5 Dec 15 – Day 6 (Hokitika and Fox Glacier)

Today we went to the town of Hokitika to see the greenstones and glassblowing. We were dropped off in front of the shop called Westland Greenstone and were told to gather back at the same place after 45 minutes of free time. Cynthia told us that we could use the toilet facilities there and that we could pop into the workshop to see how the craftsmen turn pieces of greenstone, which the Maori called the pounamu, into beautiful pieces of jewelry. There were two craftsmen inside the workshop, one older and one younger. The group of us moved around them to see what they were doing and took photos of them while they were at work. Then we moved out of the workshop to browse the retail section. Most of the jewelry were either pendants of Maori designs with specific meanings or bangles or dangling earrings with hefty price tags. Those with affordable price tags were mostly greenstone chips that were leftovers from making the nicer jewelry.

I was hoping to get something affordable that I will wear often as a memento of this trip so I walked around the shop till I stopped in front of a counter where a basket of rings was. Inside were plain greenstone rings of fixed sizes and surprise, surprise, there were also beaded rings made with elastic strings which fit my pinky finger. Stood there to try on the rings and SWT was standing beside me, helping to pick out all the beaded rings. After trying on a few and asking her for opinions, I finally decided on my purchase and went to pay NZ$18.60 for it. Showed Cynthia my purchase and was surprised to know that she also wears pinky rings and she even has one on each pinky finger.

Left the shop feeling happy and we popped over to another shop that was recommended by Cynthia for their real fruit ice cream. We were told beforehand that the ice cream cone would be pretty big and were advised not to eat that at the last minute. The flavors of the ice cream available depended on the type of fruits and vegetables that the shop has for the day. As I was still full from breakfast, I didn’t buy the ice cream. For SWT, ice cream was no problem for her no matter the size and hence she bought herself a pumpkin flavor one as suggested by me. The cone was indeed huge and I helped her hold it while she made payment. The shop has an ancient looking cash register and SWT quickly took a few shots of it. The shop owner suggested sprinkling some spice powder onto the ice cream and so I did.

SWT offered me a bite from the ice cream and it was heavenly. The pumpkin flavor was strong and the spice powder brought out the flavor even more. We moved out of the shop, strolled along the main road and I suggested checking out the glassblowing studio since Hokitika is supposedly famous for that too. The shop was pretty big but no customers inside, only two sales staff were there cleaning some displays and arranging them. As SWT was still eating her ice cream, she was not allowed to go into the shop so I went in alone. Most of the displays were big size items with hefty price tags. Those that were smaller size such as cups, bowls and figurines also didn’t come cheap. The only affordable items were the clear glass spoons placed on the cashier counter. I was tempted to get one as memento but the rationale side got the better of me which I was pretty grateful.

Left the glassblowing studio, strolled along the main road again to see what other shops there were. Nothing much and we went back to the first shop where we were supposed to meet and wait for the coach to pick us up. As it was almost time, many members were already at the shop, some went to make use of the toilet facilities again. I went to a nearby greenstone shop to browse. There were no customers inside the shop and since from the previous shop I knew that average price of the items were at least three-digits, I zoomed down to the section where it said “Sales”. Same as the previous shop, sales items were those pendants made out of greenstone chips. Saw the earrings stand near the cashier counter and went over to take a look. It was there that I saw the pair of greenstone ear studs that I was eyeing on from the website before the trip. Quickly made payment and was trying to hurry up the cashier using my mental strength. Plonked the purchase into my bag and hurried out to rejoin the group.

The coach came and we all went onboard. After 2+ hours, we reached the town of Franz Josef for lunch and it started drizzling. Cynthia recommended a few restaurants to the group for lunch and those of us who would like to take the helicopter ride up to the Fox Glacier had to follow her to the tour agency office to check if the weather condition for the day was suitable for the ride. As it turned out, the weather condition was not suitable then and not for the rest of the day. So the few of us then followed Cynthia to this restaurant called Full of Beans to have western lunch. As we had no idea how big the portion was going to be so to be on the safe side, we decided to just order a plate of fish and chips to share and then decide if we need more food after we finish. Turned out, the portion was just nice for the both of us and the good lunch helped pushed the earlier unhappy incident to the back of my mind. It started to rain when we were about to move off but we did not use our ponchos. We braved the rain in our outer jackets.

Got to the pickup point but the coach was not in sight so we went into a shop to escape from the rain. Browsed the shop and saw a rack full of possom-merino wool cardigans with zippers. The cardigans were on sale selling at NZ$199. I was tempted to buy but in the end did not because I have quite a number of pullovers and little big sis doesn’t like clothes containing wool materials. Soon our coach arrived and we quickly went up to get out of the rain. After all the members were on board, we moved off to the next destination, the Fox Glacier. It didn’t take long to get there from the town of Franz Josef to Fox Glacier. As it was drizzling, Cynthia reminded us to put on ponchos if we had one. SWT and I brought ours down and we left our other belongings on the coach. There was toilet facility with shelter at the so-called entrance of the Fox Glacier so those of us, who were attempting to climb Fox Glacier, headed straight there to wait for Cynthia. Some of the members made used of the shelter to try to put on their ponchos while some made use of the toilet facilities. It was drizzling pretty heavily but I refused to put on poncho and managed with just my Timberland outer shell. SWT, on the other hand, put on hers, on top of her windbreaker while some of our group members used umbrellas. Since both SWT and I didn’t need to use the toilet, Cynthia told us that we can start the climb first and so we did.

The portion of the Fox Glacier which was after the so-called entrance was mostly flat. The ground was mostly covered with stones of various sizes and since it was drizzling, there were small streams of water here and there and a very big stream flow nearby. There was supposedly a designated walking path but it was not very obvious such that we kind of deviated from it for a while before moving back onto it again. Because the area is constantly moist, lots of moss grow on the rocks and thriving very well there. Soon, we came to a small stream with rushing water. We had to choose our footings on the rocks carefully in order to get across. 

Soon we came to a red sign that says “Glacier guided groups on past this point.” We had no idea what it means. Whether it meant that only guided groups can go beyond that sign or they cannot go beyond that sign. So we stood there for a while, took a selfie while trying to decide whether we should continue. Then behind us came a member holding an umbrella in one hand and with his daughter in the other. They went past us and continued walking. So we decided to follow them with me walking in front of SWT. Beyond the sign, the ground became elevated and hence came the climb. I had to give my full concentration on the climb because the ground was wet and rocky. One wrong step on a wet and loose stone means falling down, worse, I may slide down the rocky slope. The already difficult climb was made worse when there were signs telling people not to stop in the midst of the climb in case of falling rocks. I almost wanted to give up because I was so strained from concentrating, so tired and hot from the steep climb. I was mentally cursing myself for not working out diligently. I was breathing heavily and maybe even loudly; I couldn’t tell with my hood pulled down low. 

