Visiting Neighboring Australia

Sydney Harbour

One of the great things about New Zealand is its remoteness from the rest of the western world. Unlike the UK, Switzerland or the Netherlands, which are all inside Europe, and thus, so easy to travel to and fro, New Zealand is so far away from everyone else. Corollary, while postgrad students based in London or Amsterdam get to travel to the rest of Europe during their breaks, thereby missing out on what the UK has to offer, postgrads based in New Zealand are "forced" to explore the island nation. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Because of its isolation, I got to discover everything Aotearoa had to offer, from its wineries to its lakes to its volcanoes to its ski resorts. And I got to do everything there was to do like bungy jump, skydive, and kayak. I loved every single minute I was travelling there.

However, this is not to say that you can't travel outside New Zealand during your stay. Not so far away is neighboring Australia, which is just a reasonable 3 1/2 hour plane ride away. So in the event you get bored with tiny and remote New Zealand, you can plan a short vacation to the land of kangaroos, koalas, and Hugh Jackman.

The first thing you have to do, of course, is to apply for an Australia visa. You can do so at the Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) in Auckland. The process starts by choosing the kind of visa. There's the Visitor Visa (Subclass 600), which can be for 3 to 12 months validity, but expensive, and there's the Transit Visa (Subclass 771), which is for 3 days, in transit to another country and FREE.

If you plan to return to New Zealand, then you must apply for the Visitor Visa (Subclass). I availed of the Transit Visa (Subclass 771) as I planned to visit the Philippines right after, so it was perfect for me.

The Application Form can be obtained from border.gov.au. The supporting documents you need to prepare are as follows:

• Completed Form 876
• Valid Philippine passport
• Signed passport photo
• Your travel itinerary (your flight schedules)
• Your onward plane ticket

Although the Australian government won't charge you for the visa, the processing center will. AVAC will charge you NZ$37 for the service fee for the Transit Visa (Subclass 771). After submitting your documents and paying the fee, AVAC will email you your visa approval within a few days (the website says at least 10 working days, but I got mine in just 6 days).

The processing center in Auckland is located at TT Services New Zealand, Level 1, West Plaza Building, 3 Albert Street, near Downtown Mall. It is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Paddleboarding in the Central Coast, NSW

I visited my brother in Sydney, New South Wales. I found the city to be a cross between Auckland and Manila. It had the cleanliness and beautiful landscape of the former and the business of the latter. It's a bigger and richer version of Auckland for sure. I visited the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Went paddle boarding in the Central Coast and checked out some beaches. There were other areas to explore and activities to do, but there's only so much you can pack within 3 days. From my experience I suggest a proper visit in Sydney to be at least 7 days. Of course, you can extend your stay and travel to Melbourne and Canberra.

So, there, if you get bored in New Zealand, and/or you have family in Australia, you can easily jump on Air New Zealand or Jet Star and visit the Land Down Under. Other travel options near New Zealand are the islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, all in the South Pacific.

Happy travels! 

Around New Zealand in 600 Days

I spent a total of 21 months or roughly 600 days in Aotearoa (from February 2013 to November 2014). Within that almost two year period, I visited and explored so many places which the island nation had to offer, and I posted my trips and activities on this blog. Here is a comprehensive summary (with links) of my adventures. (I'll do it geographically, from north to south of both the north and south islands of New Zealand.)

Let's start with the northern tip of the north island. I drove all the way up to picturesque Cape Reinga. My friends and I were blessed with good weather that time as we were able to take beautiful pictures of the Cape Reinga lighthouse. We also passed by Te Paki Sand Dunes and did some sandboarding.

Still up north, I got a chance to stay at the Bay of Islands. Our group got to tour the Treaty of Waitangi grounds and watch a Maori Haka performance.

In North Auckland, I got to kayak on the Puhoi River, and all the way out to the Hauraki Gulf. Afterwards,  went picnicking at Wenderholm Regional Park.

