Harley Tour in Auckland

Saat kita traveling ke satu lokasi biasanya kita menyewa mobil, naik bus, naik kendaraan umum, bermacam cara untuk menikmati destinasi yang sesuai dengan kesenangan dan budget tentunya. Ada satu cara yang unik menikmati kota Auckland, New Zealand, yaitu berkeliling dengan naik Harley! Yes, this big vroom vroom motorbikes! And I say, why not?

When we travel we usually rent a car, get on a bus, take public transportation, or anything, much variety of ways to enjoy a destination that suits your interest and of course budget. There is a unique way of enjoying the city of Auckland, New Zealand, which is going around with a Harley! Yes, this big motorbikes vroom vroom! And I say, why not?

Konsep tur dengan motor Harley Davidson di Auckland sudah dimulai sejak tahun 2003 melalui Harley Tour New Zealand. Di tahun 2008 Baz dan Ali Howie membeli perusahaan tur ini dan menggabungkan dengan Bularangi Motorbikes NZ yang mereka miliki.
 
This Harley tour concept has been started since 2003 by the Harley Tour New Zealand in Auckland. In 2008, Baz and Ali Howie bought the company and combine this tour with NZ Motorbikes Bularangi they have.

Yang menarik, dengan paket tour ini saya dijemput pria pria berperawakan besar typical pengendara Harley. Mereka bahkan menyiapkan helm dan jacket kulit khusus untuk berkeliling Auckland dengan dibonceng naik Harley ini.

What most interesting is, with this tour package, a huge typical Harley rider man picked me up. They even prepared helmets and a leather jackets to get around Auckland with these motorbikes.

Choose this blue beauty and Sham as my host

Saya bukan penggemar Harley Davidson, namun siapapun sepertinya akan senang melihat jajaran motor besar ini menjemput dan konvoi bersama berkeliling kota. Peserta tour pun dapat memilih jenis yang disukai, mulai dari Ultra Classic, Softail, Roadking, Trike, Sportster, you name it, banyak jenis Harley yang dapat anda pilih untuk tur ini atau untuk anda kendarai sendiri dengan sistem sewa.

I am not a big fan of Harley Davidson, but I think everyone will excited to see these Harleys and also being in a Harley Davidson convoy around town is great. You can also choose your favorite type, there are many options, ranging from the Ultra Classic, Softail, Roadking, Trike, Sportster, you name it, many types of Harley you can choose for this tour or to drive themselves by renting on Bularangi.

Auckland Memorial Museum

View from Mount Eden, we can see the Sky Tower from here

Into the highway

Perjalanan berkeliling dengan motor Harley ini cukup panjang, saya dibawa berputar ke banyak lokasi di Auckland, mulai dari area downtown, menyusuri New Market, naik ke bukit Mount Eden, menyusuri Ponsonby hingga masuk ke jalan tol dan Auckland Harbour Bridge.

It took quite long enough. We go around a lot of locations in Auckland, from the downtown area, New Market, up the hill of Mount Eden, Ponsonby and also the highway into the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

View from Shoal Bay

 

Menikmati berkeliling dengan motor besar memang menyenangkan, jarak pandang begitu besar dibandingkan dengan naik mobil, ditambah semilir angin dan suara dari semua lokasi yang dilewati, and one thing for sure, we all look good on Harley!

Touring with big motorbike is fun, visibility was so wide compared by riding a car, plus the wind breeze and the sound of all the locations you visited, and one thing for sure, we all look good on a Harley!

With the gentlemen from Bularangi :)

@marischkaprue - does she look good on Harley?

Photos by Ferry Rusli

NOTES:

• Rate paket tour bervariasi, mulai dari 300 NZD (New Zealand Dollar) per hari. Cek selengkapnya dengan email ke harley@bularangi.com
• Rate varied, starting from 300 NZD (New Zealand Dollars) per day. More info, check by email to harley@bularangi.com
• Untuk reservasi paket bisa contact ke +6478636069 atau via email harley@bularangi.com
• For reservations, contact +6478636069 or via email harley@bularangi.com 

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Melihat Penyu Bertelur di Pulau Sangalaki

Saya sudah pernah bercerita tentang melepas tukik dan bagaimana kondisi populasi penyu saat ini terancam. Ada yang bilang, jika ingin mencintai alam maka kita mesti melihat dengan mata sendiri, mendengar dengan telinga sendiri dan menyaksikan apa yang alam ini miliki untuk kita.