I was so relieved when I finally reached the top and by then, I could feel my skin sticky with perspiration, the lower parts of the sleeves of my long sleeve t-shirt, sweater and outer shell wet, possibly from the rain because the drizzling was getting heavier. Took some quick shots of the Fox Glacier using my mobile phone and then the member whom we saw earlier offered to take photos of SWT and I using SWT’s mobile phone. We offered the same gesture to him but he declined. After getting some rest, we decided to head down before the drizzling get any heavier than it already was. The climb down was worse than the climb up. I had to double my concentration and treaded very slowly. This time SWT went ahead of me and I let her. No point trying to follow her pace and run the risk of slipping off on a wet, rocky downward slope. We didn’t stop to rest till after we passed the sign that indicated no stopping. It probably didn’t take us very long to get down but it sure felt like forever. While continuing down the gradual slope, we saw some members of our group making their way up. Most were in ponchos and some took umbrellas. 

At the flatland area, we saw a worker using a shovel trying to fill up some streams that were getting wider due to the rushing water from the rain. Got back up the coach and saw a few members who didn’t make the climb. SWT and I took off our outer wears which were dripping wet and hung onto the hooks on the front seats. Near our coach was a stream with some rocks exposed. As we waited, we saw the rocks getting submerged by the rushing water filling up the stream due to the rain. Soon our group members came back, we started our journey to the hotel in the Fox Glacier village. The day before, Cynthia told SWT and I that we might want to consider packing an overnight bag instead of taking our big luggage for tonight’s stay. So we did just that and hence we were able to escape into our cosy room quickly after getting the key. Once inside, we checked the facilities to make sure things are in working condition before changing out of our wet jeans to lay them out near the heater. We also laid out our socks and outer wears to dry. We even plugged in the hairdryer and used it to blow dry the bottom of our jeans. While I was drying the jeans, SWT fed me with the potato chips that she bought few days back. 

Soon it was time for dinner and we knew what we are going to have because we had chosen our items the day before. I had smoke salmon salad (because I simply love eating salmon), grilled salmon and passionfruit cheesecake while SWT had tomato soup, roasted chicken and chocolate cake. It was a good meal but unfortunately, I was not able to finish my grilled salmon because I ate a whole bun with butter before the food was served. Big mistake. Cynthia was seated beside us and told us the arrangement for the next morning. As we will be doing our helicopter ride early in the morning, she suggested that we pass her our valuables and passports for safekeeping. On top of that, we will also pass her our room key so that she can help us do the checkout as well as transfer our overnight bags to the coach. After we were done eating about 7+pm, SWT and I went out for a walk. Popped into a shop that offers helicopter ride and also selling things related to hiking. We were so amazed by the things sold there and spent quite a lot of time in that shop just looking at things. As we need to get up early the next day to do our helicopter ride, we left the shop about 8+pm to return to our hotel room to rest for the night.

Thoughts: 45 minutes at the Hokitika was simply too short. Though the town looked small, I’m pretty sure it is bigger than it looks and should have lot more things to look at and explore. The greenstone jewellery sure look very pretty, so do the price tags. I was glad the rationale side of me is strong such that I didn’t buy things that I hardly wear. Lunch was great, it would have been even better if SWT can eat a normal portion then we could have had one proper portion each without sharing.

Climbing part of the Fox Glacier was really challenging, for me at least. It was even more challenging when I had to climb it on a rainy day. The part of the Fox Glacier that we saw was not very impressive. I hope I will get a good view tomorrow from the helicopter ride. Dinner was also very good. A pity that I was partially full from the big bun even before the main course was served. Note to self, must not finish bread or bun before main course is served the next time.

4 Dec 15 – Day 5 (Auckland, Christchurch, Punakaiki and Greymouth)

Today we took the domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch. As it was self-check-in system, Cynthia briefed us on how to operate the kiosks while we were on the way to the airport. She told the group to wait for her at a designated meeting point after checking-in the luggage so that she can try to arrange for family members to be seated together. After that, we strolled slowly to the boarding gate and stood around because all the seats were taken. Cynthia came along and seek SWT and my help with the seating arrangement. Turned out that she had to split us up because she was not able to split the other families. So SWT and me took one aisle seat each. As most of the seats allocated to our group were near the back of the plane, we had to board the plane from the back. Got up the plane and we managed to find our seats quite easily. 

After everyone was boarded and seated, our plane took off. Snacks and drinks were distributed and as per what Cynthia recommended, we opted for the Cookie Time cookie, which was also one of the must-eat items on our list. The cookie was nice but a tad too sweet. So one item off the list but don’t think will be getting any to bring back home. Soon we reached Christchurch airport and we took quite a long time just to clear custom. After we were cleared, Cynthia told us to wait at a designated area because she had to receive another tour group who will be joining us for the rest of the South Island tour. Soon we boarded our new coach and made our way into Christchurch where we were to have lunch at a shopping mall. As usual, most of the group settled their lunch either at the food court or at the fast food restaurants. SWT and me just went to get a vegetarian burger and a hot chocolate each from a stall and ate sitting on a bench. Yes, I know… For someone who claim to be a foodie, I shouldn’t be eating this as lunch and I know I will probably be criticized for contradicting my blog title with my choice of food. 

Anyway, after eating, we soon gathered back at the coach and began our itinerary. Cynthia informed us that there was a change of plan. Instead of doing the sights in Christchurch as per the schedule, we headed straight towards Punakaiki to see the Pancake Rocks, which was almost four-hour’ journey. According to her, she said that the weather forecast for the next day is not good. It is going to be a wet day and according to the schedule for tomorrow, we were supposed to be doing Pancake Rocks in the morning and Fox Glacier in the afternoon which means outdoor activities which means we may have to wear ponchos the whole day. So to avoid that, she made the decision to make some changes to the schedule. Since it was a four-hour ride, most of us took the opportunity to sleep on the coach or watched the sceneries. The landscape of the South Island differs from the North Island; it is more mountainous than the North Island. We had a comfort stop at Arthur’s Pass after about two hours and reached the Pancake Rocks location around 5:40pm.

Cynthia went to buy tickets and told the group members to visit the toilets. The queue for toilet was long and so Cynthia told SWT and I to go ahead to see the Pancake Rocks which are a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through several vertical blowholes during high tides. The 'pancake'-layering of the limestone thus gave the name Pancake Rocks. We happily went on our way and along the way took photos. But soon, the rest of the group caught up and then it was beating them to get the best photos without getting bombed by them. Other than that, the Pancake Rocks were really an amazing view. However, I felt that they look more like kuah lapis than pancakes. Heh. Took lots of photos even though it would have been better if the weather was not so overcast. 

