Hi,
I rode home (in the relative dryness - only the occasional big splodge of rain) and found out that Toby had wangled a sleepover on the school night with Alex! How weird was that? Barry had dropped off the bathroom stuff and Toby complained he couldn't sleep in his room because there was a bath in it! Hahahah.
Had a nice evening with Mike watching TV. And I didn't even fall asleep!
Shona and Sharon had their birthday at the weekend. Yay! Apparently I have very out-of-date cellphone numbers for them. Perhaps someone got a happy birthday text from me and are very perplexed now. I hear they had a good day.
And tomorrow is Karen's birthday! I hope she has a great day too!
Love you all.
I did neglect to mention a driver almost killing me (well, certainly running me off the road at 100 km/hr - might have resulted in death or maiming I guess!) on Friday night as I drove up to Ruapehu. I was driving behind a very good driver for a while when we got to a passing lane. He moved into the right hand lane without any traffic to overtake. I assumed he must be wanting to turn right shortly. So I stayed where I was and sure enough I slowly started to gain on him as he slowed down.
Out of my rear vision mirror I see an approaching car hurtling up behind me. They see me in the "slow" lane doing 100 km/hr and decide to overtake quickly before the end of the passing lane. They hurtle into the fast lane right behind the quickly decelerating driver. The decelerating driver indicates and brakes to turn right as I undertake him and the driver behind has nowhere to go when the driver in front of them slows and he hurtles into my lane. But I knew it would happen and I swerve onto the shoulder and instantly his car is right in my lane. If I hadn't swerved, we'd have been hit for sure. Dodgy driver. And guess what? At the end of the passing lane he turned left into a road. Fool!
Made my heart pound - a lot!
Cubs tonight. We're off to the botanic gardens for a glowworm walk. Hope the rain stays away for the evening.
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
The weekend with skiing
Hi,
Friday afternoon rush out of Wellington, but the traffic was surprisingly good all the way. We left at 1730 or so and made it to Bulls about 15 minutes ahead of Mike in the Corolla. I had Ilske in the MX5 with me. After eating kebabs (where I met NZTE folk up for a ski trip and then when they left they were replaced by the Karori Scout leaders - I felt like I knew everyone there) we continued up to Wakapapa.
Settled into the lodge and slept well. Toby in the bottom bunk and me and Mike in the top bunk. Heheheh.
Next morning we were up early. Got everyone tea in bed and then breakfast sorted. I then dropped Mike, Yingjie and Ilske off at the Mangatepopop road end for their winter crossing of Tongariro. It would have been just after 9am by then. They were kitted out with ice axes and crampons and I was to meet them at the other end at 5pm.
I went back to the lodge and hauled my skis up from the day parking to the lodge. Cajoled Toby and Alex into skiing and went to get kitted up. As we did so, Rex and his family returned saying the conditions were awful. This put Toby and Alex off.
So I went skiing by myself. And I had a pants time. The snow was awful and I had a terrifying ride on the Knoll Ridge t-bar. I ended up suspended in mid air from the t for about a 2m section of the lift. I was hanging on hoping it wouldn't take me much higher. But it put me off riding that lift again. And that was possibly the best part of the mountain,.
I went back to the lodge and read a book!
Sunday we tidied up and I went to the hot pools. I got a private pool to myself and soaked for a while. Great. Back for lunch to the lodge and then took Ilske, Yingjie, Alex and Toby home.
Great weekend. Hope it snows loads as it is pretty bad up there.
Love,
Angela
Friday afternoon rush out of Wellington, but the traffic was surprisingly good all the way. We left at 1730 or so and made it to Bulls about 15 minutes ahead of Mike in the Corolla. I had Ilske in the MX5 with me. After eating kebabs (where I met NZTE folk up for a ski trip and then when they left they were replaced by the Karori Scout leaders - I felt like I knew everyone there) we continued up to Wakapapa.
Settled into the lodge and slept well. Toby in the bottom bunk and me and Mike in the top bunk. Heheheh.