MTB biking in Auckland

I tried out mountain biking at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park deep in the Woodhill Forest northwest of Auckland. The cool crisp weather was great for MTB biking.

Skydiving in Auckland

Also in northwest Auckland, I went to Parakai Airfield and went skydiving over Helensville. I conquered my fear of heights as the guys of Skydive Auckland pushed me out of an airplane 13,500 feet above ground.

I watched a rugby game between New Zealand's All Blacks and England's national team. After the match, I still didn't understand the game, but it didn't matter because the All Blacks won 20-15.

I hiked up the mountain top of Rangitoto Island northeast of Auckland with my fellow postgrads. It was a lovely trek up Auckland Region's most active volcano island.

East of Auckland, I rode a ferry and went wine tasting in Waiheke Island. New Zealand is home to many vineyards and wineries, and is well known for its white wines.

I biked up Mount Victoria in Devonport, just across Auckland CBD. In my opinion, this hill has the best view of the city.

Moving south, I visited the home of Bilbo Baggins at Hobbiton in Matamata, near Rotorua. Enjoyed taking photos on the actual set of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit series. 

I traveled to the center of the north island, at Tongariro National Park, and went skiing on the white slopes of Mount Ruapehu. It was my first and probably the last time to ski as I did not find going down a hill with no brakes fun.

I returned to Tongariro National Park and hiked the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Got to enjoy viewing the beautiful emerald lakes and its surrounding volcanic formations.

And then I rode a plane to the southern tip of the north island and toured the capital city of Wellington. Visited the Beehive and the NZ parliament. Also explored the the plant and wildlife preserve of Zealandia. 

I flew to the middle of the south island and visited the universities in Christchurch. Went on a road trip with my fellow scholars and passed by the rock formations of Castle Hill, where they shot the battle scenes of Chronicles of Narnia. 

Traveled south to Lake Tekapo. Enjoyed the view of the lake with the snow capped Southern Alps in the background. New Zealand is home to many beautiful and picturesque lakes. Also visited Mount Cook National Park, and saw some more snow capped mountains. Another lake worth stopping by on the way is Lake Pukaki. 

Further south, I visited the adventure capital of New Zealand, Queenstown. There, I bungy jumped off Kawarau Bridge, the site of the first commercial bungy jump. What an adrenaline rush! I did this after I skyjumped, so I was not that scared.

Southwest, I visited the majestic Milford Sound. Rode a ferry and traversed the fjord to view the high cliffs and waterfalls, as well as watch the seals play.

The southernmost place I visited was the old Scottish settlement of Dunedin. I got to tour the local Cadbury chocolate factory.

And that about covers it! Traveled around New Zealand in 600 days, all while completing my masters degree. I had so much fun in Aotearoa! 

VIDEO: How to Save Money in Auckland

This video from Hostelworld, shot in 2011, brings back good memories of my postgraduate life in Auckland. Colm Hanratty shares tips on how to save money in Auckland. Here they are:

1. Use the Citylink Bus to get around the city center for free. However, it is only free with a valid AT card.

2. You can bring your own drinks (i.e wine, beer, soda, etc.) in BYO restaurants.

3. Enjoy the parks in the city center, such as Albert Park and Auckland Domain.

4. Shop at the Victoria Park Market. Although Auckland is not really known for its bargain deals.

5. Check out the free museums, particularly the Auckland Art Gallery and the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The video is so nostalgic. Especially the clip showing Albert Park--the park I crossed almost everyday during my stay.

Wine Tasting at Waiheke Island

Enjoying CabSav with my nephew Neeko.

If you like drinking wine or want to learn about it in Auckland, you can go wine tasting at nearby Waiheke Island. My friends and I went on a half-day wine tour, which included wine tastings at three vineyards, last November 2014. We got a discounted coupon from Around Waiheke Tours on GrabOne for NZ$59 each (from published rate of NZ$119). 