Left the place around 6+pm and we made our way to Greymouth where we will be spending the night. While traveling, Cynthia handed out some papers to the group for us to indicate the optional tours that we would like to do over the next few days as well as the dinner options that we want for tomorrow’s dinner. After a short discussion with SWT, we settled on the helicopter ride, jet-boating and the day trip to Milford Sound. We also decided on the dinner options and we passed the papers back to Cynthia before we got to the hotel. Reached our hotel, Kingsgate, which is just next to the Grey River, checked into the hotel, went up to the room, quickly settled down and went down to the restaurant to have buffet dinner. After SWT and I were done with dinner, we went to the reception counter to get a map before heading straight out to explore Greymouth.

As it was already 8+pm at night, most of the shops were closed and the streets quite deserted. Walked along Mawhera Quay and took photo of the clock tower before turning into Tainui Street. Along the way, we came across a big greenstone structure with water feature and we took photos of it. We then saw a railway track and then MacDonald’s. Popped into the shop to check out the menu and then walked across the street to check out the menu of KFC. Recalled that Cynthia recommended that we try the KFC few days later in Queenstown because the chicken is more tender and juicy compared to those back in Singapore. So we quickly made a mental note of what we are going to order few days later. Continued on and we saw Greymouth Evening Star, took photos of the wall murals.

Soon the sky darkened and it was after 9pm, slowly made our way back to the hotel and we saw the young adults from the fashion show family across the street photographing the wall murals at the Greymouth Evening Star. Nearing the hotel, we saw some interesting displays describing the Westlands Gold Rush back in the days as well as display of the tools used back then. After the row of displays, we saw a railway station with Countdown the supermarket nearby. Walked on and we came across a mobile toilet and a lone jogger. Finally, back along Mawhera Quay and we climbed up the steps of the clock tower to get a view of the Grey River before calling it a day.

Thoughts: Cynthia made a good call to visit the Pancake Rocks today even though it was overcast and was rather late when we got there. As usual, I would repeat the point that I wish we had more time to explore the place. Greymouth seems like a ghost town. Probably because we were seeing it in the late evening where most of the shops were closed and most people would have been home for the day already. Still, the place seems very small with very little activities. Wonder how Greymouth is by day.

3 Dec 15 – Day 4 (Matamata and Auckland)

Today was the highlight of the trip, a visit to the Hobbiton. We got up early because of the traveling time required to get there. After breakfast, we still had a bit of time so we walked to the outside of the hotel near to the shore of the lake to catch the sunrise. Left around 7:45am for a one-hour journey to the destination where we had a two-hour tour of the Hobbiton. Along the way, we passed by the town called Tirau where many buildings, signboards and sculptures are made using discarded corrugated iron. I managed to snap two shots, one on the information center which is shaped like a giant dog and the adjacent Big Sheep Wool Gallery which is shaped like a sheep.

Soon we were in the area of Matamata where the landscape was mostly green with rolling hills and dotted with white sheep. According to our driver, Peter Jackson was searching for a suitable site to film his Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movies and subsequently The Hobbit movies; he came across the Alexander Farm and decided that it was the ideal place. He negotiated with the owner and then began to transform the site. Reached the ticketing area slightly after 9am, took a couple of snapshots with the Hobbiton signpost and quickly browsed the souvenir shop while waiting for our guide. Didn’t get to look closely enough and we were told to board the coach because the guide was there to start the tour. 

The coach drove a little further into the compound before we alighted again to start the tour on foot. There were a lot of hobbit holes and as we moved up the hill, we were introduced to different hobbit holes. The guide told us that we can tell the occupation of a hobbit from the decoration of his or her hobbit hole. She also told us some behind-the-scene stories and how some scenes were filmed. Here are a few that I can remember from the tour.

• Very little CGI effects were used during the filming of LOTR, contrary to popular beliefs. Most were done using old-school tricks. For example, the scene where Gandalf and Frodo were sitting side-by-side on the carriage and Gandalf had to appear much larger than Frodo who is a hobbit. It was filmed such that Ian McKellen was seated quite a distance away in front of Elijah Wood. It was really testing the actors on their acting skills because they had to act like they were really next to each other when in fact they were not.

• The NZ government could not offer financial help to Peter Jackson for his movie production but instead offered him an army at his disposal to set up the film site. In return, the NZ army who helped with the setting up of the film site was offered to act as orcs in the films.

• The scene where Gandalf was in Bilbo’s house and accidentally knocked his head on the chandelier, that scene was not in the script. Ian McKellen really hit his head but as a good actor, he continued with the filming and Peter Jackson let the camera rolled and hence we saw that unscripted scene in the movie.

• There were a few hobbit holes built in different percentage to a full grown adult so as to facilitate the filming. For instance, when Gandalf visited Bilbo, Ian McKellen was standing at a hobbit hole which was perhaps 60% of the actual size. When Bilbo was standing outside his house, Martin Freeman was standing outside a hobbit hole which was 100% in size.

• Filming of the LOTR was hush hush back then and the NZ government had to declare the area as a no-fly zone. So when Peter Jackson filmed the fireworks scene in the first LOTR movie, the fireworks could be seen from miles away and people were wondering what was going on. 

As we walked further uphill, we saw hobbit holes that belong to hobbits working as gardener, hobbits that sell fish, preserved food, cheese and so on. We were given few minutes each stop to take photos of the surrounding. Due to the big group of us, good photos without getting bombed at were almost impossible. We were told that one of the hobbit holes is not allocated for use on special occasion such as wedding events. Continued with our ascend, the guide told us that the number of windows on a hobbit hole is an indication of how rich a hobbit is. Another indication is the location of his or her hobbit hole relative to the height of the hill. So Bilbo’s house is seated right on top of the hill and has 12 windows hence he is the riches hobbit in The Shire. We were not allowed to go into Bilbo’s house and were told that the interior scenes in the films were actually shot in a studio in Wellington.

After a few quick shots, we had to descend the hill. We were then led to where the Party Tree was to appreciate the size of the big tree as well as to take in the view of the whole hill with the various hobbit holes. Unfortunately, the view was spoilt by the numerous groups of visitors standing at the various hobbit holes doing the same tour as we had done. Over at where the Party Tree was, we were given more information about the Hobbiton such as it was not built to last initially. After the LOTR, most of the set was torn down except for a few hobbit holes. Then one day, a couple of visitors went to look for the owner of the Alexander Farm and asked to tour what was left of the film site. So the owner took them on a jeep to have a look around. After that, he thought it might be worthwhile to turn this into a business. Then came the filming of The Hobbit movies and the set was rebuilt in a more permanent fashion. Since then, the site was maintained by the guides who doubled up as maintenance crew in additional to the existing maintenance crew. They had to change the clothing hung at one of the hobbit holes regularly, prune the plants and so on. 