I've share stories about releasing juvenile sea turtle and how sea turtle population are in danger. Some say, if you want to love nature then we must see with our own eyes, hear with our own ears and see what nature have for us.

Its always great to meet sea turtle in their natural habitat

Melihat penyu bertelur adalah pengalaman yang seru, sekaligus membuat kita berpikir tentang betapa mengagumkannya alam. Betapa siklus hidup dan putaran alami kehidupan untuk menjaga spesies tetap ada.

See turtle lay their eggs is an exciting experience, also make us think about how incredible nature is. How life cycle works to keep the species exist.

The Sangalaki Island

Sea turtle in Derawan Islands area

Di Pulau Sangalaki, Kepulauan Derawan ada lokasi yang pada masa masa tertentu selalu didatangi penyu, terutama penyu hijau, untuk bertelur. Pulau Sangalaki ini masuk area konservasi sehingga tidak ada penduduk di pulau ini. Hanya ada pos petugas penjaga dan beberapa unit resort yang terbilang baru.

On Sangalaki Island in the Derawan Islands, East Borneo, there is a location which always visited by sea turtles during a particular period of time, especially green sea turtles to lay their eggs. This island is in the conservation area so there is no local residents, only a small conservation building and a few new resorts for tourist.

The clear water in Sangalaki area

Bahkan, di Pulau Sangalaki tidak ada dermaga, kapal hanya dirapatkan di dekat batas air. Perairan di area Sangalaki pun sangat jernih. Saya ingat tiba di pulau ini pada malam hari dan terkesima dengan betapa beningnya air saat saya menyorotkan cahaya senter ke laut.

In fact, in Sangalaki you can't find any pier for boat. To get into this island, the boat will stand a position near the land. This island is still so natural. I remember arriving at the island at night and was struck by how clear the water is when I set my flashlight to the sea.

Namun tentu saja pesona utama Pulau Sangalaki adalah datangnya penyu untuk melangsungkan kehidupan generasi mereka di masa mendatang. Puncak penyu bertelur di Pulau Sangalaki adalah di bulan Agustus. "Sehari bisa sampai seratus penyu naik ke pulau ini," ujar Pak Lipu, penjaga pos dan petugas konservasi di Pulau Sangalaki. Saya tidak dapat membayangkan di pulau sekecil ini seratus penyu berbondong bondong bertelur. Ah, well, sometimes you gotta see it to believe it don't you?

But of course the main charm of this Island is when sea turtles came to keep their generations exist. The peak season for turtles is during August. "It might be hundred of sea turtle came every night during the peak season," said Mr. Lipu, a conservation officer works in Sangalaki. I can't even imagine in such small island a hundred turtles laying eggs. Oh, well, sometimes you gotta see it to believe it do not you?
 

Kami pun masuk ke area pos dan melihat ratusan tukik - anak penyu - di beberapa ember besar. "Mereka kami lepas besok," ujar Pak Lipu lagi. Saya bersemangat karena melepas tukik selalu jadi momen menyenangkan, tanpa saya sadari ada hal yang jauh lebih menyenangkan menanti saya.

 
We went into the post area and see hundreds of hatchlings - baby sea turtles - in a big bucket. "We will release them tomorrow" said Mr. Lipu again. I'm always excited to release sea turtle hatch lings, such a fun moments, before I know there is something even more fun awaits me.

Doing a bit of sand bath after spawning

Malam hari sekitar pukul 10 malam Pak Lipu memanggil kami. Saya dan teman teman membawa senter dan bergegas keluar pos. Saya mengikuti Pak Lipu yang berjalan sangat cepat. "Yang ini sudah selesai bertelur," ujar Pak Lipu sambil memberi kode bahwa kami boleh mendekat dan menyalakan senter.

Around 10 pm at night Mr. Lipu called us. We brought flashlight and hurried out. I followed Mr. Lipu who walk very fast. "This one already done laying eggs," said Mr. Lipu while giving a code that we could approach and turned on the flashlight.