Next morning we were up early. Got everyone tea in bed and then breakfast sorted. I then dropped Mike, Yingjie and Ilske off at the Mangatepopop road end for their winter crossing of Tongariro. It would have been just after 9am by then. They were kitted out with ice axes and crampons and I was to meet them at the other end at 5pm.
I went back to the lodge and hauled my skis up from the day parking to the lodge. Cajoled Toby and Alex into skiing and went to get kitted up. As we did so, Rex and his family returned saying the conditions were awful. This put Toby and Alex off.
So I went skiing by myself. And I had a pants time. The snow was awful and I had a terrifying ride on the Knoll Ridge t-bar. I ended up suspended in mid air from the t for about a 2m section of the lift. I was hanging on hoping it wouldn't take me much higher. But it put me off riding that lift again. And that was possibly the best part of the mountain,.
I went back to the lodge and read a book!
Sunday we tidied up and I went to the hot pools. I got a private pool to myself and soaked for a while. Great. Back for lunch to the lodge and then took Ilske, Yingjie, Alex and Toby home.
Great weekend. Hope it snows loads as it is pretty bad up there.
Love,
Angela
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Naturists on Tongariro
Tongariro Crossing, 28 July
Punters: Mike Gilbert, Yingjie Zhang, Ilske Verberg
At home with flu: Josh "It'll always be there, I'll do it later" Tabor
Note to the Committee
I feel I must notify you of a conflict of interest I have, as myself and others have formed a new club that inevitably will compete with the WTMC. A group of us have had a flash of insight that there is a totally unserviced need in the tramping community, and that is how the Wellington Alpine Naturists Group was born. This seemed like a great idea at about 10pm at a beer tasting event, and in rapid order we had many founding members and a full WANG committee was formed.
I must further inform you of our inaugural trip, which was a great success, although it did not strictly achieve our founding aims since everybody seemed to stay very thoroughly dressed.
We started by surreptitiously tagging along with a WTMC group - one of the three family trips to Ruapehu Lodge that are running this year. Saturday morning we left a happy, bubbling Lodge full of children getting ready to sled, ski and board, and drove off down from Whakapapa.
We called in at the DOC office to find out that while last week there was snow all the way to the bottom of Tongariro, the torrential rains of the last week had washed most of it away. Ice in the craters but washed off the slopes seemed to be the recurring theme. So we packed our crampons, tied on our ice axes, and set off from Mangetepopo.
I've only ever done the crossing with the masses in summer, so found Mangtepopo road end eerily empty. No full car park, nor steady shuttling of buses and large groups of tourists and walkers milling around. Just us and maybe 5 other people. Strangely, we all started with many layers of clothing, somewhat counter to our Naturist ideals. Perhaps the biting wind and cool temperature had something to do with this. We started off on the gentle walk through the Mangetepopo valley with ice all around. Beautiful ice crystal formations grew out of the dirt like jewelled spines. The grasses were covered in delicate ice casing. A stream running beside the track formed sculpted shapes where the water splashed and trickled over rocks and down gullies.
At soda springs the grunt up the hill began. We still had seen little or no sign of snow - only the chill in the gentle breeze told us it wasn't a pleasant summer's day. But when we topped out in the first crater, the white stuff made its presence known in the form of quite patchy snow and ice. As the DOC office lady had predicted, the rain had washed snow into the crater and frozen. I untied my ice axe, more in hope than necessity, but although things were a little slippery in places there was no thought of strapping on crampons.
In very little time we'd climbed the spur to the top crater. The wind was fresh and chilling but the tops were sunny and quite pleasant. We crossed and picked our way down the other side through the steep scoria. No snow, no ice, nothing but loose, sliding rubble. We slowly and carefully descended to the emerald lakes. Emerald in summer, icy white in winter!
We lunched here in the shelter of a rocky outcrop, absorbing the sun like lizards. A couple of us gingerly made our way onto the lake and tapped at the surface with ice axes. The lakes seemed very solid - but we didn't push our luck.
