Collingwood Children's Farm

Much to hubby’s disappointment I managed to fit in a visit to the children’s farm. Hubby isn’t much of an animal person & isn’t very fond of places that allow them to roam free. But I’m glad that he let DD1 experience the farm atmosphere even though it wasn’t his cup of tea.

We wanted to be there during the cow milking session and alhamdulilah made it in time. DD1 stood in line patiently waiting for her turn to milk the cow but when it was time she changed her mind and decided she wanted to groom the cow instead. So I took the opportunity to have a go myself and for the first time ever, milked a cow! I was proud of myself as I walked out the farm that day. I had experienced something I never thought I’d do and even enjoyed doing the same.

Other than that there were the usual farm animals - goats, pigs, sheep, lamb, hens, horses, peacocks, geese & guinea pigs. DD1 was disappointed there were no rabbits as she was looking forward to cuddling one. But she sure did enjoy chasing the hen around.

Here are some pictures.

Peacock checking out the peahen ;)


DD1 chasing the hen

Melbourne Aquarium

We kick started our holiday by taking the kids to the aquarium. It’s funny that I’ve been to the aquarium in Sydney and Auckland before Melbourne, even though this is where I live. I guess being tourists, you know that you’re not going to be there forever and tend to tick off as many places of interest as you can before you depart.

I’ve had people tell me earlier it’s not ‘great’ but I think it was pretty interesting and was quite impressed. I enjoyed watching the penguins the best and for me that was the highlight. We also made it in time for the shark feeding session, and DD1 and hubby seemed to enjoy that the most. DD2 slept peacefully through most of it.

They’ve got heaps of exhibits with different species of animal from the underwater world. I think we spent a good 2-3 hours there.

A picture speaks more than a thousand words, so I’m going to stop blabbing & start posting some photos.

Melbourne Aquarium

Melbourne skyline around the aquarium

The majestic King penguins


The cheeky Gentoo penguins

We were there during the penguin feeding session and it was hillarious to see them all diving in for a bite when the keeper threw the fish into the water. And the gentoo penguins do live up to their reputation of being 'cheeky'. I tried taking a few shots of them swimming in the water (that was on the other side of the exhibit) but unfortunately our ancient camera didn't quite capture the moment. In fact, I couldn't take many photos inside the aquarium as the lighting wasn't adequate and the thick glass in the exhibits made it harder to use flash and these were the only ones I managed to capture.

Trip to Auckland (North Island), New Zealand

Early this year we had the opportunity to visit NZ and see some of the most amazing sights nature has to offer. I was spellbound by the extensive beauty and amazing creation of Allah (swt). And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There were so many things to choose from we didn’t know where to begin but Alhamdulilah were able to make the most of our time there and visited as many places as possible.

We were based in Auckland but rented a car and drove around to areas in and around Auckland. I think we pretty much covered north, south and west of Auckland (and surrounding areas) but couldn’t fit in the east. Of course we had to opt out of certain things and choose only those that were baby/family friendly as we had our 2 year old with us plus I was pregnant with our second child.

Have to mention that surprisingly finding Halal food wasn’t a big issue at all. A lot of places served Halal food and we also had a huge array of seafood restaurants to choose from.

I would love to go back there in the future and see the things we missed out on and visit other cities (this time in the south island) and do heaps more sight-seeing, insha’Allah!

Below is a list of the places we visited along with a brief description:

• Sky Tower – ‘At 328 metres Sky is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, offering breath-taking views for more than 80 kilometres in every direction.’ Adventure activities include sky walk and sky jump. Hubby was interested in trying out the sky walk, but time didn’t permit it!
• Botanical Gardens – ‘Auckland Botanic Gardens is home to over 10,000 plants from around the world, spread over 64 hectares’.
• Butterfly Creek - Butterfly Creek is Auckland’s hottest new attraction hosting Australasia’s premier tropical butterfly house with over 700 free flying exotic butterflies, tropical fish, birds and lizards. Butterfly Creek offers a great family day out in Auckland.
• Rainbows End Theme Park – The adult rides weren’t that attractive, but our 2 year old had a ball in the children’s section.
• Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World - ‘Kelly Tarlton's is a wonderland of snow, ice and amazing underwater sights where you can explore the wilds of Antarctica and the natural treasures of the ocean depths’.
• One Tree Hill/Cornwall Park – ‘Is a landscaped park designed for the recreation and enjoyment of all the people of New Zealand. The park is renowned for its landscape design and its wide variety of mature trees. It is centred on a volcanic cone, One Tree Hill, with many interesting geological features.’
• Mt Eden - A volcano in Auckland City situated five kilometres south of the city centre. The mountain is the highest natural point in the whole of Auckland.
• Parnell Rose Garden – ‘The Rose Gardens are enhanced by many mature trees. The roses are mainly modern with over 4500 rose bushes. From late Spring to early Autumn the rose bushes will be at their best and draw visitors from New Zealand and overseas to view the brilliant display.’
• Black Sand Beaches (Muriwai, Cornwallis, Piha and other beaches on the way)
• Waiheke Island – ‘a quiet tropical paradise in the Hauraki Gulf’
• Lake Taupo - Is a lake situated in the North Island. It has a perimeter of approx. 193 kilometers and a deepest point of 186 meters and a surface area of 616 sq kilometers. It is a noted trout fishery with stocks of introduced brown trout and rainbow trout.
• Huka Falls – ‘At the Huka Falls, the Waikato River which is normally 100m wide, is squeezed through a 20 metre wide gorge and over a 20m drop. Every second up to 220,000 litres of water gushes through the gorge and shoots out over 8 metres beyond to create a beautiful blue/green pool.’
• Whangarei waterfalls
• Rotorua - A city in the southern shore of Lake Rotorua, well known for it's geothermal activity.
• Kuirau Park – ‘Kuirau Park occupies an area of geothermal activity typified by many hot springs, gas and steam upflows, thermally altered ground and silica deposits from prehistoric times.’
• Waitomo Glowworm Caves – ‘World renowned and a magnet for both local and overseas visitors, the Waitomo Glowworm Caves occupy a high placing in almost everyones New Zealand vacation wish-list. The Waitomo glowworm, Arachnocampa luminosa, is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light as our expert guides provide informative commentary on the Caves' historical and geological significance.’
• Orakei Korako – Cave and Thermal Park
• Wai-o-Tapu – A geothermal park

Photos: Click Here and Here (Album is set to private. Can only be viewed by family & friends. Please leave a comment and I will e-mail you the password. Thank-you!)