Sea turtle in a sand hole :)

Penyu sensitif dalam memilih tempat bertelur. Jika ia melihat cahaya dan gangguan sebelum ia mulai bertelur maka penyu itu akan pergi kembali ke laut dan menunggu waktu lain untuk bertelur. Namun, saat penyu sudah mulai bertelur, kita dapat mendekat dan mengamati langsung.

A sea turtle is very sensitive in choosing where to lay their eggs. If it sees a light or got disturbed, the sea turtle will go back to the sea without laying some eggs and wait for another time to spawn. However, when it already start spawning we can get closer and observes directly.

Penyu yang kami temui pertama kali sudah selesai bertelur. Penyu ini sedang "mandi pasir," yaitu melempar lemparkan pasir hingga sebagian pasir menutupi tempurungnya. Setelah beristirahat penyu ini akan kembali ke laut sambil meninggalkan jejak seperti kendaraan tank mini di pasir.

 
The sea turtles we encountered the first time already done spawning. When we came she's doing some "sand bath," throwing sands until some of its shells are covered with sand. Then, after resting a while, the sea turtles return to the sea and leaving a trail like a mini tank vehicle pass through the sand.
 

Beberapa kali kami menemukan penyu yang sudah selesai bertelur. Hingga belasan penyu yang kami temukan, saya mulai berpikir mungkin belum jodoh untuk melihat penyu bertelur karena semuanya sudah selesai dan sedang mandi pasir. Namun, tiba tiba Pak Lipu memanggil lagi, kali ini ia menemukan penyu yang sedang bertelur. Saya langsung berlari tidak mau saat saya datang ternyata sudah selesai.

 
Several times we found the sea turtle already finished laying eggs. Until up to a dozen turtle that we found, I started to think maybe its not my lucky day to see sea turtles laying eggs. Suddenly, Mr. Lipu called again, this time he found the turtle still laying some eggs. I immediately ran since I don't want to miss the moments.

Penyu hijau yang kami temukan ini masih bertelur. Ia membuat lubang dengan kedalaman sekitar 60 sentimeter dan bertelur perlahan. Kami memperhatikan dari bagian belakang dan melihat telur keluar satu persatu, sangat seru :)

Then I saw it, a sea turtle laying eggs. She made a 60 centimeters deep hole and spawn slowly. We watched from the back and saw the eggs came out one by one, very exciting :)

Sambil bertelur penyu ini juga mendengus mengeluarkan napas seperti kelelahan. Dari matanya juga keluar air, seakan akan menangis, tapi bukan seperti manusia ia menangis. Penyu memiliki kelenjar yang bermuara ke mata mereka. Kelenjar ini membantu mengeluarkan garam yang terkumpul saat penyu berada di laut, dan saat di darat, air dengan kadar garam yang keluar ini juga membantu menahan agar pasir tidak masuk ke mata penyu.

During spawning, the sea turtle exhale and sound like she's so tired. Also, water came out from its eyes. But unlike humans, these sea turtles "cry" to get the salt out of their body. Sea turtle have glands that connects to their eyes. They remove the salt which been accumulate during their time in the sea by "crying." Also this thing keeps the sand from getting into their eyes.

Penyu termasuk binatang yang lama mencapai taraf dewasa secara seksual, di usia 30 hingga 50 tahun baru penyu bisa bertelur. Siklus bertelur penyu juga sekitar 2 hingga 8 tahun sekali, namun dalam masa tersebut ia dapat bertelur 6 kali dalam rentang waktu 3 bulan.

Turtles are old mature. they reach sexual maturity at the age of 30 to 50 years. Their spawning cycle also every 2 to 8 years. But during each spawning time, a sea turtle can spawn 6 times in a period of 3 months.

Setiap bertelur penyu bisa mengeluarkan 100 hingga 130 butir telur, namun secara alami yang dapat bertahan hingga ke laut hanya belasan tukik saja, yang kemudian dengan seleksi alam akan berkurang lagi di lautan lepas

Each time it spawn, a sea turtle can pull 100 to 130 eggs, but naturally only a dozen that will last into the sea, then the number will reduced again by natural selection on the sea.

a gentle touch after she laid some eggs

Predator tukik beragam mulai dari burung, kepiting, tikus, ikan besar di lautan dan tentu saja predator yang paling mengancam populasi penyu adalah manusia. I hope by seeing how they lay their eggs and how amazing nature is, you'll have a bit of love for them, dan menyadari bahwa rasa telur penyu atau daging penyu tidak sepadan dengan mengancam populasi mereka.

