Category: Travel Diaries

A Shopper’s guide to three days in Sydney

Whenever you are given a chance a to travel, never say no! So when I got given the chance to attend a wedding in Sydney, I couldn’t say no at all. But straight after coming from my VERY extended holiday in Fiji, the Sydney trip was cut down to 5 days. In 5 days, with the wedding taking one day and travelling taking about a day (give or take),I really just had 3 days to “travel”.

I strategically decided that I would spend my 3 days SHOPPING and EATING. Here is a run down of where to shop and where to eat from my point of view.

SHOPPING

World Square

World Square can be described as an “outdoor mall”. Some of the stores that I was able to check out were

  • Nine West
  • Calvin Klein
  • Cue
  • Forever New
  • Superdry
  • L’occitane en Provence
  • Kagui

My favourite store was Kagui for sure! This is a shoe shop with the most adorable collection of shoes.

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A pair of sandals with wedge heels that I bought at Kagui.

Westfield Pitt Street

Going from New Zealand where our Westfield’s are only two stories tall and a single building, you could say I was in shock when I saw how big this mall actually was. I visited this mall about three times but still had not managed to see all the stores located in there. These were the collection of main stores that I was able to have a look at, but there were also many other  boutique stores which were located around the mall area.

  • Sephora
  • Zara
  • David Jones
  • Prada
  • Gucci

DFO Homebush

If I had to compare DFO to something in New Zealand, I would compare it to our Dressmart. DFO was a bigger and better Dressmart with outlet stores for more luxury brands. Some of the stores that I quite liked were:

  • Ted Baker
  • Armani
  • Michael Kors
  • Oroton
  • Portmans
  • Forever New
  • Windsor Smith

This is definitely something worthwhile to check out, especially if you would like to snag a bargain on luxury brands.

Duty Free Sydney Airport

My flight got delayed by 2 hours on the way back home, so you can guess what I did in those couple of hours in the airport. You can find anything from Urban Decay, Mac, Channel, Nars, Bobby Brown and other make up stations to Oroton, Tiffany, Fendi and so many more stores in the airport; I was  hoping my flight got delayed by a few more hours!

FOOD

I found the food sold in the food lane in World Square to be simply amazing! I made sure to eat as many Pie Face’s, Sushi’s and Ramen noodle soup that I could! The food quality and the different varieties of cuisines available was worth commending.

Some of the restaurants that we did manage to check out were:

  • Basket Brothers:
    • This breakfast and lunch hub has the most delicious chai latte and “to-die-for” scrambled eggs on toast.
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Eyeing the best breakfast out
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mmmmmmm…….
  • Guylian
    • Need I say more???
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I will just leave this here…..
  • Green Peppercorn
    • Nothing beats Thai food, so naturally, Thai food had to be done in Sydney. When a local suggested Green Peppercorn to me; I was in there within 10 minutes!
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I will let this photo do all the talking
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Ever tried your rum in a pineapple???
SIGHT SEEING

I managed to squeeze in half a days worth of sight seeing into this short trip. I did the essential rounds of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and St. Mary’s Cathedral. Staying in the city meant that these were just a train ride and walk away.

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  • St Mary’s Cathedral

One thing that really left me in awe was the interior of St Mary’s Cathedral. The design of the church was beyond breath taking and upon entering you felt a sense of calm and peacefulness. I tried to capture a few of the beautiful architecture of the church but obviously there is nothing like being there yourself to experience it’s beauty.

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TRANSPORTATION

For most of the days used the train links and bus routes to get to and from places. And on some occasions we had a car. I would for sure choose to get around by public transportation than trying to navigate myself around Sydney battling traffic. I found that the GPS is somethings as good as nothing when you have entered a tunnel or are on the spaghetti junctions because your GPS can’t locate your own point!

 

So there you have it! My short trip to Sydney summed in this little blog post. I hope this gives you an idea of some of the things to do in Sydney if you are planning to go. And if you are a shopaholic and foodie like myself, then I definitely hope this post helps you out in Sydney!

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Facebook where you will find more daily fashion posts.

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Petite Perspectives

xoxo

 

Travel Diaries (New Plymouth)

Graduating in 2014 and having a gap year before I scored a job, left me with a lot of time on my hands. So I decided to fill this time with dance, music and of course as much travel as I could. Making an escape down to New Plymouth was one of my favorites, it meant I could get away from the hustle and bustle of Auckland.

