Girls just Wana’ka have fun

In the height of winter, Queenstown is split by two extremes. By day it’s a fairytale town with towering pines that stretch towards the heavens near snowcapped mountains, where bold suns rise and fall painting the skies with violent reds and soft pink hues. At night it becomes a crazy party town where adrenalin fuelled mountain go-ers vent their energy by scurrying around like rabbits between a warren of bars.

OK, it’s exciting, but there are only so many times you can dance on tables in Winnies, croon out Karaoke at the Pig and Whistle and wake up with a Fergburger stuck to your face (non of which I’ve done of course!).

With this in mind, the girls and I loaded up Lily (my little Toyota) and headed to Wanaka for a weekend of fun. This small chilled out town is a relaxing retreat from the mayhem and madness of QT and is of course the gateway to the infamous Cardrona mountain.

We sang our girly hearts out for the whole scenic drive which took just over an hour and arrived at the YHA hostel in good spirits. YHA Wanaka has a lovely homely feel and offering as many blankets and heaters as desired, it’s a gorgeous, cozy place in the mid-winter.

From the bottom of Cardrona we hitched a ride with some young Aussies who were drinking beer for breakfast. When we pulled up at the top I was not disappointed. Smooth white contours curved all around me and beckoned me to slide down them. Although the day was overcast, the views were still stunning and after a quick coffee at Base café I was more than ready to roll…And that’s mostly what I did!

Having already wangled a few free lessons prior to my trip, I headed to the top of the ‘big’ beginners area (the reason I LOVE this place), strapped on my board and flung myself down slope with huge confidence.

Trying to get my face out of the snow a few metres down the hill wasn’t easy with all the pro-beginners zooming past. After a five minute battle with my bearings and looking somewhat like a snow monster, I peeled both myself and my pride off the floor and was successful in completing a somewhat slower, shakier run.

After this it was nothing but fun! My ‘beginner friend’ and I had a lovely day sliding about and apart from one incident in which I ploughed into the Magic Carpet and almost dislocated my knee (a warning that showing off DOES NOT pay), my speed and balance began to improve no end.

Falling over uses a great deal of energy, so in between breaking your bones it’s a good idea to make use of the big selection of cafes and restaurants including Base Café, Captains Pizzeria, and Juice & Java bar to name some of my favourites.

At the end of the day, having completely fallen in love with both snowboarding and Cardrona, I came to the conclusion that if I was serious about this ‘sliding on snow’ then a few lessons were a must. Before leaving, I booked an ‘achievement pack’ for the following week with a view to saving my coccyx and keeping my pride.

Feeling exhilarated, we hitched back down and headed to the hostel where we cooked up a feast and drank cheap bubbly. We headed out that night to the locals jam night where I jumped up on stage and played guitar – a refreshing change to dancing on tables and crooning out Karaoke (which of course I’ve never done!). The perfect end to the perfect weekend!

Beginner lessons at Cardrona range from $85 to $245 depending on the amount of days and amount of lessons taken. If you don’t have your own transport, Serious Fun and Kiwi Discovery have excellent packages, which include transport from Queenstown, lessons, lift pass and gear hire from $129 to $179. All of the above can be organized through your friendly staff at the Queenstown YHAs, as can accommodation at the YHA Wanaka!

For more details about prices, check out www.cardrona.com.

Skippers Canyon Jet

It’s that magical time of year again when frosty flakes fall from the sky and Queenstown’s surrounding mountains become playgrounds of fun for the young-hearted. But for those of us who don’t really fancy strapping on the skis, there is one place that is definitely worth a visit: Skippers Canyon.

In 1862, thousands of prospectors were lured to the Canyon when gold was discovered and so was created the small town-ship of Skippers. 20 years of precarious digging followed. Suffering harsh winters and enough injuries to surpass a small war the population decreased with the gold findings and nowadays only several people reside there permanently. Winky Hohneck is one of five generations of family who remains there and is the owner of the Skippers Canyon Jet Company.

The trip I took started from the centre of town where a friend and I were picked up in a huge 4WD truck that would perhaps be the preferred vehicle of the Terminator. A short time later, we were chugging up towards Coronet Peak watching herds of colourful bobbled beanies racing down the mountain in the distance. Then, about half way up we took a left turn and so began our journey.

Descending into the bowels of the Canyon is not for the faint hearted. Its 22km of unfenced road is accompanied by sheer drops into stony valleys. Our small party of seven was somewhat relieved when our driver disappeared under the vehicle and fitted an almighty set of snow-chains. On we continued, our wheels clinging tightly to snowy tracks.

Barely receiving any sun, this other world retains a cold mysterious beauty where half frozen waterfalls cascade over rocks, huge icicles hang from grass and permafrost ensures this fairytale-like place stays white almost year round. When we stepped out of the vehicle to take photos, I was sure I could hear the roar of Aslan in the distance and the trotting of Mr Tumnus’s feet passing by.