Finally we were led to the Green Dragon Pub to get our complimentary drink of either the Apple Cider or the Ginger Beer which was included in the tour. So SWT took the Ginger Beer while I took the Apple Cider just to try. Cynthia told us not to drink the whole cup because we it would be quite a while before we get a comfort break during the journey back to Auckland. So we took a sip of our own drink and each other’s drink, took some photos while inside the pub before going outside again to wait for the rest of the group. While waiting, we took more photos of the surrounding and then followed the guide back to where the coach dropped us in the morning. As we walked, we took some more photos and soon we were back to where the coach was.

Boarded the coach, dropped the guide at the place where we picked her up and then started our two-hour journey back to Auckland. Shared the lamington that we bought the day before and then SWT slept through the journey while I dozed off on and off. Reached the Sylvia Park Mall in Auckland where we were given a couple of hours to have lunch and to walk around the mall. Most of the group members headed to either the fast food restaurants or the food court while SWT and I chose to eat at this café called Muffin Break. I ordered the Sweet Chili Chicken Panni and a pot of Lemon Ginger Tea. After we were done eating, we walked around the mall before returning back to the coach.

Continued with a short Auckland city tour where we also toured around the Parnell Village on the coach. Finally we reached the place where we get to view the Auckland Harbor Bridge. We took photos of the bridge and the surrounding as well as the structure nearby. Then we boarded the coach again to head to Skycity hotel for check-in. Our hotel is just next to the Sky Tower where people can do activities such as Sky Jump, Sky Walk and so on. Cynthia told us that we wouldn’t have problem finding our way back to the hotel because we should be able to spot the Sky Tower easily. In addition, she also told us a good spot at the hotel to watch people do Sky Jump. As there was still some time before the scheduled buffet dinner, SWT and I popped out for a quick walkabout after settling down and getting a map from the reception.

Returned to the hotel for dinner and since it was buffet dinner, we were able to finish quickly and headed back out to explore the city. As we were given a short city tour earlier on, we were able to navigate pretty well on our own without referring to the map. Soon we found ourselves in the area near the Auckland Ferry Building. Since we were near water area and with the wind blowing quite strongly, we were shivering. To avoid the wind, we popped into a convenient store where SWT subsequently bought a boysenberry flavor ice cream cone. I took a bite from hers just to get a taste because we were both very curious how boysenberry taste like after seeing the flavor couple of days ago where we had our first ice cream. It tasted like raspberry yet not quite. Just very berry taste. We headed out of the shop and SWT started shivering even more because she was eating the ice cream. Walked around the area, saw many restaurants with many people having dinner. After SWT finished her ice cream, we decided to walk back to our hotel for the night since we need to get up early tomorrow for our flight to Christchurch.

We were unable to see the Sky Tower, fortunately, we had our map with us and so quickly referred to it and managed to walk back. Along the way, we saw signs indicating designated liquor ban area. Hrm… So Auckland is relatively safe to walk in the night given there are such areas, we won’t need to be afraid of meeting drunkards. Of course, there will be other dangers so one still need to be alert when out at night. Got back to the hotel, washed up, did the packing, settled the money matters and rest for the night.

Thoughts: Hobbiton tour was the highlight of the day, heck, I personally feel that it is the highlight of the trip but yet I only had about 2 hours there. I feel that they should have let us have say about 30 minutes to 1 hour of free time to walk around the place on top of the 1+hour tour. Also because of the short time, we didn’t have many good photos opportunities. Other than the short time spent at Hobbiton, I feel that the tour was very informative with so many behind-the-scenes fun facts and stuff. 

As for the Auckland Harbour Bridge, I feel that we didn’t have to take such a long photo stop for it. If we had shortened the time for this, we probably could have more time for the Hobbiton tour in the morning. 

2 Dec 15 – Day 3 (Rotorua)

Woke up very early this morning because we had Champagne breakfast at the Skyline on top of Mount Ngongotaha which oversees the Rotorua city as well as the Lake Rotorua. We took the gondola up and was really glad that we had the car all to ourselves. Reached the top, waited for the rest and Cynthia told us that each adult is entitled to a glass of champagne. Even though SWT and I are not excellent drinker, we still took one each. Found a table next to a glass window and we had a great view of Lake Rotorua while eating our breakfast and sipping champagne. Breakfast was really good but we didn’t finish the champagne. Once we were done eating, went out of the restaurant to take more photos before we regrouped with the rest to go to another part of Skyline where we did the luge ride.

Rotorua Skyline Luge is the original luge that began back in 1985. Subsequently, they opened branches in other countries. There were three tracks over at Rotorua Skyline Luge, the beginner or scenic track, the intermediate track and the advance track. As most of us don’t have any experience on luge ride, we were told to attempt the scenic track first which was 2km long. Cynthia told SWT and me to go ahead first and so we did. The instructor briefed us on how to operate the luge cart which was fairly easy. Lift the handle to brake, release to move and just turn the handle to steer left or right. Easy-peasy. We were given a chop on the hand to certify that we had passed the initiation and off we went. SWT was in front initially but she was moving far too slow for my liking and hence I overtook her shortly after we moved off. Then I was speeding all the way down and at one point, I almost lost control and almost ran into the railing. It was a close call but it was all good fun. We reached the end of the track fairly quickly and then we took the chairlift up to the top. While on the chairlift we took a couple of selfies. During the luge ride, photos were taken and we saw the photos at the sales booth when we were back to the top.

While at the top and saw the others zooming down the tracks. Some of them even went for extra rounds. We took photos of the surrounding and did a little walk about around the Skyline area while waiting for the rest to finish. Soon most of the group made their way back to the meeting point. Browsed the souvenir shop and then Cynthia told us that we could make our way down via the gondola first. So SWT and I hopped onto a gondola and went back down to the coach. After everyone came back to the coach, we moved off to the next destination, the Agrodome Farm, where we were to catch the 11am farm show featuring 19 breeds of sheep as well as a few farm dogs. The first show just ended when we reached the place and most of the sheep were back to their holding area except for the merino sheep that refused to move. The farm dogs were still around for people to take photos for a short while before they too ran away. Since the 11am show still hadn’t started, we popped into the nursery to check out the other small animals like the rabbits, baby alpacas, baby lambs and so on.

Returned to our seats and waited patiently for the show to start. While waiting, we saw a sheep popping its head out and sometimes even venturing out of the holding area. Some audience seated near the side went over to take photos with the sheep. Soon the show started, we were introduced to the 19 breeds of sheep such as the Black Romney, Suffolk, Drysdale, Dorset Horn and so on. Then came the highlight of the show where we were treated to a live sheep shearing demonstration. According to the shearer, the trick is to press a certain pressure points on the sheep so get it to lay still or something like that. The poor sheep was totally at his mercy and was totally naked at the end of the demonstration.