New Plymouth, to me, is like Auckland, but on a smaller scale. It isn’t a small town like what many people perceive it to be (and sadly that included me). It is a developing town with a lot to offer from great fashion boutique stores, to even better restaurants, but because everything is in such close proximity, you can manage to squeeze in breakfast, shopping, a swim, a trip to the mineral pools, lunch and dinner into one day ( just like I did!).

Once in New Plymouth these are just some of the few things that you can do ;

  • Taranaki Mineral Pools
    • There are spa pools which have warm mineral water continuously pumping through. This comes straight from rainfall in Mount Taranaki. Having a soak in the alkaline antioxidant water is believed to help balance acidity in the body, which in turn would help decrease the acceleration of  body aging.
    • There are private and public spa pools to choose from as well.
    • Below is the link for the webpage of the Mineral Pool.

http://www.pureone.co.nz/

  • Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.  IMG_4775

Unfortunately the day that I did go to the museum, part of it was closed down for maintenance. So all I was able to see was the moving arts, which was quite neat in it self.

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  • Seaside Market on Ocean View Parade
    • The market happens every first Sunday of the month and it is one of the biggest events for the community. Local traders, farmers, artists, creators come together and set up their stslls to sell hand made items. You can get anything from coasters to candles, wall hangings, fresh vegetables and fruits, kitchen sauces and chutney’s, crystals and what not.
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      Coasters that I purchased at one of the stalls at the market. Hand made by a lovely lady using tiles and decorating paper finishing the coaster off with resin.
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      A gift pack of hand made soy candles by Serene Naturals. They are in three scents; Coconut Lime, Lemongrass and French Pear

       

    • The market not only has sale stalls, they also have a wide range of food trucks parked on one side. The wood fired pizza and quesadillas are for sure one of the best that I have tasted. Along with the food stalls they have entertainment available. I was lucky enough to get a chance to meet the “Bubble Man” of New Plymouth and create some of my own giant bubbles!IMG_2014

 

  • Paritutu Rock
    • If you want to get one with nature and get some exercise done, this rock climb is for sure something to do!
    • The climb starts of with wooden stairs at the bottom but as the rock gets steeper the stairs disappear and the only support you have are chains on poles, which are stuck into ground. To my horror some of the poles were very unstable but it seemed to not matter to the other climbers who zoomed right past and climbed the rock. I, of course, couldn’t give in so biting down my terrified cries I climbed the rock after them.
    • This is a climb that you will have to go fully prepared for, with comfortable work- out attire. You need not be like me, who turned up to do the climb just in my flip flops. Yes, I regretted my decision when I saw the stairs end and the rock climb get steeper.

 

  • Oakura River and Corbett Park Beach
    • This is a little pool of river that joins out into the ocean. The river is perfect for families and people who want a lazy dip on a hot summer’s day. I had a great time floating around in my giant donut!IMG_6774

I purchased this giant donut from The Ponsonby Pony Club. It is the perfect item for your summer and beach days! Link is below!

https://ponsonbyponyclub.co.nz/

Places to eat!

  • Gusto Restaurant
    • I cannot deny my love for squid, obviously I had to eat squid on my trip to New Plymouth, so I set my brother and partner out on a mission to find me a place that sells some good squid! And here they found the Gusto Restaurant! Situated on the wharf with a pretty view and tables out on the deck. Food prices are reasonable with lovely staff. Needless to say; the squid was mind blowing!
  • Radio Malabar
    • A South Indian cuisine. My inner Indian tends to get homesick on trips away, so I just had to make a visit to Radio Malabar! They have the amazing dosa’s and sambaars with one of the best cardonam ice creams that I have ever tasted!
  • Salt
    • This is a restaurant you can afford to avoid. It is over priced with very bland and average food. If you are a vegetarian then, sadly, there is not many options for you other than fries, which weren’t that well done either.
  • Deluxe Diner
    • If you are into your American style dining, then this is the place to be! Stepping into the restaurant you will be transported back in time, with a very themed setting for the restaurant. Their serving size is massive; one dish and two little girls like me can make a meal out of it!
  • Manous Seaside Restaurant
    • They are situated on the wharf as well. Their theme is quite rustic looking and it is quite easy to drive past mistake it for a wrecked boat shed. But their food is very good, especially their seafood baskets.
  • Petit Paris
    • This is by far my favorite eat out in New Plymouth. It is a small little cafe in the city which sells amazing French mocha and hot French croissants and chocolate danishes which are baked fresh each morning. This is the ideal place to go for a nice romantic breakfast date, catch up with your girls or just to have the best dam french coffee and croissants on your lonesome. IMG_4744