New Zealand: Te Puke - Agrodome Farm and Rotorua Gondila!

I use an hour to upload all the photos!

I said this is a huge one, isn't? And i really meant it :D.

I had 2 off days last week, as i mentioned in the previous blog. So the first off day i spend in Kiwi 360 and dinner gathering with Jack, the other off day i planned an outing with Tien, Yee, Emily and Kaie Sieng to Rotorua.

I been Rotorua once with Williem and Hoe, to the famous lake Rotorua, Redwood forest and Wai-o-tapu. Rotorua is a must-go state in NZ, for her adventure activities and the natural scene, for the first time, we went for the natural scene, the second time we wanted to do something more excited.

Like luge riding :D.

Of course you can choose buggy jump and skydive or rafting or something more extreme, but it could be pricy and we don't want to spend big money right now, so i plan for a farm tour and sheep show combo, and a luge riding.

First destination was Agrodome Farm, they're available with farm tour and sheep show 3 times a day, take their combo package just need $50. Little tips for those who are travelling around in NZ, go to i-site to buy ticket or package, or even book for accommodation, you could definitely got a better deal and offer.

We spent $40 for the farm tour and sheep show, if you got this package on the spot, another 10 bucks cost. Same as i got a really good deal in looking and booking for an apartment in the i-site of Hamilton 2 days ago, a 2 days 1 night trips with some mates (Will post it later). I bet i could have got better offer and so much choice if i search it in the street.

Ok come back to the tour, Rotorua is 150km+ away from Tauranga, it takes 1 and half hour to reach and for catch up the sheep show by 11am, picked Emily and Kaie Sieng in Te Puke by 9am and we managed to reach I-site in Rotorua by 1030am.

Got the tickets, rush to Agridome farm, just right on 11am sharp.

Blogger and the ticket

Fur!

Real sheep, i mean, THEY ARE ALIVE!

And this too!

Live human and live stock

Human and the sheep

She look cool isn't?

The stage before show started

The breeds name

I love this Lincoln sheep! Troy, she looks like you!

21 kinds of sheep

The show started with sheep breeds introduction, the host introduced 21 kinds of sheep breed we could found in NZ, the lady audiences and kids cant stop screaming 'cause the sheeps are simply cute!

Well the next after introducing was sheep shearing. The host said, every sheep they sheared bring them $1.40 ONLY! But shearing a sheep only took them less then 3 minutes, i was wondering, where they have got so many sheep to shear!

The host

Goin-naked sheep

And now she's naked :D

The host thrown the fresh sheared sheep fur to the audience, fortunely i was sitting in the first roll (Wasn't much people as that day was a weekday), and i grab some of the sheep fur!

Honestly, it smell stink, the first time i hold sheep fur and believe it or not, it really keep my hand warm when i hold it in my hand!

Fresh fur on my hand!

Although it says a sheep show, but merely like a farm show. After sheep shearing, the dog comes in, by chasing the duck, frighting the sheep and riding the sheep!

Doggie gooddie

Dog riding on sheep

Dog gone, and there come a cow! Host showed us how to milk a cow, and when he was inviting 5 volunteers to come to the stage, without caring there were quite a lot of kids raising their hand, i stood up and raise my hand way high too!

And i been picked!

Big mama cow

The host showed how to milked

And i did it later, PROFFESIONALLY!

Just don't ask me how does it feel, but well, the first touch was waxing! And milking a cow isn't as hard as i imagine, just make sure you rub your hand warmly before touch her sensitive part *shy*.

Well, cow gone, and baby sheep comes!

The host was asking who would like to have some drink on the stage, i have no idea what he gonna do but too, i raise my hand and go on the stage.

Then the assistance of the host pass me some warm milk, and the host shouted "The milk drinking competition is goin to start!"

The first thing comes to my mind was "Holly Shit!"

Then there the sheep ran on the stage!!

The only photo show i'm feeding, i just have no choice =(

Babby! I wanna bring her home!

How cute! I really really really x 100000 wanna get one back! I just cant let go the baby sheep until the rest of the mates me to rushed for the farm tour =(...

Oh yea, not to forget the smart doggies, the so-called milk drinking competition was the end of the show, audiences were free to go on the stage and snap photos with sheep or dog or cow or duck or whatever you like.

Make me think of Cookie

Cookie cookie cookie :(

The show last for an hour, and there was some souvenir shop just beside of the stage, i brought some sheep oil, where my local friends told me this is much useful then lotion or cream especially during winter time, your skin or hair can be real dry and damage, only oil can help but not cream or lotion.

After shopping, we rush to the assembly place for the farm tour.

Shutter bus, or truck?

Very cool shutter, like i'm goin to work in the farm. The farm tour take us an hour too. Honestly i don't expect much, and that can be boring just by showing me sheep and cow or maybe horse or stuff like that, but this is absolutely wrong!