The shearer then threw the wool from the poor sheep down to the audience to have a feel of the Romney wool. The wool was rather course and hence we were told that it is used to make into rugs rather than clothes. On the other hand, the merino wool is used to make into clothes and NZ is famous for merino wool products. Then there was a mock sheep auction with bidding from the floor, kids feeding baby lambs with bottled milk, hand-milking a cow by few audiences and finally the farm dogs running in and onto the sheep. The show lasted for an hour and we were told that we can pop across to the herding area to watch farm dog herding sheep after the show. Headed out to the herding area to secure a good spot. Soon the show started and we were amazed at how obedient the farm dog, Blue, was and amused at how the sheep were running around in a group steered by the dog.

Soon the show was over and we had to return to the coach again to head to the next destination, the Rainbow Springs, which was just a very short distance away. Over there, we met up with the guide and she showed us the rainbow pool that contained the rainbow trout. She told us that the pool is connected to a stream and the trout are free to swim in and out of the pool. Then we were led through a forest where we saw the redwood trees, silver ferns and other plants. Visited the place where the kiwi birds were kept and we were fortunate enough to see a kiwi bird running around in the dark. Came out of the place and we saw other animals such as the kea, parrots, lizards and so on. We were also shown a very big green stone and were told that we can get good luck by touching it which was what I did.

After the tour ended, the guide told us that we can have a go at the Big Splash ride. Guessed the guide wasn’t very clear and some of us thought that we need to pay extra for the ride. Most of the group members were not interested. SWT was contemplating because she didn’t want to get wet. I, on the other hand, was quite eager to do it even though I was also a bit scared knowing that at the end of ride would be the falling from great heights. In the end, we did the ride with two other Caucasian siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. They were seated on the first row while we chose the third row. The ride was ok with a lot of low hanging branches and fake dinosaurs. It was towards the end of the ride that was a bit exciting. The boat was lifted to high level and then slide downwards creating splashes of water. SWT was wet on the right side while I was wet on the left side. As the boat returned to the starting point, I saw Cynthia standing at the side of the waterway taking photos of us. Waved to her and then we were back to the starting point. The staff who was manning the station asked if we would like to go for another round since there was no one else in the queue. So we remained in the boat and went for another round.

While at it, I was telling SWT that Cynthia was probably wondering where we were and cursing us for delaying the rest. Soon we came to the last part of the ride and this time, SWT was shouting at the top of her lungs when the boat went sliding down. We were wet again and this time, my whole butt was wet. Returned to the starting point and SWT almost slipped and fell while trying to climb out of the boat. Fortunately, the staff was quick to grab her by the arm. I got off without any accident and quickly headed to the exit through the souvenir shop. Saw the rest of the group members in the shop and we made a trip to the toilet before boarding the coach. Cynthia came back up on the coach looking flustered. When she saw us, she asked us where we were just now. She was frantically searching for us inside the Rainbow Springs compound when she failed to see us at the exit after the first ride ended. Explained to her what happened and ended the episode.

According to Cynthia, our planned activities for the day ended with the tour at the Rainbow Springs and that we would have the rest of the day free to ourselves. The driver drove round the Rotorua area near to the central and did a short city tour. For those who wished to go to the Rotorua central, the driver dropped us at the mall where some of us had lunch there. SWT and I went to look for the bakery café that we saw the day before and popped in to survey the baked goods at the counter and then browsed through the menu on the wall. As SWT is a small eater (smaller than me), we decided to order one chicken set to share and a pot of tea for herself. Food was just nice for the two of us and while eating, we discussed as to what baked goods to get afterwards to try as well as studied the map that we obtained from the hotel reception the night before to see where to explore. We settled on the freshly baked raspberry lamington and chocolate Afghans cookie as our tea break snacks because those were the recommended food to try in NZ and we were to walk over to the lakefront area to explore. It wasn’t difficult to get to the lakefront area as it was just a walk along a straight road where we passed through the Eat Street. Got to the place, took some photos and strolling along the pavement next to the lake.

Found a bench where we ate the chocolate Afghans cookie while surrounded by the seagulls. The cookie was really tasty and not too sweet. After we were done, we followed the route that the coach drove passed earlier on and reached the rose section of the Government Gardens. We took lots of photos of the pretty and colorful roses which were as big as my palm. Moving on, we saw the Rotorua Museum and the Blue Baths. Snapped photos of the exterior of the two buildings and we continued on to other parts of the Government Gardens where we saw the Rachel Spring, a historic alkaline hot spring, and other thermal pools. And because of these thermal pools, the area has a very strong sulfur smell and sometimes so overpowering that it choked us. Soon it was closed to 5pm and we made our way slowly back to our hotel, the Sudima Hotel. While walking back to our room, we stopped by the place where our Hangi dinner would be cooked and took a photo of the pit. We rested in our room till it was time to go for the Hangi dinner and Maori concert.

We were led to a big room with many long tables and realized that we would be dining with other groups from other tour agencies. The emcee who was the chief of the Maori performing group briefed us of what was going to happen and the arrangement of the dining process. Each table would be cued to take food from the buffet table in an orderly manner so as to ensure that everyone has taken at least one round. Then it would be free and easy. We had rewena bread, a kind of traditional Maori bread, with some sauce as starter. One thing off our to-eat list. Yay! The bread was unique and so were the sauces that went with it. The buffet spread was great too with corns, pumpkins, sweet potato, potato, fish, the Hangi pork (a traditional Maori method of cooking pork using heated rocks buried in a pit oven), roast lamb, steamed pudding, pavlova and so on. I love the fish in particular. After that, SWT and I shared the steamed pudding and pavlova which were another two items from the must-eat list. Finally I know what pavlova taste like and look like. Ended dinner with some tea and then the Maori concert started.

It was really entertaining and we got to know more about the Maori culture. I like the various Poi dance in particular and love the songs and music. The Maori people can sing really well or perhaps because they are performers, I wouldn’t know. After the concert ended, we were given time to take photos with the performers. Since it was still early, we popped over to the Pak’nSave again. Before the trip, we did a bit of research on the hotels that we will be staying in the South Island and it seems that big supermarkets are scarce. So we thought perhaps we should do a little bit of shopping in case we can’t do so over the next few days. For the last few trips, I would usually get a big bottle of fruit juice to drink in the room to aid in digestion. As we still need to take domestic flight to the South Island, I was contemplating if I should. After confirming with Cynthia earlier on that I can put big bottle of liquid in my check-in luggage, I decided to get a bottle of 3-liter orange juice. At the same time, I also bought two packets of the yogurt powder. After we were done, we returned to our hotel for the night.

