?
Us at Piha. Apparently, someone died there on Saturday. Got swept away by the currents. the lady taking our picture warned us not to go too far in....
PiiiiiiiiiHaaaaaaaaaaa.
You know how they say it's disastrous when the sun meets the moon? Well. the sun met the moon that day. And it was pretty sombre.
Later at night, after a satisfying dinner at Canton Kitchen in Mount Eden, we went up to the look out point on One Tree Hill. It was freeeeeziinnnggggggggg. But we took more pictures with Ady's cam coz mine went dead. And then we headed to countdown to do some grocery shopping before heading home. Man. Dead tiring. But at the expense of such a rewarding day. I am happy! and now I REALLY have to study!!!
The foursome that made my day Awesome Possum! Fm left Andrew, Trish, Shoggie and Adeline. I didn't know Shoggie and Adeline til I met them then and there and discovered that they're somewhere on top of my list of best holiday companions....
Boys will be boys....
Black sand! the main reason I was interested in the beaches was coz of it. Imagine walking on a beach that was black... Ferum deposits from volcanic eruptions are the culprit.I know... the sand hardly looks black here but you've to be there to truly experience it. LOL. I wish beaches in Malaysia were like this! Desserted and clean and breath taking.......If it wasn't freezing, I bet we would've all jumped in.DeltasThe water was uber clear. This is Bettles beach btw, as you will see in subsequent pictures....I have absolutely NO idea how Shoggy comes up with the oddest poses, again, as you will see in subsequent pictures..... C'mon, who doesn't do a jumping shot when you're in a beach. OMG. I look spasticated.Nice right? Waves crashing into rocks. Very therapeutic!
Barnacles........
Andrew, attempting Tom Cruise's cliffhanger pose in MI 2Us. Attempting cave people poses. Did they do yoga in paleolithic ages? Explains the calm and serene-ness of our ancestors.Themattempting cavemen poses. Apparently, the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual movement started in early evolution of the human kind..... N that hillarious dude, shoggie, conveniently placed his bottle in between the rocks and pretended that the water trickling out was originating from the cave. Hahahah. Errr, yeaaa........
We came up with a tagline for this shot. "New Zealand rocks! No. Literally...." LOL.And then we decided to squeeze into this tiny space, fear of all claustrophobics, to take pictures. The waves kept trying to sweep us out.....But it was worth it ay? I love the pictures of us taken here!!!
More of the amazing scenery captured at Bettles.
One of us came up with the idea of sand imprinting "we are here" in the sand on every beach we visited that day. ANd just that we did, also as you will see in subsequent shots.
Neuroticism spells fun.
I love how NZ roads are empty. It allows us to take suicidal shots like this one. Adeline and Trish were hell bent on reinventing scenes from The Notebook.
I was just happy being in a position where I could get up and get the hell away should a car appear out of the blue.
And then we were ALL onto it. LOOOOL
Our Hike. This was prolly the most tricky hike in my life! Coz 1. I didn't wear sneakers. 2. I had to change outta my shorts, in the car! 3. the amount of stair climbing was T_T 4. we discovered we were going in the wrong direction after my delicate slippers were undelicated. 5. ALL of them kept laughing at EVERYTHING i said!! it was like i was a stand up comedian of some sort all of a sudden. Hmmm. maybe i should change courses. 6. It showed that my fitness level was still not up to par. siiiiiiiiiigh.
Part of the trek.....
Oh yea, the destination was the waterfalls. I think it was called Fairies Wings' Falls.
Erm, yea, stairs. Tirin ass!
We finally got to the fall in one piece! The water was FREEZING!
BUt all that walking would've been wasted if we didn't dip our feet into the pool, freezing or not....
Hehe. Randomness....
After the long tiring walk back up to the car, we drove over to Arataki where the rest decided to snack on tea and biscuits like cultured people while I grazed on an apple like a submissive health nut. I'm trying to become a convert. A health freak convert...... failing. pfffT!
But the view from the lookout point at Arataki was wowwiE! Do you see a trend in Shoggie's poses already??
And then I saw Joanna there. LOL. this is a gecko. it was what I used to call her. I will stop now coz I realize that the quotient of her eyes to her face exceeds that of a Gecko's. hehe.
We used Adeline's camera and tripod to capture at least a thousand shots of us standing in this frame. It was cold and raining but anything for a picture....
