echo from Sarawak

'te wahi moe' is the Māori word for place to sleep. I had been using Agoda for more than 10 years, we decided to just use the platform for our whole trip accommodation for convenience. In between, we cross checked with or booked via trivago/ Agoda! Lily and I went through countless amendment as route were changed and up to the last few days before we departed for Auckland, as we were being updated with more and more interesting sites, tips etc. Sample Agoda Booking Confirmation As we were doing a backward looping from Christchurch to Auckland, we would have to fly to Christchurch after our first arrival in Auckland from Kuala Lumpur. Auckland Considering various contingencies including international & domestic flight delays or changes, We planned a buffer of a day, staying first night in Auckland, nearby airport; we would fly Jetstar to Christchurch on the 2nd day morning. First night! Nearby Auckland Airport That turned out to be quite ‘right’ as 3 incidents happened after

'Kai' is the Māori word for food. We did not do much research for appetite for the 16 days! We knew NZ supermarkets were well stocked with delicious food, and were conveniently located e.g. Pak’nSave, Countdown etc.  As a tourist destination, NZ had many familiar fast food chains, cafes, ethnic restaurants, and nga waahi kai. Partly as similar commonwealth background, food should be accustomed, except for local seafood cuisine! Snatched up some fruits before start of the 16 Days tour! Countdown, near CHC Airport We enjoyed a mixture of local dishes, Chinese cuisines, own cooking in the hostel, snacks, local bakeries from Countdown & the like; and occasional must-eat local dishes like the pocket-burning crayfish or kōura in Kaikōura. Lunch at Cods n Cray, Kaikoura NZ And for me, I stocked up local beer from Countdown or Foursquare as night companion as you couldn’t drink & drive; or sipping local craft beer in low profile as occasion arose! We enjoyed the kai! Dunedin So