Thoughts: Personally I feel that the activities should be more spread out to occupy the whole day so that we can have more time per place. For instance, I would like to spend more time exploring the Agrodome Farm. Though I know that Cynthia was trying to rush us for the 11am show so that we can have better view, I feel that after the show, we should be given time to check out other parts of the farm. I’m pretty sure there are more things to see than just the show and nursery. Plus, I was hoping to have time to check out the woolen products available at the shop in the farm. As for Rainbow Springs, it was the same. I am damn sure there are more things to see than what we were shown. And also it would be nice to have more time to browse the shop even though I was probably not going to spend any money there.

The Maori concert was really great and so was the dinner. Cynthia told us beforehand the way the Hangi feast is cooked and that because it uses sort of steaming method, the food might taste bland. However, I find the taste to my liking, no extra seasoning needed. 

Last few trips that I had was free and easy so I would stay in one location throughout and had to settle my own meals hence I would usually buy a big bottle of fruit juice to put in the room to aid in digestion. I had forgotten that I am now on a package tour and that breakfast is included. And breakfast will always come with fruit juices. Argh! Should have forgo buying that big bottle of orange juice and instead get more yogurt powder or the avocado oil.

And I just found out that I didn’t manage to record the sheep shearing demonstration. I thought I had set my mobile phone to recording mode, apparently I didn’t. Argh!

Some (fun) facts of NZ from the driver:

• Manuka oil from the Manuka flower is also known as tee tree oil by the European.

• Possums are considered as an obnoxious animal or a pest in NZ. As NZ has no predators, possum numbers grew rapidly and they pose serious threats to the native plants and species. As they are nocturnal animals, possums are active during the night and when face with an oncoming car, they will just stand frozen and get flatten by the car. Hence, we see a lot of roadkill while traveling on the road. As possums are a plenty, their fur is used to make into clothing and sometimes they are mixed with merino wool to make into clothing.

• The purple and sometimes yellow plant called lupine is considered an obnoxious plant. It blooms during the summer time.

30 Nov & 1 Dec 15 – Day 1 & 2 (Auckland and Rotorua)

Reached Changi Airport Terminal 3 about 6:30pm, met up with SWT and then proceeded to Row 7 to look for the Tour Manager, Cynthia Cheong. She handed the group members the necessary documents and then told us to do check-in. Peeped at the weight of my luggage and it read 11.5kg. Cleared the immigration, looked around some shops, took some photos of the decorations in the airport before heading to the designated gate closed to 8:20pm. Only noticed that the boarding time stated on the boarding pass was 7:50pm and got a bit panicky, especially when I heard someone doing last call to a flight beyond the security check. Got to the gate and found out that the boarding for our section was over, so quickly joined the queue to get on the plane. The flight was delayed and only took off about 9:30pm. Watched 1-2 movies, ate the dinner provided, asked for some white wine and went to sleep after they dimmed the light.

We touched down closed to 12 noon and only got out of the airport at 1+pm because of the stringent checking. The temperature was cooling and comfortable with my sweater on. Gathered all the group members, met up with our driver cum local guide, loaded our luggage onto the coach and we were off from Auckland to Rotorua. The first Maori phrase we learnt from the driver was “Kia Ora” which means be well/healthy and can be loosely used to say hi. We stopped at a rest stop for quick lunch close to 2pm. As we had some food on the plane before we landed, SWT and I were not hungry so popped into a mini-mart to check out the flavors available for ice cream. We spotted the Goody Goody Gum Drop flavor and the Hokey Pokey flavor, both were the recommended flavors to try in New Zealand (NZ). So I ordered a single scoop Hokey Pokey ice cream cone while SWT ordered the Goody Goody Gum Drop flavor and the ice cream cost us NZ$2.80 each. It was really value for money because it was technically 1.5 scoop even though the price was for single scoop. After tasting the Goody Goody Gum Drop ice cream from SWT, I was glad I made the right choice by choosing Hokey Pokey.

Soon we were on the road again. The driver told us that it would be approximately two-hour drive to Rotorua so SWT slept while I watched the scenery. We reached our first destination, Te Puia, closed to 5pm. Cynthia quickly went to get tickets while the rest waited. Then we were herded past the entrance to meet with our guide for the tour. Te Puia is located in the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley and consists of the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, a live kiwi enclosure and lots of geysers as well as mud pools. The guide told us that because of the geothermal activities in the area, there is a lot of sulfur produced and hence the area smells like rotten eggs. The temperature of the water in the area can be as high as 100 degree Celsius. He advised us not to touch the water in the rivers or springs when we are in Rotorua because we wouldn’t know if the water is hot or not.

The guide first brought us to the kiwi enclosure to see the kiwi birds. Unfortunately, they were hiding in their burrows and so we could only view the birds via the TV screen on the wall. After that, we were brought to the area where the mud pools and geysers were. According to the guide, the mud pool is called Koko Mud Pool, named after a famous chief from the original fortified settlement in the area. The mud has many uses and is well-known as a skin care product. Near the mud pool is where the geysers are. The biggest geyser is called Pohutu and it is the largest active geyser in the southern hemisphere. It can erupt to a height of 30m. Beside Pohutu is the Te Tohu, or ‘Prince of Wales Feathers’ and it is an indicator for Pohutu as Pohutu usually erupts after Te Tohu does. We were just in time to see both geysers in action. Quickly took photos and videos of them in action. Unfortunately, we were not able to stay long because we still had to visit the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. Followed the guide to the Institute where he explained about the structure of the meeting house, what each section represents and so on. Then we proceeded to the National Carving School and the National Weaving School where more explanations were given. We quickly browsed through the interior of both schools before moving off because it was already passed their closing time of 6pm.

Boarded the coach and we made our way to a Chinese restaurant in Rotorua Central for dinner. As most of the people in our tour group were families or couples, Cynthia requested SWT and me to split up to join different tables. We were reluctant but then we were her only option. As it was our first meal together with other group members, most of the people at my table did not interact much. Survived dinner and stood around the coach waiting for the rest to come out. SWT and I went to check out the bakery café few shop space away. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. Got onto the coach and soon we were at the hotel, checked in, settled down and then we went out again to the Pak’nSave supermarket that was near to the hotel. As per what the members in TA said, the supermarket was really big and the price of the products was really affordable. The supermarket was selling packs of yogurt powder which were much cheaper compared to those selling back home. And I also saw the avocado oil that I was planning to buy during this trip. 

