Cathedral Cove

Remember The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian? The second Narnia movie? If you’ve seen it, you will probably remember the scene where they came up from the cave and ended up at this beautiful beach with crystal clear water. Guess what? You can be ‘in’ that scene since it was filmed here at Cathedral Cove.

Cathedral Cove is located on the right tip of New Zealand’s North Island, about 160 kms from Auckland , in an area called Coromandel Peninsula and it takes less than 2 hours to drive. Once you are in the area, you would have to bush-walk for about 20-25 minutes each way to go down to Cathedral Cove but believe me, it is worth it.

Cathedral Cove

Tips: Get there early so you can enjoy some swimming and some sun if you are going there in summer. Take your time and do bring your water bottle with you as you will need it on your walk and when you are at the beach.

For the exact location on where Cathedral Cove  is located, please click here

For more pictures in Cathedral Cove please click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS (Under New Zealand Album).

Thanks for reading! I do like comments – so feel free to write some

Happy Travels,
Eliazar Putera

Polynesian Spa

Not far from Taupo, about 45 minutes driving, you can go to this nice Polynesian Spa located in Rotorua. This place definitely needs to be on your must-go list! Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa has been voted by readers of the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller magazine 2004-2007, 2009 as a World Top Ten Spa (medical and thermal day spas). The prices are affordable and if you are wondering about the price, you can check out their website here. I would say it is worth every cent you are paying for!

Polynesian Spa definitely was one of my highlights in New Zealand, not only it will energize you and gives you some relaxation after long hours of driving (I did drive a lot in New Zealand ) but the spa offers beautiful scenery overlooking the lake. I guess its status speaks for itself, if you are not in a hurry, you can probably stay in Rotorua as well as they are many accommodations to choose from.

Polynesian Spa

Unfortunately I have no pictures of Polynesian Spa (the pictures on the left were taken from www.polynesianspa.co.nz)! I was relaxing! What do you expect

Tips: Night time in the winter will probably be the best time to go as you can see the stars in the sky if you are lucky and the heat in the water will give you some warmth.

Thanks for reading,
Eliazar Putera

This video is a photo collection from my last trip to New Zealand (the song in the background is titled ‘end of time’ by RanCo)

Milford Sound

Milford Sound is probably one of the main reasons why you want to go to New Zealand, it definitely was for me! It is a different world out there, it will blow your mind! According to TripAdvisor, Milford Sound is the number one destination in the world and I have to say, I totally agree with that statement!

There are ways the get to Fjord in Milford Sound, you could either get on a tour bus or do the driving yourself. You could book the bus and the boat tour from your accommodation. Make sure you pick the right tour and the right time that suits you best as there are more than 2 tours available in Milford Sound.

And if you decided to drive there yourself, make sure you have a plan as it takes quite sometime to get there. A non-stop drive will take you about 3 and a half hours, but my suggestion is that to see as many places as you can on the way to Milford Sound such as Te Anau, mirror lake, flowers in the middle of the field, etc.

Milford Sound

Tips: make sure you have a rain coat as it is often rains in there and Milford Sound has a lot of insects, it is recommended that you apply sole anti-insect on your skin.

Feel free to leave a comment or to share this article with friends!

Happy Travels,
Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for more photos in Milford Sound (Under New Zealand Album).

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Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo is definitely one of my favourites in New Zealand! I have never seen a lake so stunning and when I was there the water was bright turquoise with snow-covered mountains surround it makes the word beautiful to another new level! I hope the picture does it justice of how stunning the lake is. Lake Tekapo is a MUST-GO when you are travelling in New Zealand. By car, it takes 2 and a half hours from Christchurch or 1 1/2 hours from Mt. Cook.

You could do some strolling around the lake as well as just enjoying the view. There is also a small church building by the lake where it has become a Lake Tekapo’s icon

Tips: Spend a little bit time there and I would encourage you to at least spend one night there as it is seriously worth to relax and enjoy the surroundings. At night, you could join a tour that could take you to see the stars.

Feel free to leave a comment or to share this article with friends!

Happy Travels,
Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for more photos in Lake Tekapo (Under New Zealand Album).

Akaroa

Akaroa is a pretty little town located 82 km’s away from Christchurch and it takes about 1 hour 15 minutes by car. It is a ‘French City’ – what I mean by that is that, the town has a lot of French immigrants hence you’ll see a lot of French flags all over the town.

The town offers a beautiful view overlooking the open sea and surrounded by mountains. You could also go to boutique-styled cafés and see some cute houses.

If you are in Christchurch, it is only a short trip to go there and if you have time I’d recommend you to add Akaroa to your plan.

Tips: Spend a little bit time there and just enjoy what the city has to offer.

Feel free to leave a comment or to share this article with friends!

Happy Travel
Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for more photos in Akaroa (Under New Zealand Album).

Fox Glacier

These two infamous Glaciers are located in the South Island of New Zealand and they are about 25 kms from each other or 30 minutes by car and it takes about 4 hours by car from Queenstown (a total of 320 km’s). Although it takes 4-hr drive. I promise you it is worth it! I have never seen such beauty in any other countries that I have visited and I’m sure many of you who have been to New Zealand would agree with me. You’ll see mountains, lakes (beautiful!! My gosh!), trees, country sides, and of course SHEEP and many of them!