How wrong? I show you with photos and you would know $40 is just so worth for the money.

Cow with big horn

Ostrich

Sheep

Of course, the tour showed us some animal, as i expected.

Then, bring us to the process of the kiwi fruit being grade and pack and export. Of course i know how does it work, i'm working with it EVERYDAY!

But i still wonder around like a kid, and catch by snapping by my travel mate :D, like photo below.

Wonder kids, wonder me

After kiwi, we came to Feijoa fruit.

The Feijoa (pronounced /feɪˈʒoʊ.ə/, /feɪˈdʒoʊ.ə/,^[1] or /feɪˈhoʊ.ə/^[2]) (Feijoa sellowiana), also known as Pineapple Guava or Guavasteen(and sometimes mistakenly as Freijoa or Frijoa), is an evergreen shrub or small tree, 1–7 metres (3.3–23 ft) in height. The plant originates from the highlands of southern Brazil and parts of Colombia, Uruguay, and northern Argentina.

The genus is monotypic. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant and fruiting tree and is a perennial. The German botanist, Otto Karl Berg, named Feijoa after João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese botanist born in the colony of Brazil.^{[citation needed]}

From wikipedia.

I had never see Feijoa fruit in my life before i came to NZ, it tasted sour sweet and come with the smell of Pepsi!

I'm not lying, my mates and I called this fruit as "soft drink fruit" and its everywhere in NZ, you can got it free 'cause almost every family or farm are planting this fruit.

Feijoa farm

Feijoa fruit

The shutter driver cum tour guide got down from the truck and plucked us some, well, not some but like a bag full, and he urges us to pluck as much as we can.

Oh yea, before i forget, when we're visiting the kiwi grading process, the tour guide let us try on the kiwi juice and wine too, and later we go to bee house (I have no photo), they let us try on the famous Manuka honey.

Rather to say try, i should say have it, they give me big cup and a stick of honey FREE, and free fruit, don't forget it!

So come to here, $40 is worth enough.

But for me, the greatest part of the tour is the alpaca!

I expected cow and sheep but not alpaca!

Believe it or not, i so attracted by alpaca when i first saw this kind of animal few years back, i swear i wanted to see this once in my life and out of my expected i saw in this farm tour!

Mountain of alpaca!

Running toward us

And sheep of course

She loves me so much, follow wherever i go.

White one!

They're tall

A group of them

The blogger and alpaca

Close-up

They're unbelievable cute! Like a camel and like a sheep, they're friendly and so hugable! i really really really x 1000 wanna get one home :(.

But the tour must go on, after alpaca, the shutter bring us to cow.

Well, maybe a little bit different with the cow i used to see, but still, i miss alpaca at that moment.

Cow cow

Cow

Cow and duck

And the farm tour end by 2 somethings, we went for domino pizza for our lunch, and there headed to the next destination before we went back to Tauranga.

Where is, the Skylines.

Skylines just the name of the company of the gondola and luge riding. There is one in Rotorua and another one in Queen's Town of South island.

I checked this from internet, both way gondola and 3 times of luge riding just cost us $35, some of my mates weren't dare enough to do something extreme, thus i choose the mild and cheap one, everyone enjoys.

Price

Emily and the package ticket

The view from the gondola

The lake Roturau

Great view

See the luge track?

Simply nice

Before ride the luge.
The Blogger, Kaie Sieng, MeiYee, Tien and Emily

And again, out of my expectation, i didn't know the end of the gondola ride is the hill that we could see the whole lake Rotorua! This view is thousand times better than the first time i been there for the lake!

If you are not into the luge ride, you can just get the both way gondola ride to the hill and have lunch or dinner here, they scene is beautiful and i bet you would enjoy the silent time here.

Oh yea, i should explain why i choose the both way gondola ride and 3 times luge rides. This is because there're 3 different luge tracks, which are beginner, advance and scene tracks. 2 times rides package cost $34 while 3 times cost $35, why not 3 times for the all 3 tracks?

Scene track, you may stop and take photo

Kaie Sieng

Tien

Blogger and Tien

From the down hill to go back to the top for another luge riding, not taking gondola but this!

This is COOOOOOOL! and COOOOLD!

The view under my feet

Emily and The Blogger

KaieSieng and Mei Yee, while Tien alone ahead

After all 3 times riding.

The one day trip ended by 4 something, and we got back to Tauranga by 6 something. A very fun and good day, too bad Sun wasn't feeling well and she missed it.

And i don't know how to do the ending 'cause all my heart are thinking what to cook for the dinner, tonight is my turn :(.

Last but not least, The Blogger

Stay tuned for the next post people =)

p/s: lesser people view my blog nowadays, where are you my readers aka my blogging motivation?!

Tauranga, NZ

20100605, 0447pm
Rach in wanna have some spicy food mood.