The predators are vary, from birds, crabs, rats, large fish in the oceans and of course the most threatening predator is us, humans. I hope by seeing how they lay their eggs and how amazing nature is, you'll have a bit of love for them, and realize that the taste of turtle eggs or turtle meat is not worth compare to how it would thread their population.

@marischkaprue - love diving with sea turtles

NOTES: 

WHERE
Pulau Sangalaki terletak di Kepulauan Derawan, Kalimantan Timur
Sangalaki Island located in Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan

HOW TO GET THERE
Ada dua cara akses ke Derawan, pertama ke Balikpapan terlebih dahulu, kemudian mengambil penerbangan lanjutan ke Berau atau ke Tarakan. Kemudian dari Tarakan atau Berau ke Kepulauan Derawan dengan menggunakan speed boat.  
There are two ways to access Derawan, first to Balikpapan first, then take connecting flight to Berau or Tarakan. Then from Tarakan or Berau to Derawan Islands by speed boat.  

STAY
Ada beberapa opsi penginapan: di Pulau Derawan, Pulau Maratua, atau bahkan di Pulau Sangalaki 
Sangalaki Resort
Rate: Rp. 1,2 juta/ person/ night
Informasi & booking: +628521238070/ +6255132866
email: admin@sangalakiresort.net 

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• Maratua Paradise, We Love Turquoise Sea Floor
• How To Survive Baracuda Point
• Gua Sembat, Cave with a Human Face  
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Dream Destination: Raja Ampat with #FrameORama

Setiap seseorang bertanya "Udah kemana aja?" pasti Raja Ampat termasuk satu hal yang ditanyakan.

Sadly, saya harus menjawab "belum" untuk destinasi yang satu ini. Alasannya beragam, tapi tentunya nomor satu dana, untuk ke Raja Ampat tiket pesawat tentunya tidak murah, dan kita tau bahwa biaya hidup di Papua cukup tinggi. So I wait and prefer other destinations first, cheaper destinations.

But anyway, Raja Ampat rupanya memanggil dengan caranya tersendiri. I'm going to visit this heaven on September and you might be joining me to have a free trip to Raja Ampat. Yes, FREE, how great is that?

Dan kemudian tentunya yang gratisan tidak semudah itu didapatkan. Kalau untuk dapat free trip saya biasanya menulis, blogging tentang travel dan macam-macam (I called it my job), then you have to join this OPPO competition first! It's called #FrameOrama and no worries, its not that hard, you just have to upload and upload photos, yeay!

How to play? Look at this chart:

Jadi mekanisme pemilihan pemenang adalah dengan poin dan penjurian oleh OPPO Indonesia.

-       Bisa upload via sitenya Frame O Rama http://bit.ly/13JKihF , atau upload photo melalui twitter dengan hashtag #FrameORama.

-        Sebelum mulai juga harus registrasi/ connect dengan account twitter kalau ingin bermain di twitter atau bisa juga dengan account facebook jika ingin take gambar dari facebook.

-       Tema activity foto adalah momen ramadhan, bisa macam macam dari suasana buka puasa dengan teman, sahur bareng keluarga, traveling, fashion, hobby, apapun itu langsung add to photo contest di website ini. I myself upload a lot of my travel photos during this Ramadhan. Intinya semakin banyak mengundang orang, sharing, maka kesempatan menang semakin banyak, and closer to Raja Ampat wohoo!

-       Satu lagi, wajib follow @OPPOIndonesia via twitter juga dan like Fanpage Facebook OPPO Indonesia, sebelum ikut kontes ini

How to Get Points ? Look at this chart:

Akan terlalu lama jika saya bahas satu persatu, untuk lengkapnya lihat disini and hopefully those of you read this, win the trip :)

Another photo of Raja Ampat to boost your spirit!

Another thing, some of you might ask what is OPPO? It's a smartphone brand. I got my OPPO Find 5 and the screen is awesome, 5.0 inch with 1920 x 1080 Full HD. I directly drag a lot of my underwater video files to the Find 5 and its just great seeing it in Full HD

Lovin this Full HD screen

Haven't got much time to see what this product can do, but the 13 Megapixel camera surely will help me took great photos. I'll upload the photos from OPPO Find 5 later when I travel again. And again, the burst mode will do great too, tried taking photos with this just by touching the shutter few seconds.Great for travel companion since sometimes you just have to take photos before you can get your camera out of your bag and smartphone is mostly the nearest one from your hands.