Comparing the size of these two Glaciers, Fox Glacier is bigger than Franz Josef Glacier, but they both are still a mountain-size of Ice Rock! You’ll have an idea on how big they are by looking at the pictures. They are HUGE!! Imagine having waterfalls of Coca Cola that stream down those Mountains of Ice!! I am sure 7-Eleven will run out of business coz no one will buy slurpy anymore! Hehehe

If you aren’t really a hiky person like me , you can see and experience these two Glaciers in one day and that’s probably the best thing to do. But of course, there are many ways to experience these two Glaciers, first is by foot (not guided) where you can do everything yourself but you can only get to the view point. Second, you could join a guided tour where you get a tour guide that takes you up to the glaciers. Third, you could pay for a bit more money where you can do a helicopter ride where you can view the whole glaciers and mountains surround them from the sky.

Franz Josef Glacier

Tips: Make sure you have the right outfit before you go, like the right shoes to wear, rain coat as it rains quite a bit there, and do have enough memory for your camera!

Well travelers, please leave a comment or share this article with your friend by clicking the share icon at the bottom of the article! I would love to hear your stories too!

Happy Travels
Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for more photos in  Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier (Under New Zealand Album).

Kinderdijk

Located in the Netherlands, Kinderdijk, is definitely worth a visit! It is about 30 minutes drive from Rotterdam. You can see many windmills there, as many of you might already know that windmill is one of Holland’s icons.

A windmill is pretty much a normal house and according to the tour guide , you can fit a family with up to 13 children in there! Can you imagine that? 13 Children!! I am sure that they did not have television back then! Windmills can be use to pump the water, to produce olive oil, to grind wheat into flour and corn into cornmeal, sawing wood, etc.

When you are there, make sure you do a night boat ride where you can see the windmills being lighten up in different colours (you can imagine how they look like from the picture above). The ride cost about €3.50 per person.

Tips: Kinderdijk can be a windy place, so make sure you have the right outfit and have your camera handy for some kodak moments.

Well travelers, please leave a comment or share this article with your friend by clicking the share icon at the bottom of the article! I would love to hear your stories too!

Happy Travels,

Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for more photos in Kinderdijk (Under Kinderdijk and Oud-Beijerland album).

Sagrada Família

Travelers!! Two words: Barcelona is AWESOME (well actually 3 words ). I’d definitely recommend you to visit Barcelona if you are planning to visit Spain on your travel. There are many things to do and to see in Barcelona and believe me it is so worth going there!

One thing to do is to explore all Antoni Gaudi’s superb works! Trust me, they are all amazing! The photo on the left is one of His masterpieces and it is called Sagrada Familia, a Roman-Catholic church. Although it is still under construction, it is still worth paying the money and see how it looks like from the inside. The reason why it is still being built is because the church was destroyed in the second world war and because of that most of the structures are gone. Make sure you check his other works as well as the markets, the beach, and the shops.

The easiest way to travel in Barcelona is by the Metro as Barcelona has a very good transport system and if you are there for more than a couple of days, it is worth to get Barcelona Card as it gives you unlimited Bus and Metro rides when you are there. There are 1,2,3,4,5-day passes, the card looks like the picture below. Not only that, the cards also gives you some freebies and discounts to museums and other places.

There are Paella, Tapas, and Sangria everywhere you go! Make sure you try them, ’cause personally I am a fan of Paella and Sangria myself!

Tips: Make sure you are traveling smart, pay an extra attention to your bags, hand bags, man bags, wallet, etc. Keep your wallet in your front pocket, unfortunately Barcelona has a lot of pickpockets and I can testify to that for a group of children ‘took’ my money from my front pocket. Also, make sure your camera is handy as Barcelona is very beautiful!

Well travelers, please leave a comment or share this article with your friend by clicking the share icon at the bottom of the article! I would love to hear your stories too!

Happy Travels,

Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for more photos in Barcelona (Under Barcelona Album).

]]> http://www.mytravelphotojournal.com/europe/i-heart-barcelona/feed/ 63 http://www.mytravelphotojournal.com/europe/schengen-countries/ http://www.mytravelphotojournal.com/europe/schengen-countries/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:55:19 +0000 eliazar.putera http://www.mytravelphotojournal.com/?p=301

Traveling to Europe and wondering about which visa to get? If you are amongst the lucky ones that do not need a visa to travel in Europe, well I am glad! But if you are like me who needs a visa to travel in Europe, there is one visa called Schengen Visa which allows you to travel to 25 countries with a SINGLE VISA!

The list of Schengen Countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland (22 of these countries are EU members and 3 of these are non-EU members).

Make sure you know where you want to go in Europe and whether those countries are on the list or not. Depending on the country of your first entry, you would need to go that country’s embassy/consulate in order to apply for the Schengen Visa or a country where you will spend most of your time. Applying a Schengen Visa is easy, you would need to have these documents handy:

• A fully completed visa application form.
• A passport sized photograph.
• A valid passport or other acceptable travel document.
• The passport must be valid for at least three months after the visa expiry date and it must be enclosed in the application.
• A valid travel insurance for the whole period of travel in the Schengen area.
• The insurance indemnity should be at least EUR 30,000 (approx. AUD60, 000) and should insure the person in case of sudden illness or accident (including travel home) and include transportation home in the event of death. (not required from the dependent family members of EU citizens – copy of the marriage certificate & passport should be included).
• Flight reservation – on collection of the visa, paid return tickets must be presented.
• Visa fees
• Confirmed hotel reservations or an invitation letter where applicable.
• A proof of funds to support the travel.
• A letter from the employer/school/university/college where applicable.
• In some cases, further documentation may be requested.

EU Flag

Tips: Make sure you know which countries you want to visit as it would help you a lot to plan and also, some countries speak less english and some understand but do not want to speak it, so it is handy to know some words as it would help you to buy food and when you are lost!

Well travelers, please leave a comment or share this article with your friend by clicking the share icon at the bottom of the article

Happy Travels,

Eliazar Putera

Click PHOTO-COLLECTIONS for photos that I took when I traveled in Europe.