NZ posts - now with pictures!

Photos like this one (Cardrona skifield, Day 5)

and this one, also from Cardrona, looking out towards Queenstown...

And here's one of Lake Wakatipu, around which Queenstown is nestled.

Here's what not skiing when on a skiing holiday can do to you...

Here's what skiing in white-out can do to you: make you drink mulled wine ...

And here's what having your photo taken by your mother can do to you ...

Musings - skiing etc

Miscellaneous notes to self/comments/observations.

In hindsight, the folks must have taken us spring skiing, and not winter skiing, when we were kids in NZ. I don't remember it being this cold. At the absolute screaming minimum, next time I must have a windproof layer (and my softshell jacket is not windproof). A neck covering of some sort is also essential, as might be a turtleneck jumper of some kind.

JD and I were very much the odd ones out. Even on the sunny days, more than 95% of skiers/snowboarders were wearing goggles and not sunglasses. Technology must have come some way, because I always found them uncomfortable and prone to fogging. And the ones designed to be worn with spectacles were even worse. (I wear contact lenses pretty much 24/7 these days, so that's not an issue any more.)

Another change is that well over half of all skiers/snowboarders were wearing helmets. The zoomy kids have worn them for a long time, but a lot of adults were wearing them too. I'm not sure why the adoption has been so quick, particularly among the "I am immortal" male 16-26 snowboarding demographic, but here are some of the reasons I heard/saw/read:

• If I'm making the kids wear them, I figure I should too.
• They keep your head and ears toasty warm
• Built-in MP3 player and headphones, for tunes as you zoom
• I believe all ski instructors are strongly encouraged to wear them, as role models.
• And, um, the safety reasons - Natasha Richardson's death was not in vain.

Day 8: Kamala

Kamala is nearly four weeks post-surgery, and the bits of her brain that were bumped when they took out the last of the tumour have left her with minimal control of her left foot. However, this is improving rapidly. Unfortunately the screwy NZ health system is stacked against her.

In NZ, if you have an accident, you are very well covered by the ACC, the Accident Compensation Commission. However, other medical treatment is pretty dismal, whether it be a stroke, or cancer, or a congenital condition. This is one of the reasons it took Kamala having a massive seizure before her condition was diagnosed: it is very hard to get an MRI covered without insurance, due to the number of hoops that have to be jumped through to get it approved.

That said, they've done a good job. They only shaved a minimum of her head, in a T (she said it looked far more impressive when it still had the staples), making the psychological recovery that much easier.

We didn't see her boys as Kamala's dad, Stuart, had taken them to a play (he has been taking the boys each day during school holidays). K thought it would be far simpler if her boys didn't know we were visiting, so our arrival was delayed until after they'd left. When you're five years old (give or take), sometimes not knowing is definitely the best.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay long, partly due to our own schedule's demands, and partly due to Kamala not yet being at full strength. It was wonderful to see her, however briefly, and thank her for our opportunity to come to NZ at her expense. (The Chc-Mel ticket was bought for her and her family, but K chose to not delay her surgery further, and therefore couldn't use the flight.)

(It is very difficult to get a good photo when the boys are mucking about.)

Kia kaha, Kamala.

Day 8: Christchurch

Our accommodation at the Aloha Motel was a little less salubrious than our lodgings in Wanaka - perfectly adequate, but not "luxurious", despite its claims. It also has one of those key-controlled power shut-off things, which means you can't leave your iPhone charging while you're out for dinner. (Well, you can, but it won't charge.)

I had thought that accommodation in Chch would be plentiful, as most people were getting out of Dodge. An article in the local paper agreed, that the number of beds was down about 18%. However, the number of beds available was down 70% so the occupancy rate for those still operating was near capacity. After all, most of the big hotels in the CBD were either condemned, or at the very least in the no-go zone, so inaccessible.

Driving out in the daylight, one of the things I most noticed was the almost complete lack of chimneys. Many houses had bits boarded over, and rooves were patched showing where chimneys had once been. Other places had a metal flue in place of the ex-chimney - less likely to cause damage in the case of another big jolt.