So with dripping icicles in mind and with the sudden need to visit the toilet, we then found ourselves at the Skippers Canyon jet. Standing on the banks, as the icy waters gushed by, I began to regret the extra cup of tea I’d downed that morning and instead busied myself by piling on the layers of warm clothes that were provided for us.

Soon we were whizzing down the Shotover River, spinning and bumping about, our lips sticking to our teeth as we tried to laugh in the minus temperatures. Each time a spray of cold water hit my face I cursed my extra beverage and held on for dear life in every way. In spite of this, it was hard to not be awed by the stunning scenery which put me in mind of wintry scenes on old fashioned Christmas cards. For Lord of the Rings fans, it was here that Arwen (Liv Tyler) defeated the baddies on her white horse when the powerful river engulfed them.

After a short drive and a well appreciated toilet break, we then visited the old pipeline bungy bridge. With the sound of knocking knees, we watched as our guide hurled a huge rock into the water below and try to imagine following behind with springy rope attached to our ankles.

For the last part of the trip, we headed to Winky’s museum which is full of remnants that were dug up from the mining era including a skeletal foot stuck in a shoe and a rusty set of ball and chains that was used by the local police. If it were not for the -8 degree temperatures that had greeted the Canyon that morning and frozen the troughs, a bit of gold panning would have been next on the list. As it was, we were more than happy to simply hold on to our hot cups of coffee and chomp on our freshly made cookies as our guide gave us a commentary about the gold mining era.

The Skippers Canyon 4WD tour is excellent value for money and highly recommended. All guides are professional, informative and above all friendly. This trip has everything: stunning scenery, adventure, history and is suitable for both families and independent travelers. Wrap up warm for a winter trip!

For more information, check out their website on http://www.skipperscanyon.co.nz/

Royale with Cheese

Kayaking in the Abel Tasman had always been a dream of mine so when Kaiteriteri Kayaks offered me a free trip I jumped at the chance. I had visions of gliding across a calm ocean whilst happy dolphins swam by my side as I basked in a warm autumn sun. Oh, how naive I was!

“I’ve booked you onto the Royale with Cheese” announced Sean, the manager of YHA Nelson the previous morning.

The Royale with Cheese, as it turned out, was a full day’s Kayaking trip from Marahau to Bark Bay. Admittedly, the words ‘full day’ had me a little worried until I met Raewyn. Raewyn was almost twice my age and would be in my group. If she can do this then surely I’ll have no problems, I confidently thought to myself. As we sat together and chatted about the fact that I had weedy arms and she talked about the arthritis in both of her hands we looked around for our hunky tandem partner whom we would sneakily let do all of the paddling.

“Raewyn and Sue” said Josh, the over-exuberant, smiley guide. “You two can partner up”. There was no hiding the dismay in both of our faces.

After a fun safety session, which involved waving our hands in the air and pretending to drown on gravel, we set off from Marahau beach into a relatively calm sea towards Adele Island. Josh was a well informed guide and provided us with stories and the history of the outlying Islands. To our delight, we got to see plenty of seals and their cute little pups and I got very over-excited when I saw a large brown thing bobbing in the distant water.
“What’s that Josh?” I cried out, pointing into the distance thinking I’d spotted a whale. “Oh that big brown thing?” he replied patiently. “That’s a piece of wood”.

An hour and half into the trip, I sheepishly asked my partner “Are your arms hurting yet?”
“No, they’re fine” she replied “Why? Are yours?”
“No, I’m fine” I lied, each paddle sending a burning sensation through my muscles.

Then without warning, we caught up to the huge dark clouds that had been looming in the distance. As the raindrops started to soak through my clothes, the cold began to set it. I started to yearn for my thermal – which was in a dry bag in the middle of the Kayak and my only dry item for when I reached the shore. I didn’t dare touch it!

So as I sat there shivering, my energy and spirit draining with every bumpy wave, Josh turned around and with an enthusiastic smile announced, “Ok guys! Brace yourselves for the mad mile”. The aptly named mad mile is a stretch of rough sea that requires a good deal of concentration and quite a bit more strength than my spaghetti arms had. At the end of it though, we were rewarded with a break on a beach and a hearty lunch.

After our break, we headed off to a tranquil lagoon with clear waters and colorful jelly-fish. We then set out towards another Island where we got up close to some more seals and their pups. The May rain still poured down but I gritted my teeth and soldiered on, trying to appreciate the whole experience.

When we finally ended our trip at beautiful Bark Bay, although my arms hung limply at my sides and my teeth chattered with cold, I was strangely exhilarated. As soon as I was in my warm yellow beanie and my bright orange thermal (provided by the guides) I could finally appreciate my huge achievement: A 17km kayak across a stunning coastline.

Kaiteriteri Kayaks is a highly professional and excellent company whose utmost priorities are safety and fun. The key to enjoying an out of season trip is TO BE PREPARED. I wasn’t! Wear warm clothes and take plenty of dry for the end of the trip. There are plenty of alternatives to this trip, including half days and stay-overs. Check out their website: www.seakayak.co.nz