As we still need to take a domestic flight from North Island to South Island in a couple of days, Cynthia advised us to do our bulk shopping during the second last day in South Island where there will be another Pak’nSave supermarket in Christchurch. So I ended up just buying a bottle of 1-liter orange juice, a pack of limited edition All Black Whittaker’s Peanut Slab and a small Lolly Cake while SWT bought a pack of Copper Kettle potato chips, a pack of Heartland potato chips (a brand recommended by Cynthia) and a pack of chocolate drops. Walked back, put down our things and we packed for our spa activity at the nearby Polynesian Spa. We asked for a standard private room and a towel each which in total cost us NZ$56 of which the deposit of NZ$10 was refundable. We were brought to our room, quickly changed into our swim suits and then went into the pool because it was quite cold. The water was comfortably warm and we had fun time soaking ourselves in the pool. Took some photos using SWT’s mobile phone and soon the 30 minutes were up. Quickly changed out of our swim suits, dried ourselves, returned the towels, collected our deposit and hurried back to our hotel. SWT was for the idea of not taking shower but I was against. Not sure if she did shower in the end though I definitely did. Blew dry my hair, shared the small Lollly cake with SWT, sorted out the money we owed each other, packed for the next day and then hit the bed.

Thoughts: As usual, it would have been good if we were given more time to explore Te Puia but I guess it is always going to be the problem with package tour. The mud pools and geysers were really a magnificent sight. Photos and videos cannot do justice. Lolly cake was one of the must-eat food in my list and the after-thought was that it is a tad too sweet for my liking.

Some (fun) facts of NZ from the driver:

• Silver ferns are unique to NZ. The underside of the leaves is silvery in color and in the olden days, the Maori people use the underside of the fern leaves to find their way home because when bent over, the fronds would catch the moonlight and illuminate a path through the forest.

• There are three types of kiwi in NZ: The Kiwi Bird; the Kiwi Fruit and the Kiwis. The New Zealanders don’t mind calling themselves Kiwis. In fact, they are quite proud of it.

• There are many sheep in NZ and the ratio of sheep to people is six to one. Beside sheep farm, there are also deer farm and cattle farm. There are also vegetables farm and the crops grown rotate every year. For example, a piece of land could have grown onion last year and that same piece of land can be growing potato this year. The reason for the rotation is to maintain the level of nutrients in the ground.

14 Nov 15 (Sat) - Malawi Shandy

For someone who doesn't like to drink wine, beer and liquor, I love my desserts with alcohol and I love my Angostura bitters. Been making and drinking lemon lime bitters lately and was wondering what else I can use the Angostura bitters on. Did a search on the Internet and found a popular drink in Southern Africa called Malawi Shandy, which is made with half lemonade, half ginger beer and a few dashes of Angostura bitters. 

Made one today and it was yummy, especially when today was unbearably hot, hot, hot!

1 Nov 15 (Sun) – Lemon Lime Bitters and Lemon Lime Cheesecake

After the mostly successful cheesecake making last week, I got somewhat excited and went to get myself a mini springform baking pan on Tuesday.  Then I started to brainstorm on what cheesecake to make since I still have half tub of the Philadelphia cream cheese left.  Searched my pantry couple of nights ago and found a bottle of angostura aromatic bitters which I bought during my UK trip last December.  Recalled that I bought it because I wanted to make lemon, lime, bitters (LLB) after having first tasted it while on a Great Ocean Road day trip during my Melbourne trip last November. Then an idea struck, how about a lemon, lime cheesecake? Searched the Internet for recipes on LLB and recipes on lemon, lime cheesecake that I can adapt and modify.

Found a website called HubPages that shows how to make LLB in different ways and decided to go for the easiest one which is the bar recipe.  Then I found another website called taste,com.au that shows how to make no-bake lemon lime cheesecake.  Read all the comments and found out that some people modify the recipe to make lemon cheesecake while some modify it to make lime cheesecake. Being ambitious, I decided to make a lime cheesecake and top it off with a thin layer of lemon-flavored jelly.  Since I have never made jelly using gelatin powder before, I had to search for recipe on that.  It was not easy and in the end, I had to modify from another recipe by Anncoo Journal.

Went to get the necessary ingredients during the week and was looking forward to Sunday.  The LLB tasted great!  And I finally got to know how LLB gets it tint of pinkish color.  The angostura aromatic bitters was actually brownish in color.  As for the cheesecake, I did not add enough sugar for the jelly so it was quite sour and sort of overpower the lime flavor in the cheesecake.  Also the jelly melts very fast so it got quite messy if the cheesecake was left outside the fridge for too long.

Lemon, Lime, Bitters (LLB) [Bar Recipe]

Ingredients:

Lemon-flavor 7-Up 15ml of lime juice

6-8 dashes angostura aromatic bitters

Method:

1.  Rim the inside of a tall drink glass with angostura aromatic bitters

2.  Add ice and swirl until the inside of the glass is evenly coated with aromatic bitters

3.  Top up the glass with lemon-flavor 7-Up

4.  Add 15ml of lime juice

5.  Garnish slices of lemon &/or lime

Lime Cheesecake with Lemon-flavor Jelly

Crust ingredients:

75g digestive biscuits (finely crushed)

28g butter (melted)

8g castor sugar 

Filling ingredients:

125g cream cheese (soften, room temperature)

45g icing sugar

75g silken tofu (mashed)

1 tsp gelatin powder

9ml lime juice

zest of 1 large lime (save some for garnishing)

Jelly ingredients:

20ml lukewarm water

150ml lemon juice

24g sugar

1.5 tsp gelatin powder

Method:

1.  Combine crust ingredients in mixing bowl

2.  Use back of a spoon to press the crumbs firmly to the base of the springform baking pan

3.  Chill in freezer for 30mins

4.  Warm up the lime juice in a bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin powder over it (do not stir)

5.  Let the mixture stand for 10mins for the gelatin powder to bloom

6.  Set the bowl over simmering water, stir with a spoon till the gelatin melts and let it cool

7.  Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, tofu and icing sugar till smooth

8.  Add lime zest and gelatin mixture and beat till well combined

9.  Pour batter onto crust and sprinkle some leftover lime zest over it

10.  Put cake into the fridge to set

11.  Place warm water in a bowl, then sprinkle the gelatin powder over it (do not stir)

12.  Let the mixture stand for 10mins for the gelatin powder to bloom

13.  Set the bowl over simmering water, stir with a spoon till the gelatin melts and let it cool

14.  Place lemon juice and sugar in a pot, cook over medium heat till sugar dissolves

15.  Add gelatin mixture when juice boils, stir till they are well combine and let it cool to room temperature

16.  Remove cheesecake from fridge and carefully strain the jelly mixture over the top of the cake

17.  Put the cake with jelly top back to the fridge and refrigerate for 4-5 hours or overnight

Finally, I think I need to improve my skill on lining the springform baking pan.  I had big problem unmolding the cheesecake from the base and I think I will have to bring the whole cake with the base to office instead.  Hrm... or perhaps next time instead of using baking paper to line the base, I should try using foil to wrap the base.  Since the gelatin melts so fast, I decided to put the whole cake into the freezer so that it becomes frozen cheesecake!