We carried on through red crater, the third of the four big craters. This was the snowiest part of the journey, with good cover over the entire floor and a slushy, icy exit to Blue Lake. Blue Lake was truly spectacular as a large white expanse of ice.
We sidled around the edge of the lake and began our descent, to spectacular views of Lake Rotoaira with Taupo in the background.
All too soon we left the snow behind, and ice and rock gave way to mud and gravel. The track to Ketatahi Hut was showing a lot of damage with washouts and great pieces of wooden edge pulled loose and fallen down the hill. I always find the descent to Ketatahi Hut interminably long and today was no exception - the track wound back and forth and the hut grew closer in agonisingly small increments. But soon enough we were chomping on afternoon tea on the porch.
I'm happy I've done Tongariro Crossing in the winter. In the event it was pretty well like a summer crossing - we didn't need to utilise our snowcraft skills at all. But it was superb to experience the crossing like it must have been before the rest of the world discovered it - peaceful, tranquil and deserted. Tongariro feels like an otherworldly place so much more when it's not scattered with other walkers.
Of course, 10 days later Tongariro did its thing. Returning two weekends later for a Whakapapa Ski weekend (and the second Family Trampers weekend) the sour smell of sulphur was in the air and clouds hung dark and foreboding over Tongariro and Ngaruhoe. It's quite special to think that we were one of the last people to cross Tongariro for probably quite some time.
If you have done the snowcraft course and know what to do with crampons and ice axe, The Crossing in Winter is definitely a trip to do. You're still on a well formed track so even with more snow and ice, it should be pretty good going, the scoria descent possibly the only tricky bit. Definitely a good side trip if you are on the mountain but want a break from Whakapapa.
And the future of WANG? Well, it has its detractors, with their "hypothermia waiting to happen" this and "sunburn in terribly sensitive places" that. Any innovation always has haters. So if you have been seeking clothes-optional trips above the snowline, you now need look no further...
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girl_geek/sets/72157630834565798/
https://picasaweb.google.com/108814469832492095035/Snow2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCJbegK6AoYXUowE
Punters: Mike Gilbert, Yingjie Zhang, Ilske Verberg
At home with flu: Josh "It'll always be there, I'll do it later" Tabor
Note to the Committee
I feel I must notify you of a conflict of interest I have, as myself and others have formed a new club that inevitably will compete with the WTMC. A group of us have had a flash of insight that there is a totally unserviced need in the tramping community, and that is how the Wellington Alpine Naturists Group was born. This seemed like a great idea at about 10pm at a beer tasting event, and in rapid order we had many founding members and a full WANG committee was formed.
I must further inform you of our inaugural trip, which was a great success, although it did not strictly achieve our founding aims since everybody seemed to stay very thoroughly dressed.
We started by surreptitiously tagging along with a WTMC group - one of the three family trips to Ruapehu Lodge that are running this year. Saturday morning we left a happy, bubbling Lodge full of children getting ready to sled, ski and board, and drove off down from Whakapapa.
We called in at the DOC office to find out that while last week there was snow all the way to the bottom of Tongariro, the torrential rains of the last week had washed most of it away. Ice in the craters but washed off the slopes seemed to be the recurring theme. So we packed our crampons, tied on our ice axes, and set off from Mangetepopo.
I've only ever done the crossing with the masses in summer, so found Mangtepopo road end eerily empty. No full car park, nor steady shuttling of buses and large groups of tourists and walkers milling around. Just us and maybe 5 other people. Strangely, we all started with many layers of clothing, somewhat counter to our Naturist ideals. Perhaps the biting wind and cool temperature had something to do with this. We started off on the gentle walk through the Mangetepopo valley with ice all around. Beautiful ice crystal formations grew out of the dirt like jewelled spines. The grasses were covered in delicate ice casing. A stream running beside the track formed sculpted shapes where the water splashed and trickled over rocks and down gullies.
