Nice big plane down to Queenstown. Was a little late leaving Wellington. But we got to Queenstown around 8pm or so. Picked up the gear from the carousel and Andrew legged it to Apex to pick up the car. After he drove around the airport car park trying to find a way into where I stood, we loaded the car up and set off.
To the supermarket 300m away. Provisions for the weekend. :-) Wraps. Dips. Cheese. Chocolate. Ginger beer. You know...
RAV4. Hmmm. I like it. But seriously? What's with the headlights? They cut off about halfway up the road so you can't see directly ahead. Great side action though - so I can see anything about to T-bone us way better than any other car I have driven.
Fortunately Andrew drove with his headlights on beam for the most part and lit up the road ahead like a beacon.
We had to drive without music at the start because the RAV4 won't let you add a new phone to Bluetooth to the radio unless you are stationary.
Passengers are obviously just chopped liver.
Andrew wasn't happy listening to me improvise and sing. Especially as I barely remember any lyrics. Painful.
Hahahah.
Rang the accommodation (Lake Wanaka Lodge) at 9:05pm as we drove out of Queenstown to say we would be later than anticipated due to the late arrival of the aircraft. But he kindly said he would stay up until 10.30.
But Andrew drove like the wind and we were at the accommodation by 10:05pm. Oosshh! Checked in, and fell into bed. Booked our lift passes from their website before we fell into a coma. Jetlag. Sure.
Nice room. Two single beds. Decent bathroom. Nice and tidy and clean. No cutlery or crockery besides two cups and two glasses and two teaspoons. Up early to get ready and head up to Treble Cone. Brekkie. Muesli and milk. In a teacup with a teaspoon. Left by 7.20am. In the carpark by 8.05am. Still before sunrise.
Second row of parked cars on Friday morning. So close.
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| Sunrise from Treble Cone car park |
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| Proof I was there too |
Andrew got gear sorted. And then the lifts opened at 9am. I love Treble Cone. The staff are so friendly. There are no crowds. We skied onto every lift. Possibly we had to "queue" behind someone else twice. But even then we could have out-muscled them in the dash for the front of the "queue" if we wanted.
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| First run of the season |
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| Prime parking spot |
We went straight to the Saddle. And I found a great run down Raffles. Which I did over and over for the next two days. Andrew made me try other things. But the snow wasn't great for me. And my skis prefer wide open spaces. Icy moguls are not fun for these skis.
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| Top of the Saddle |
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| Top of the world! |
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| Selfie time |
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| Let's do this! |
Incredibly it stopped 2m below me. Held to the slope by icy, watery molecules. And the slight effects of gravity. Which, as I stood up to try and step down to my ski, did not help me. My left foot could not get a purchase on the ice. My right ski just managed it. So I was moving my ski down 5cm at a time. And hoping my left foot did not skate out and send me into my left ski, hanging on the slope. A slight nudge and it would be off down the hill.
Andrew saw me, and discarded his skis and started up the hill.
A lovely woman stopped and asked if I needed help. She rescued my ski. Thank goodness. I tried to stand up, and nearly fell and took her out.
Wooaaahhh! Scary. Hahahah.
Got out of my other ski and she handed both to Andrew and I slid down to a easier spot. And gratefully got back in my skis. OMG.
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| Not a lot of snow this season |
Wandered back to base after the last saddle chairlift around 3.20pm. The artificial snow on the easy route was so heavy. Like thick porridge. My skis cut through it. But it was hard work.
Into the car and off down the hill to Wanaka. Showered and found dinner. The Spice Room. Indian food. Very nice.
Home to bed. Andrew watched TV. Did not keep me awake. I would have been asleep by 8.20pm.
Up next morning. Andrew was full of an impending cold. Oops. We drove up to Treble. Away again at 7.20am but oddly for a Saturday, we were in the first line of parked cars. Primo location.
Sat in the cafe waiting for sunrise and the lifts to open at 9am. Andrew got a lesson for 10.30am. He left me to ski Raffles happily until 12.30 when we were to meet at the base cafe.
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| Saturday's sunrise from the Treble Cone car park |
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| Selfie time Saturday |
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| Skis on cord! |
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| Day time |
On the way, in the dark, I met an older man on the corner of our road looking lost. With a bottle of wine in his hand. So I asked if I could help. He said he had just left his house, turned right twice, then left and bought the wine. And had now spent 1.5 hours walking around trying to find his house.
So I asked if he knew the address and we could find it on my phone. Nope. Did he know the phone number? Nope. Anyone he is staying with - their phone? Nope. Ok. Name of the owners of the house? Wait... Wilson something on the letterbox. Ok. Google turned up nothing useful there.
He decided to go back to the ski rental place they had used that morning because his mates hired skis there and maybe they have the address. Poor guy.
Anyway, - rugby! All Blacks v South Africa at Westpac Stadium.
OMG. A draw. What a scrappy game.
Nice food at Waterbar. Charred broccoli and haloumi fries.
We caught up with each others news and photos. Cardrona also needs snow. They dropped me back at our accommodation. I slept like the dead.
Totally not sore at all. Exhausted at the end of each day. Then, next day... Can't even tell. My PT is amazing!
Woke up early Sunday and packed the car - kinda. Took off for Arrowtown. 2C over Crown Range road - but no sign of ice.
Popped into the Arrowtown bakery and I had a second brekkie.
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| Arrowtown iced coffee |
Then around 9am we headed through Queenstown to Glenorchy. And then onwards to Paradise and even further (what is beyond Paradise anyway???) to the start/end of the Routeburn track.
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| Routeburn track |
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| My feet on the Routeburn |
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| Swingbridge on Routeburn track |
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| Those colours! There was a huge trout in there too. |
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| Beautiful |
From there, we drove back to Paradise, then for ages up another dirt road to the start of the Dart track (Rees Dart is a tramp I have wanted to do since I was about 14).
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| Start of Dart track |
Got back to Queenstown with 15 km range left in the tank. Andrew filled up and swears there must have been 3 or 4 litres left as he could only squeeze in 46 litres of petrol.
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| 15 km range left in the tank |
Tried The Boat Shed between Frankton and Queenstown (at the marina). Yummy food!
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| Iced coffee @ The Boat Shed - guess where? |
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| Now I know. |
Andrew had checked the luggage by the time I walked back to the terminal from Apex. And we sat and waited for our flight. He found his pocketknife in his carry on luggage and went to chat to the Air NZ ground staff. They were so nice - they took his knife and put it into his suitcase for him. So helpful.
The airport was chaos. Sydney and Brisbane flights leaving. Security screening so slow. Our board said "Relax" to our flight. And the announcements were just directing flights one by one to screening. And telling others to relax.
But it was madness. We queued for security screening with the Sydney flight - separated by the webbing crowd control. Our domestic screening seemed to go much faster.
Boarded late. Got away late. But had an easy flight home. Sally met us and took me home. Yay!
Got in to an empty house. Sorted out the cats (fed them and cleaned their dirt trays), put on a wash, picked up Toby's clothes from his bedroom for washing, put away laundry, emptied my gear and aired it. Then got a call from Mike asking for a pick up from Melling. So jumped in the car and did that. And collected Toby on the way home from Tessa's house.
Into bed and off to sleep...
What a weekend. Thank you Andrew. Thanks Sally and Mike for letting us go.
Mike had a blast up at Whakapapa. Said the Sky Waka was a gamechanger. Can't wait to see that for myself.
We need more snow!
Apparently it is coming.
Have a great week.
Love,
Angela