We bought separate tickets for the ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke and back. You can choose between Fullers or Explore. We chose Explore because it also had a special rate on GrabOne. We got our roundtrip tickets for only NZ$18 each (regular fare is NZ$36).

We rode the 9:30am ferry at Auckland Ferry Terminal. The trip to Waiheke took roughly 40 minutes. When we arrived at the Matiatia Ferry Terminal, we transferred to the Around Waiheke Tours bus.

Our first winery stop was Peacock Sky Vineyard.

This was my first wine tasting ever so I was both amused and intrigued with the table setting. Apart from the wines, they provide water to cleanse your palate after each tasting. They also prepared food to pair with each glass of wine.

At Peacock Sky, we tasted their Pinot Gris--a white wine, which was paired with a white creamy soup. Next, we sampled their Rose--a pink colored wine. This was paired with a sausage. Our third wine was a traditional Merlot, which they paired with chicken. The last wine we tasted was their Cabernet Sauvignon, and they paired it with chocolate. This was my personal favorite because it really tasted like a liquid black forest cake, which was exactly what the sommelier described it to be. Anyway, after a few minutes, the alcohol kicked in and I was woozy boarding the tour bus.

The next vineyard we visited was Te Motu. This time, the setting for the wine tasting was outdoors. We were blessed with sunny weather that day, and so Te Motu's cool white wines tasted refreshing. Unlike Peacock Sky, there were no food pairings. Instead, we washed our palate with glasses of water.

Wine tasting at Te Motu with other tourists.

At the vineyard with Grace and Lara.

The vineyard at Te Motu.

Our last stop for the wine tasting tour was The Batch Vineyard. 

This difference with this vineyard was the sommelier took us around the winery while we tasted the different wines. He showed us the vats, tanks and presses where the grapes undergo the fermentation process.

Once fermentation has finished, the wines are placed in oak barrels to complete their maturation.

By the end of the tour, I had drank 12 glasses of various red and white wines, that I must admit made me a bit tipsy right after. But our group just scratched the surface, in terms of wineries. Waiheke is home to over a dozen vineyards. They say New Zealand is better know for its white wines, especially their pinot gris, but what do I know. I prefer reds anyway. One thing is for sure though, if you enjoy wines and are staying in Auckland, you must make a trip to Waiheke Island.

PS: You don't have to take the wine tasting bus tour if you don't want to. You can bring your car or bike on the ferry, or to make it easy, you can rent a car or bike when you get there. A lot of people also spend the whole weekend in Waiheke and stay in baches. For more information about the island, visit Waiheke.co.nz.

Finished with my postgraduate degrees at the University of Auckland

I recently received my diploma for my master of public policy, capping off my two year academic stint in New Zealand. I can't believe time flew by so fast. It seemed like only yesterday when I applied for postgraduate studies at the University of Auckland and scholarship with the New Zealand Embassy. Today, I have my Post-Graduate Diploma in Arts with Merit on Development Studies and a Master of Public Policy with Second Class Honours First Division.

I'm thankful to my wife Ria and daughter Bea for allowing me to pursue postgraduate studies abroad. I am extremely lucky to have a partner who supported me 100% of the way and sacrificed so much by taking care of our daughter and running our household, all by herself. I hope I can return their love and affection. I am grateful as well to my mom Aileen and dad Roque for their support, and to the rest of my family for their encouragement. 

Thanks are also due to my policy professor, boss, and dissertation supervisor, Dr. Julie MacArthur, for her guidance and support. I really appreciate how she gave me the freedom to work on my dissertation at my own pace, and at the same time be there for me to check on my progress, review my drafts, and give sound advice on how to improve my paper.

Lastly, I am extremely grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and all who make up the New Zealand-ASEAN Scholarships Programme (NZAS) for giving me this great opportunity to obtain a post-graduate diploma and a master's degree at the University of Auckland. Rest assured that I will use all that I learned in New Zealand to help my home country of the Philippines.