---------------- Edited on 2 Nov 2015 ----------------

Brought the mini lemon lime cheesecake to office and put it in the fridge. Informed my usual group about it and at the same time warned them that it could taste rather sour. They ate the cake during tea-break and the overall comments were:

1.  Too sour for most
2.  Lemon taste overpowered lime taste
3.  Cake too soft
4.  Crust improved from last round

Hrm... will need more practice!

25 Oct 15 (Sun) - Pumpkin Tofu Cheesecake

It is October again! One of my favourite months in the year because I love the mood of Halloween and I love pumpkins! Googled for recipes using pumpkin and came across this Pumpkin Tofu Cheesecake Jar by Baking Taitai. So went to get all the necessary ingredients and made it today. 

Instead of using jars, I made it into a small cake and into some tarts. It came out quite nice for the cake but I cannot say the same for the tarts because I had problem pressing the biscuit crumbs to form the crust. Taste wise, unfortunately, I could not really taste the pumpkin, instead, I could taste more of the tofu and the lemon. Perhaps I should rename my blog post as Lemon Tofu Cheesecake/Tarts.

Making no-bake cheesecake is not as difficult as I initially thought. Still have half tub of the cream cheese left, perhaps next round I can do a basic no-bake cheesecake instead.

Anyway, Happy Halloween in advance!

---------------- Edited at 9:28pm ----------------

Could not figure out what went wrong as I had followed the recipe closely. Read and re-read the recipe from Baking Taitai and finally saw the problem. Instead of using just 100g silken tofu, I used the whole box instead. No wonder the tofu taste was stronger than the pumpkin taste. Oh well... At least the look of the cake turned out well.

---------------- Edited on 27 Oct 2015 ----------------

Brought three tarts to office for my colleagues to try. Generally the feedback was good even though they knew I had made a BIG mistake of adding one whole box of tofu instead of just 100g. They commented that the tarts were not too sweet. Crusts and fillings were a bit soft. I guess the reasons are that the crusts were not baked and I had added too much tofu.

One of them commented, "I liked the tart. It's not too jelat, and had nice texture. I was initially a bit surprised at how the tofu and pumpkin made the tart not as smooth as what I expected of cheesecake, but it works. it leaves the mouth with a very clean finish (cleaner than say a pure cheese tart)."

Phew! Glad that my mistake did not turn into a disaster. 

26 Sep 15 (Sat) – Broccoli Egg Tofu

Saw a dish called spinach egg tofu on a tv show recently but didn’t manage to jot down the recipe. Since I had some broccoli on hand so decided to try recreating the dish on my own. The result was different from what I saw on the show. The spinach egg tofu had a nice emerald green colour but mine was still yellow in colour with the broccoli bits cut from the broccoli’s crown found at the top of the tofu. Despite the difference, the egg tofu had a nice hint of soy and egg taste.

Maybe next time I should try cooking the spinach first, then minced or blend them before mixing them with the egg and soy milk mixture. Maybe I could also try adding a little bit of salt or light soy sauce to it so that it will not be too bland. 

Ingredients:

Some bits cut from the crown of a few broccoli florets 

68ml soy milk

1 egg

Method:

1.  Line a small rectangular baking tin with baking paper

2.  Beat egg and soy milk till well combine

3.  Add in broccoli bits and mix well

4.  Pour the egg mixture into the lined baking tin

5.  Cover the tin with foil

6.  Steam it for 12 mins in a pot with a lid on using medium heat

7.  Lift the lid up a bit to release some steam every 4 mins

8.  Off the heat after 12 mins and cut into slices

9.  Serve with tobacco sauce

24 Sep 15 (Thu - Hari Raya Haji) – Rambutan with Pineapple Bits Ice Cream and Passion Fruit Sorbet

Wanted to try the ice cream recipe that I had concocted some time back and finally got the chance to do it. Went to get the whipping cream on Wednesday and on the way bought five passion fruits for $2. It was kind of boring to just eat the passion fruits direct and so decided to try making sorbet with them.

The rambutan with pineapple bits ice cream didn’t turn out as expected. It didn’t have much rambutan taste, was a bit too sweet, was not smooth in texture and was a bit too thick. Probably because (1) I used canned rambutan instead of fresh ones; (2) I didn’t use enough rambutan; (3) I didn’t puree the rambutan enough and (4) I over-strained the rambutan puree of its juice.

Rambutan with Pineapple Bits Ice Cream

Ingredients:

200ml whipping cream 80g rambutan puree* 80g fine sugar

1 tbsp finely diced pineapple                                                      1/4 tsp corn flour

Method:

1.  Whisk whipping cream and corn flour till foamy for about 3 mins

2.  Add fine sugar in three batches and whisk the mixture after every addition

3.  Add rambutan puree* and whisk till well combined

4.  Pour mixture into a container of your choice and put into the freezer

5.  Remove from freezer after 2 hours to churn** with a fork

6.  Repeat step (5) for another two times, add in diced pineapple on final churn before freezing it overnight

* Use all the rambutan in the can and blend into puree. Drain away the extra juice.

** Try to churn the mixture in a whisking manner to try to incorporate as much air into the mixture as possible

The passion fruit sorbet, on the other hand, turned out pretty well. It had a nice yellow in colour and a very strong passion fruit taste. I was pretty proud of the sorbet so I decided to make an attempt at plating. Googled for ideas and found out that most fine dining restaurants actually serve their ice cream in the form of a quenelle and the results can be achieve by either using the traditional two spoons method or one spoon method.

Passion Fruit Sorbet

Ingredients:

128ml passion fruit juice*

225ml water

104g fine sugar

Method:

1.  Pour water and sugar into a pot, bring to boil then simmer for another 5 mins till sugar dissolve

2.  Remove sugar syrup from heat and stir in passion fruit juice till well combine

3.  Transfer to a container of your choice and set it aside to cool

4.  Once solution is cooled, put it into the freezer

5.  Take out after 45 mins to churn using a spoon and repeat this step for another 3 times

6.  Leave the mixture in the freezer overnight for it to firm

* Use about 5–6 passion fruits, dig out the seeds and blend into puree. Strain the puree to remove the finely crushed seeds.

** You can adjust the amount of sugar to suit your sweetness level by doing taste test in step 2.

I chose the one spoon method as it seemed to be easier but I was wrong. It took me quite a while to get the ice cream and sorbet to form the quenelle because the ice cream was not of soft-serve texture and the sorbet was a bit too flaky. The final masterpiece was passable. However, eating the ice cream and the sorbet together was surprisingly good because the sweetness of the ice cream complimented or should I say countered the sourness of the sorbet.