The writer and his wife at Mount John Observatory. — Photos: MOHD HALIEMY SAPARI
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Having studied in Melbourne, Australia in the early to mid-1980s, my wife and I have heard so much about the country's friendly neighbour, New Zealand. The budget was tight then, thus crossing the Tasman Sea for a holiday was definitely beyond our means.
We came back to Malaysia after completing our studies. Both of us started our careers and a family. But the thought of New Zealand still lingered in the back of our minds. With the ever-growing financial commitment that came with building a family, holidaying overseas was beyond our reach.
When life got stable and we could finally start saving, the idea of going on a dream holiday started to creep in again. I remember sending letters to travel agencies asking for New Zealand brochures.
During that time it was almost impossible to travel without going through a travel agent. I still keep the brochures that we got in the late 1990s – that was over 20 years ago!
But by then, we already had our sights on various other destinations.
We went to Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Europe, Britain and the United States. My wife and I agreed that we would save New Zealand as our post-retirement dream destination.
As we grew older, however, we got a reality check when several of our friends fell sick either before or after retirement. Their ailments hindered them from travelling.
My wife and I decided need to make some adjustments to our retirement holiday plans. A compromise was reached – we will visit the North Island first and keep South Island as our post-retirement dream holiday.
The writer and his wife took a scenic helicopter ride in New Zealand.
So in April 2016, we travelled to the North Island of New Zealand for a two-week holiday. We considered ourselves tourists who sought beautiful sceneries. Thus, we opted for a self-drive, free-and-easy holiday.
The journey took us from Auckland to Rotorua, Lake Taupo, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, New Plymouth, Hamilton and back to Auckland.
The 1,500km route covered most of the North Island. Whenever we found a beautiful spot, we would pull over and just enjoy our time.
It was a tiring but enjoyable trip. We were happy that at least we were able to fulfil one-part of our dream holiday. The South Island would have to wait for now.
I took my early retirement in 2018. Meanwhile, my wife retired in 1999 and decided to become a full-time housewife.
Queenstown is a popular tourist destination in New Zealand.
The second part of our New Zealand adventure took place in October 2018.
We flew to Auckland, and then Christchurch. We decided to do a self-drive trip again, as that is perhaps the best way to visit New Zealand. Our journey took us to Lake Tekapo, Twizel, Dunedin, Invercargill, Te Anau, Queenstown, Milford Sounds, Lake Wanaka, Haast, Franz Josef, Greymouth, Arthur’s Pass and back to Christchurch; we covered more than 2,000km.
For a country with fewer than five million people and nearly 75% of them resides in the North Island, the word "densely populated" is something that the Kiwis in South Island will never understand. More often than not, there were hardly any people at places that we stopped by to take photos. What a dream holiday it was.
How I wish we could start travelling again.
The views expressed are entirely the reader's own.