@marischkaprue - knows that gadgets are her travel companion

NOTES:

• Untuk spesifikasi lengkap OPPO Find 5 lihat disini
• Hadiah utama dari kompetisi #FrameORama adalah trip ke Raja Ampat dan OPPO Find 5, sementara setiap minggu juga ada weekly prize: OPPO Find Piano dan Special Price untuk pemenang harian.
•  If you win, take a lot of photos with your OPPO Find 5, its even better with HDR mode ;)
• This contest is only for those of you living in Indonesia, that's why I don't write in dual languages. 

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Gua Sembat, Cave with a Human Face

Apa yang anda bayangkan kalau mendengar Derawan? Pastinya tidak jauh dari pantai dan laut, dengan pasir putih dan air yang biru. Saya pun hanya membayangkan seputar laut sebelum tiba di Pulau Maratua, Kepulauan Derawan, Kalimantan Timur. Namun rupanya disini ada gua yang sangat menarik, dengan bentuk manusia dan dapat diselami pula.

What do you imagine when you hear Derawan Islands? Perhaps not far from the beach and the sea, white sands and blue water. I also imagined only about the sea before arriving in Maratua, Derawan Islands, East Borneo. But apparently there is a cave there which is very interesting, with the human form and you can dive as well!

Untuk mencapai Gua Sembat juga tidak perlu upaya keras, hanya perlu berkendara dengan motor sekitar 15 menit dari Desa Payung Payung di Maratua menuju Desa Bohe Silian. Opsi lain langsung merapat ke Desa Bohe Silian yang juga ada di Pulau Maratua.

To get to Sembat Cave from a few dock in Maratua is also quite easy. You just have to drive with motorcycle about 15 minutes from the Payung Payung Village in Maratua to Bohe Silian Village. Or, just docked directly to Bohe Silian in Maratua.

The narrow gap to get into the entrance

Rocky walls surround us here

Jalan masuk menuju Gua Sembat juga terlihat jelas, tinggal berjalan memasuki hutan selama sekitar 10 menit. Sebelum masuk ke area dimana Gua terlihat kita mesti melewati celah yang sempit, bahkan ukuran badan seperti saya pun harus miring miring untuk melewati celah tersebut. Namun setelah melewati celah anda akan melihat area yang dikelilingi dinding batu, dengan gua persis di depan anda.

Its also easy to find the entrance for the path to the Sembat Cave. You just gotta walk into the forest just about 10 minutes until you find a very narrow gap between two wall of stone. It's so narrow that I even have to walk sideways to pass through the gap. But after passing it, you'll realize you're surrounded by stone walls, with the cave right in front of you.

Its like a big human head attached to the cave walls

The rays make the color of the lake visible

Some dive in this place

Di pintu masuk Gua Sembat langsung terlihat batuan yang berbentuk seperti kepala manusia di bagian kanan atas, memberi efek yang menarik dengan adanya danau di bagian bawah gua. Air di danau ini sangat biru dan dapat diselami, namun tentunya dengan kategorisasi khusus. Saya pun tidak mencoba diving di Gua ini, maybe next time.

 
At the entrance you can see a rock in a form of human head in the upper right of the cave. It gave interesting effects when combined with the blue lake at the bottom. The water of the lake is clearly blue. Some also dive in this place but of course with specific categorization. I, myself, did not try diving inside the cave, well maybe next time.

Meski terlihat curam, namun ada tangga kayu yang dibuat penduduk lokal untuk menuju ke danau. Di saat matahari bersinar terang, sinar masuk dari celah celah di langit langit gua, membuat warna biru air semakin jelas. One more beautiful place you gotta visit while in Maratua Island.

Even though it looks steep, but there's a wooden staircase made by local residents to down to the lake. And, when the sun shine brightly, the rays coming from the slits in the cave ceiling, making the clear blue water so vivid. One more beautiful place you gotta visit while in Maratua Island.

@marischkaprue - one of her dream thing to do is cave diving

Photos taken by Samsung NX300

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