That was our rented car. Nice and comfy. Even the booth.....
THis was the beach at KareKare. Our next destination. My cam was running out of battery so I didn't capture many pictures here although the rest did....
Hehe...
Piha beach from one of the lookout points! amazing huh?
Us at Piha. Apparently, someone died there on Saturday. Got swept away by the currents. the lady taking our picture warned us not to go too far in....
PiiiiiiiiiHaaaaaaaaaaa.
You know how they say it's disastrous when the sun meets the moon? Well. the sun met the moon that day. And it was pretty sombre.
Later at night, after a satisfying dinner at Canton Kitchen in Mount Eden, we went up to the look out point on One Tree Hill. It was freeeeeziinnnggggggggg. But we took more pictures with Ady's cam coz mine went dead. And then we headed to countdown to do some grocery shopping before heading home. Man. Dead tiring. But at the expense of such a rewarding day. I am happy! and now I REALLY have to study!!!
Fm left, Jie Huei, Joss and Boon. My dance kakis'
Sorry. The sequence of the pictures are messed up yet again. =( and I couldn't take many on the dance floor coz my cybershot isn't waterproof. This was taken after we were sprayed with heaps of foam. Back in the VIP room.
Me and Boon. Also in the VIP room. Also after extended foam play.
From the VIP room, we decided to sneak up on stage to take a picture with the hot DJ. DJ Karn Hall. He's supposed to be pretty famous in NZ. But since I'm clubbing rookie, I wouldn't know.
This was taken at Denny's (possibly the ONLY non fast food 24 hour eatery) where we went to have early breakfast after dancing into the wee hours of the night. I only had two shots and a rum and coke concoction this time so didn't get drunk. =D Me flanked by the two Asia reps. 
Me and Nish. She adores my camera. LOL. Funny girl. Sure seems like I'm spending too much time with her these days. But I likey!
And since there were no full length pictures of me throughout the night (bummer!!), I thought I'd take one in the confines of my room. My outfit for the night. Ok. You can stop laughing now. And in case you were wondering, yes, I did freeze in that. I thought I was going to die at least a couple of times. And behind me is my bulletin. See the pictures? I keep all of you close to my heart!
Me, Joss and Huei with our drinks. I didn't have to buy ne drinks that night ;)
Me, Rachel and half of Rach's bf, Tim...
you can see bits and pieces of the foam here. I was just too worried about my camera.
Hee. Blurred foamy pictures.
FOAM. it came out in huge chunks. Awesomeness. Dancing in the foam is like gliding and gyrating at the same time. I like! But my feet and calves ached at the end of the night. 
Part of my uni from ISpace, where we had our board games night thinga majig.
the other committee members had to eat greasy fried chicken while I grazed on my vege pizza slices. Ah. The perks of shirking chicken.
ANd then we proceeded to play some games as part of our bonding session. Pictured here fm left is social officer, Atie, AUT rep Joss, Asia rep Jie Huei and Vice Pres June.
But later we were joined by Azhan (photographer). And quite a team we were!
This one had (almost) everybody in it. After surprising Nish and Azhan with their birthday cake.
We played some conquer the earth game which I couldn't get, even after multiple explanations!
And then Nish and I abandonned the posse to join Terry, Abby and Jonathan in the adventures/misadventures of the hang out crew. After much persuasion from Nish and her craving for ice cream, we ended up going to Movenpick in Mission Bay.
Went for a walk on the beach after. It was freezing!!! It was so funny how we were all standing around and doing some fidgeting gestures in order to keep warm. Jonathan seen here, decided to do a couple of laps around the beach.
Heeeeeeeeeee
Me, Nish and Jonathan.
Nish took these panoramic shots. And they came out really great. This is exactly how Mission Bay looks at night.
Nice right?
Welcome to the good life. Terry somehow always gets cropped outta pictures.
And then, as if we hadn't already done enough, we went for shisha. I didn't smoke much. Just a couple of wifts but Nish was so into it that she ordered two!!! And the convenience store guy had to wait til we finished it before he could close up. Poor chap! Jonathan and I pretty much used the entire time to warm up our hands using the coal as heat source. Night ended with us planning another party at Grace's place. Hopefully a costume party coz the novelty of it is too good to pass up.