As we made our way out to Sumner where my cousin lives, we saw (and drove along) some of the damage. A few buildings that had clearly been condemned, others already raised. We saw the houses hanging off the freshly carved cliffs which had given way in one or other of the quakes. We drove past double-stacked shipping containers which were serving as rockfall barricades along the road, at the base of the clearly unstable cliff faces. We saw devastated churches, closed schools, irreparably damaged libraries, shops that would never open again. And portaloos on many street corners.

It seemed a bit ghoulish to stop and take photos, so here are some others took.

Day 7: Wanaka to Christchurch Via Mt John

We set off at 10am, as anticipated, having enjoyed a sleep-in (well, it was 8:15, not 6:45 that we got up). Breakfast and packing took us through to 10. I also found out why the internet was so awful - the area's 3G tower atop the Treble Cone skifield fell over (functionally, if not literally). Therefore everyone was using the wifi system, which collapsed under the traffic. You'd think that it you build a critical bit of infrastructure at the top of a mountain that gets lots of snow, you'd design it so it copes with lots of snow. Ah, well.

We left Wanaka, heading south, because that's what you do when you want to go north-east. In fact, it's what you do when you want to go around, rather than over a bunch of mountains. South to Tarras (three shops might make it one up from a locality, but I don't think it quite gets to village), and the up over the Lindis Pass.

The Lindis Pass tops out at 965m, about the height of Mt Macedon at its summit. Except the Pass is the lowest point between a bunch of pointy snowy mountains, and so it feels very low by comparison. We didn't stop for a photo, which was silly, but never mind.

We did stop in Omarama for petrol and cuppas, and then went on to Tekapo. We passed across the bottom of Lake Pukaki, with Mt Cook at the far end towering over all. Again, stupidly, we didn't take any photos. So here's one someone else took.

We passed the turnoff to Mt John Observatory, and went on to Tekapo for lunch, arriving around 12:30pm. We randomly picked one of the various eateries in the main strip (the first one as you come into town), and had a very pleasant lunch. I had a veal stew with mash (v good), JD had an excellent burger, Ky a BLT focaccia and Jos a venison pie - the boys had chips with each of theirs.

Day 6: Fan-bloody-tastic

Great weather - sunny, light breezes, mild temperatures. Just perfect.

The boys did a run with us first thing in the morning (Jos and I managed to squeeze a second one in) before they had their two hour lesson, starting at 10:20. JD and I went off and did our thing, and then met the boys after their lesson, and had some lunch.

Turns out Ky had managed to miss his turnoff, and went down to the bottom of Whitestar, albeit with the assistance of one or more members of staff. I haven't quite got the details straight, but he seemed to do okay.

After lunch, I took Jos across to Captains, and then down the Whitestar lift runs. I think I've found my new ski partner. He did really well, and after each section of the run, he had a goofy grin on his face, and declared it "exciting" or "exhilarating" or just plain "fun". JD and Ky trundled up and down the McDougall lift and runs, Ky proving that he's better than he thinks he is.

Day 5: This is what it's about

Although Wanaka was cloudy and dreary, the snow report promised clear and sunny, and the forecasts for the past few days have promised that today would be a good day. And heck, if worst came to worst, we could drive up the mountain, and make a decision at the top like we did yesterday.

We got away later than we hoped, having spent ten minutes looking JD's new merino cap. Thankfully we found it once we'd decided to drop into town to get a new one. We were in the middle of a very long line of cars snaking its way up the Crown Ranges, and then up the access road.

As we came out of town, there was a big, fat, just past full moon sitting over the snow-capped mountain, and later, we could see the soft pink first rays of the sun kiss the tops of the mountains. Not only beautiful in its own right, it also promised clear skies and therefore great skiing.

Given the late start and the great forecast and the long line of cars, I figured we'd be parked well down the mountain. However, we didn't have to stop to put on chains, and we ended up at the start of the last row in the top carpark (ie great park). The weather was mild and the wind was fair, and the sun was shining. Wooo-hooo!

