I booked my trip home to New Zealand on Singapore Airlines. However, the flights between Singapore and New Zealand were operated by Air New Zealand as the two airlines have a partnership deal through Star Alliance.

I’ve flown Air New Zealand domestically within New Zealand, and have never been too impressed. The aircrafts for one are very tiny, and all you get onboard is a cup of tea or coffee accompanied by a miniature biscuit (it still makes me giggle how the flight attendants even announce this: ‘In a few minutes we will be serving you tea or coffee along with a biscuit‘!).

However, for the longer haul, Air New Zealand’s international flights are a class apart. Being a Kiwi myself, perhaps this is biased but here’s 3 reasons I thought Air New Zealand was ‘Sweet As’!

air new zealand sweet as

I am back in sunny Dubai after a whirlwind trip back home to New Zealand. Where did the past two weeks disappear?

I flew via Singapore to Auckland, New Zealand and on the return path, I had an 8 hour transit in Changi Airport, Singapore.

As I was travelling alone, the thought of dwindling away 8 hours in Singapore all by myself seemed all too daunting and I was looking up Google on airport rooms and transit lounges.

Sunday morning was gloomy grey. The skies were dim with a hint of drizzle, and I would have continued nesting in my warm bed had my sister not announced she was heading to the weekly Palmy Farmer’s Market.

The Palmy Farmer’s Market sets up in Palmerston North every Saturday and Sunday morning from as early as 7 am till noon. It is a collection of stalls set up by local farmers from the neighboring towns, and Palmerston North residents flock here every weekend for great deals on fresh, organic farm produce.

Palmy Farmers Market flea market palmerston north new  zealand organic farm produce vegetables health maori samoan pacific island (3)

I landed in Auckland, New Zealand late into the night after a 20 hour flight from Dubai via Singapore.

My brother lives in Auckland, and as soon as I got to his bachelor pad I hit the snooze button.

I had a mid-morning flight to catch to our hometown Palmerston North the next morning, and we decided to make use of the earlier half of the day by visiting the Fo Guang Shan Temple.

Fo Guang Shan Temple (Auckland, New Zealand) (11)

After an epic tour around Rotterdam and beyond on Day 2, we decided to sleep in past 10 am and just made it to the communal breakfast at NH Jan Tabak Hotel.

Day 3

It was a lovely sunny morning, and we decided to do the 20 minute walk to the Bussum train station.

bussum
How scenic is the Bussum neighborhood?!

Hello darlings! Did you miss me? Sorry for the extended silence, I’ve been away on an exciting 3 day tour around Amsterdam. This Eid holiday was totally unexpected, and I have to say its been the best surprise I’ve ever received because I actually won this trip on radio!

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If you have been following me on Instagram, you already know where I’ve been last weekend. Lucky me, I was enjoying a chilled-out staycation at Oceanic Khorfakkan Resort & Spa.

Set on the East Coast of the UAE, Khorfakkan is a quaint little township sandwiched between the scenic beauties of the Arabian Sea and the Shumayliyah Mountain range.

oceanic resort and spa khorfakkan review1Oceanic Khorfakkan is the only hotel stay in this vicinity, and has a 4-star rating.

Situated by the scenic waterways of the Dubai Creek, Barjeel Al Arab offers a gastronomic look into the rich cultural heritage of an Emirati past.

Barjeel Al Arab is located in the Barjeel Heritage Guesthouse, a restored historical building that has now been converted into a guest house.

Barjeel Al Arab review