At soda springs the grunt up the hill began. We still had seen little or no sign of snow - only the chill in the gentle breeze told us it wasn't a pleasant summer's day. But when we topped out in the first crater, the white stuff made its presence known in the form of quite patchy snow and ice. As the DOC office lady had predicted, the rain had washed snow into the crater and frozen. I untied my ice axe, more in hope than necessity, but although things were a little slippery in places there was no thought of strapping on crampons.
In very little time we'd climbed the spur to the top crater. The wind was fresh and chilling but the tops were sunny and quite pleasant. We crossed and picked our way down the other side through the steep scoria. No snow, no ice, nothing but loose, sliding rubble. We slowly and carefully descended to the emerald lakes. Emerald in summer, icy white in winter!
We lunched here in the shelter of a rocky outcrop, absorbing the sun like lizards. A couple of us gingerly made our way onto the lake and tapped at the surface with ice axes. The lakes seemed very solid - but we didn't push our luck.
We carried on through red crater, the third of the four big craters. This was the snowiest part of the journey, with good cover over the entire floor and a slushy, icy exit to Blue Lake. Blue Lake was truly spectacular as a large white expanse of ice.
We sidled around the edge of the lake and began our descent, to spectacular views of Lake Rotoaira with Taupo in the background.
All too soon we left the snow behind, and ice and rock gave way to mud and gravel. The track to Ketatahi Hut was showing a lot of damage with washouts and great pieces of wooden edge pulled loose and fallen down the hill. I always find the descent to Ketatahi Hut interminably long and today was no exception - the track wound back and forth and the hut grew closer in agonisingly small increments. But soon enough we were chomping on afternoon tea on the porch.
The interminable track carried on from the hut to the beech forest, which is a pleasant finale to the day. Before long we were met by our driver with welcome cold drinks and were loaded into the car to return to the lodge, to hear excited stories about a great day in the snow.
I'm happy I've done Tongariro Crossing in the winter. In the event it was pretty well like a summer crossing - we didn't need to utilise our snowcraft skills at all. But it was superb to experience the crossing like it must have been before the rest of the world discovered it - peaceful, tranquil and deserted. Tongariro feels like an otherworldly place so much more when it's not scattered with other walkers.
Of course, 10 days later Tongariro did its thing. Returning two weekends later for a Whakapapa Ski weekend (and the second Family Trampers weekend) the sour smell of sulphur was in the air and clouds hung dark and foreboding over Tongariro and Ngaruhoe. It's quite special to think that we were one of the last people to cross Tongariro for probably quite some time.
If you have done the snowcraft course and know what to do with crampons and ice axe, The Crossing in Winter is definitely a trip to do. You're still on a well formed track so even with more snow and ice, it should be pretty good going, the scoria descent possibly the only tricky bit. Definitely a good side trip if you are on the mountain but want a break from Whakapapa.
And the future of WANG? Well, it has its detractors, with their "hypothermia waiting to happen" this and "sunburn in terribly sensitive places" that. Any innovation always has haters. So if you have been seeking clothes-optional trips above the snowline, you now need look no further...
Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/girl_geek/sets/72157630834565798/
https://picasaweb.google.com/108814469832492095035/Snow2012?authkey=Gv1sRgCJbegK6AoYXUowE
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Thursday with packing
Hi,
What a gorgeous morning in Wellington - the sort to make you all want to live here. We've packed and we're off skiing for the weekend. Mike is walking the Tongariro Alpine crossing.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Angela
What a gorgeous morning in Wellington - the sort to make you all want to live here. We've packed and we're off skiing for the weekend. Mike is walking the Tongariro Alpine crossing.
Have a great weekend.
Love,
Angela
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The Wednesday with... nothing
Hi,
I rode home after a hard day and found that Toby said he wasn't going to karate anymore. Mike and Toby had discussed it previously and Toby was keen to continue if Jack started in his class. But Jack has apparently decided to quit karate altogether. So now our Wednesday are "nothing" as well. Really, this leaves us with me and Toby on Tuesdays with "something" and me with something on every month on a Thursday. I'll have no excuse for collapsing into bed when I have no running around to speak of.