I went off to organise tickets while JD helped the boys get their boots on and get the skis off the car. Once we were all ready, we took the boys over and signed them into the day program (Archway Westside), and then headed off down the mountain.

Day 4b: Queenstown

We set off for Q'town around 11ish, taking the Crown Ranges route (the 'over' rather than the 'around' route). As we came to the turnoff for the Cardrona skifields for the third time, we could see the top of the mountain was still cloaked in cloud. We then came to the township of Cardrona, swathed in snow, with some old wooden buildings (pub, general store, arty-crafty store) and a lot of properties for sale.

We began the slow climb up the valley, encountering a bit of slush on the road near the saddle, and rather more on the downward side. And plenty of grit on the road.

The road had clearly been ploughed (plowed, for the Murricans in the audience) - the plough hadn't quite lined up with the road markings, so sometimes the upward-bound lane was kinda skinny, and we were driving well onto the shoulder, sometimes the other way round. The route down was mostly a series of hairpin turns, dropping quickly down to the highway about 10 minutes from Frankton.

We kept on into Q'town, and got turned about in the maze of one way streets trying to find a car park. Ky was getting a full blown dose of the hangries, so we ended up parking in a parking lot not far from the lake (Wakatipu). 

We checked out the menus of the three nearest eateries and picked Devil Burger.

Day 4a: Liars liars pants on fires

The ski report for Cardrona this morning promised "Sunny day with moderate SW winds, strong and gusty on the upper mountain", with unlimited visibility.

So we got up early (JD had a really awful night's sleep), packed all our gear and left the apartment about 7:45am. First stop was the ski hire place - we'd changed Ky's boots last night for something a little firmer, but forgot to take the skis in to get the bindings adjusted. Next stop was the supermarket for bandaids for Jos's blisters and some strapping tape for my wrist. And we were on the road by 8am, and to the top carpark a little before 9am.

And it was windy and gusty, like they said, but it was also white-out with very wet snow (aka sleet). Not as cold as yesterday, not quite as windy, but wet. And if you get wet you are miserable. It certainly wasn't sunny with unlimited visibility like they promised.

(This is part way back down the mountain, where the visibility was better.)

We hummed and haa-ed for five minutes, and in the end said, bugger it. It's too wet, too yuck. We've got two more days to go, and fingers are crossed for them.

So we backed out of the carpark and drove back down the mountain (and we weren't the only ones). We asked the guide at the bottom of the Cardrona access road, who checked in via two-way with the weather report guy, who advised they were expecting the cloud to stay for much of the day. Our decision was vindicated.

So we're now back at the apartment, have cuppas and hot chocolates and coffee (me, boys, JD respectively), and will switch out of our snow gear (but not our thermals), pack our togs and the like, and we'll head off to Queenstown for the day.

Day 3: White out wipe out

The ski report offered "a cold blustery start under mtn cloud cap followed by long fine periods and strong SW winds".

And they were right. Except for the long fine periods. The one fine period lasted about 15 minutes, and happened about 11:30am. We almost got enough sun to have shadows. For the rest of the day it was varying degrees of white-out.

It really isn't all that fun skiing from orange flag to orange flag which had been planted along the main runs. And it was utterly not fun to be painfully cold on the chairlifts between each run. I had to stop a few times to thaw out, having a cuppa or similar in one of the cafes.

I'd bought a stupidly expensive hat the day before and it turned out to be worth absolutely every penny. And I also bought $2 of fleece sewn into a double thickness tube for NZ$16 which protected the lower half of my face and my neck, and was also utterly worth it. Without both of those, there is no way I would have lasted more than a couple of runs. Instead, JD and I were out from 10am to 3pm, with a short break for lunch (and my thaw out stops).

The crap visibility was not helped by my sunnies icing up on most of the chairflift rides (licking them seemed the most effective way to fix that), nor the fogging that happened if I pulled my scarf-muff up over my nose. By early afternoon, visibility was probably down to 5m, which is when I had my first stack of the season.