My write-up in the University of Auckland website

If you are reading this post while taking your postgraduate studies in New Zealand, and feel depressed, burdened and/or stressed with all the academic obligations, let me reassure you that this too will pass. You can make it! Good luck and God bless!

#parasabayan #parasaPilipinas

MTB Biking in North Auckland (Woodhill Mountain Bike Park)

I'm not a mountain biker, but when I was invited by my friend to try it out at the Woodhill Mountain Bike Park, I thought to myself, 'What the heck, I'm in New Zealand, let's do it!' I mean, if I was going to try mountain biking (again) I might as well do it in beautiful, scenic, fresh and clean New Zealand, right?! RIGHT?!

Woodhill Mountain Bike Park is located just 40 minutes away (by car) northwest of Auckland CBD, at the ridges of the Woodhill Forest. It is a full service MTB park complete with a pro shop, a drinking station, and a work shop. The park's regular hours are from 7am to 5:30pm.

Woodhill Mountain Bike Park is huge. There are 68 trails in the forest, totalling over 100 kms of bike tracks. The park has recommended loops for short distances (6 kms), medium distance (10 kms) and long distances (15 kms). The park rules on safety are simple and straighforward:

• All bikers must register before entering any of the trails.
• No helmet means no ride.
• Bikers should carry with them their mobile phones and a map of the park.
• Bikers should familiarise themselves with the forest roads marked on the map, so that they can communicate their location in cases of emergency.
• Bikers should only ride trails marked on the park map.
• Bikers should ride within their limits and respect the stunt ratings of each trail. The rating scale is from "X" (easy) to "XXXXX" (extremely difficult).
• Call 111 in case of emergency.

The Day Pass at Woodhill MTB park is pegged at NZ$8. Most bikers bring their own mountain bikes. But for those who visit unprepared, the park fortunately offers a full range of bikes for rent. Bike hire for a hard tail is NZ$30 for the first hour, and NZ$5 every succeeding 20 minutes. Full suspension bikes are more expensive at NZ$85 for four hours, and NZ$20 every succeeding hour. The prices are steep, so it is best to bring your own mountain bike to the park.

You can also rent bike accessories like helmets for NZ$5 and bike lights for NZ$25. Here I am with my friend Justinn Valerio. 

We visited the park in May (that's Autumn in New Zealand). I was hesitant to join that time because of the cold and rainy weather, but my friends said they preferred mountain biking during this particular season. Apparently, serious mountain bikers like it when the soil is wet, as the knobby tires have a better grip of the track. Mas makapit daw. Mas madaling umakyat. 

Anyway, I thought I was going to freeze to death. It was chilly. But I actually, later on, appreciated the cool and crisp weather. I didn't sweat as fast compared to when I went mountain biking in Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal. My God, I remembered that time I tried the trails in Timberland, I almost passed out due to the extreme heat.

Not worrying so much about the heat and dehydration in Woodhill Forest made me get to appreciate the scenery so much more. While we were pedalling up the hill, I got to enjoy the view of the tall trees and other lush greenery offered by Woodhill Forest. I appreciated how the keepers maintained the park.

Unfortunately, I have no picture of the tracks and trails for the simple reason that I wasn't able to take any photos while going down the mountain. I hung on to the handlebars for my dear life. What my friends promised what was supposed to be an easy trail (a walk in the park, they asserted) turned out to be an extremely difficult ride for a newbie like me. At one part, I slammed right into a tree while speeding downhill. It's a good thing I came out of it with only a bruise on the chest.

Anyway, when we got back the entrance, we rested at the drinking station and waited for the other bikers to get back. Later on, we went over to the wash area and cleaned our muddy bikes. We were done by lunch time.

Anyway, minor MTB accident aside, I really enjoyed my adventure at Woodhill Mountain Bike Park. If you're interested to go mountain biking in Auckland, this is a great place to start. Afterwards, you can explore the other mountain bike parks in New Zealand--and there are many more!

Stay safe on the trails, MTBer!