Mike popped home after his busy day and took his mother home and then rushed to tramping club to pick up crampons for his walk this weekend. He is doing the Tongariro Crossing with Josh, Yingjie and Ilske. I am most likely taking two boys (Toby and Alex) to hot pools or something as the promised skiff of snow doesn't seem to have eventuated and they really need 3m of it. Not 10cm.
Busy at another client today and tomorrow. Fingers crossed that goes well.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
I rode home after a hard day and found that Toby said he wasn't going to karate anymore. Mike and Toby had discussed it previously and Toby was keen to continue if Jack started in his class. But Jack has apparently decided to quit karate altogether. So now our Wednesday are "nothing" as well. Really, this leaves us with me and Toby on Tuesdays with "something" and me with something on every month on a Thursday. I'll have no excuse for collapsing into bed when I have no running around to speak of.
Mike popped home after his busy day and took his mother home and then rushed to tramping club to pick up crampons for his walk this weekend. He is doing the Tongariro Crossing with Josh, Yingjie and Ilske. I am most likely taking two boys (Toby and Alex) to hot pools or something as the promised skiff of snow doesn't seem to have eventuated and they really need 3m of it. Not 10cm.
Busy at another client today and tomorrow. Fingers crossed that goes well.
Have a great day!
Love,
Angela
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Tuesday with Cubs
Hi,
First day back at Cubs and I have to say, Baloo (other Cub leader) and I were a little over the boisterousness of 23 kids. But it was a good evening - after I got the speakers to work on our stereo and the Cubs could watch Man v Wild. They also loved trying to light a fire with the flint. No one got that to work - even the adults.
Today is very wet here - but I took the bus in. Work had lent us a projector for the Cubs evening so I had to bus home with it last night. Hence the bus in this morning. But I will ride home this evening after depositing the projector back at work.
Karate night tonight. And tramping club for Mike - he needs to get crampons for his winter crossing of Tongariro this weekend with Josh and Yingjie.
Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Angela
First day back at Cubs and I have to say, Baloo (other Cub leader) and I were a little over the boisterousness of 23 kids. But it was a good evening - after I got the speakers to work on our stereo and the Cubs could watch Man v Wild. They also loved trying to light a fire with the flint. No one got that to work - even the adults.
Today is very wet here - but I took the bus in. Work had lent us a projector for the Cubs evening so I had to bus home with it last night. Hence the bus in this morning. But I will ride home this evening after depositing the projector back at work.
Karate night tonight. And tramping club for Mike - he needs to get crampons for his winter crossing of Tongariro this weekend with Josh and Yingjie.
Have a wonderful day.
Love,
Angela
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
The Monday with nothing
Hi,
Mike and I rode home yesterday and relieved Kevin of his duties. I think the boys were happy to see him again after their three weeks hols. Toby is in a bit of trouble because he left his sports bag on the bus on the Friday of the last day of term and we only found out on Sunday night. He has no white shirt, no tie, no school shoes, no sports bag, no track pants. He is going to school half dressed! We have given him strict instructions to ask the bus driver and try and retrieve his gear.
Cubs night tonight. Should be fun! We're having a Bear Grylls night and I intend to get all the Cubs to try and use a flint to start a fire! That should be a huge success! Fire and Cubs. What more can they want?
The roads were damp coming in this morning but no rain at all. It was quite pleasant really.
Have a marvellous day!
Love,
Angela
Mike and I rode home yesterday and relieved Kevin of his duties. I think the boys were happy to see him again after their three weeks hols. Toby is in a bit of trouble because he left his sports bag on the bus on the Friday of the last day of term and we only found out on Sunday night. He has no white shirt, no tie, no school shoes, no sports bag, no track pants. He is going to school half dressed! We have given him strict instructions to ask the bus driver and try and retrieve his gear.
Cubs night tonight. Should be fun! We're having a Bear Grylls night and I intend to get all the Cubs to try and use a flint to start a fire! That should be a huge success! Fire and Cubs. What more can they want?
The roads were damp coming in this morning but no rain at all. It was quite pleasant really.
Have a marvellous day!
Love,
Angela
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