Hanne

8 September 2009

Mountains, road trip, skiing, hot pools and a twenty-first… Last weekend heralded my first Saturday back in NZ, and I think it may have convinced me that coming back to the end of winter was not such a bad thing after all. After half a week back home in which I slept, played soccer and joined the gym I was ready for more adventure. Simply sitting still just wouldn’t do. Luckily a friend of mine had organized a trip to the snow for her twenty first. Next challenge? Learn to ski.

I was still in tourist mode as we road-tripped down to Ruapehu and that was probably the best way to be because I found myself looking at the land through different eyes. Through eyes shaped like giant ‘O’s, to be exact. Suddenly I understood why all the Germans I had met on my travels raved so much about the landscape. Suddenly the Air New Zealand/ Lord of the Rings ‘Set too big to fit in a studio’ posters started making sense. Waking up to a view of paddocks and sheep and a mountain crowned with snow, things really did ‘glisten like a pearl/ at the bottom of the world’. That is the view I will facebook to the Scandinavians when announcing ‘I am home’.

But enough sentimental panoramas for the moment. After almost running my camera battery empty on arty landscape shots we actually headed for the ski fields. Waiting in line to buy a ski pass almost felt like being back in Berlin, there were such a mix of languages going on. So right from the start I was feeling quite at home, what with the English guy who fitted us our skis and the Hungarian? (I forgot to ask for sure) ski instructor. Actually we managed to miss the first class which was on the hour so decided to have a play around for a bit. This play around resulted in one twisted ankle, two more missed classes (we were only 3 minutes late!) and me making the discovery that it is really fun to go quickly but quite useful if you know how to stop first. ><. Yes, snow is wet and cold and it really does help if you have done up your jacket before commencing down the slope…

Just like with motorcycling, gear is quite important when it comes to the snow. But no one ever told me that wearing ski boots was like wearing high heels. Who would have thought that going out on the town could be written off as muscle training for the ski season? Not Stephen, apparently. His calves seemed to take it quite hard. Perhaps this means he will be a little more understanding next time he traipses us up and down Queen Street looking for those elusive jägerbomb specials?

After lunch we finally managed to make it to the meeting area on time for a class. When the rescue helicopter arrived the instructor casually went off on a bit of a tangent about the concussions and broken bones suffered the day before and how one kid fell out of the chairlift (Miranda seemed rather nervous after this news and insisted we close the bar on the way up… she was not keen to test her flying abilities just yet it would seem!). Then we learnt how to drive like a snake and played follow the leader. Yay for fun games! There is no way any of us could have looked a cute as the two little kids with tiger ears and tails stuck to their helmet who were learning to ski in the kiddie class, but as were twice as big as them we had twice as much capacity to enjoy the experience. (And if anyone knows where you can get suction animal ears, do let me know…. I reckon they have the potential to become the next big motorcycling accessory.) (Rawr.)

Then it was time for the big hill. Well, it was big in comparison to Happy Valley! It was nearly the end of the day and I was determined to make the most of my ‘lower mountain pass’. Riding up the chairlift we seemed to just keep going… and going… and going. As we started off there was a moment of crap, what have I got myself into, and then it was a case of ‘whoooosh, hold on for dear life!’. Before I had any time to dwell on anything else we were at the bottom, shooting past the ambulance and grinning ear to ear. Perhaps Winter is not so terrible after all….

The next day, spent recovering in the hot pools after a crazy night of glow worms doing battle with moose and 80s Karaoke, served to reinforce this view. There is possibly nothing better than to marinate yourself in heat as the stars come out above and your breath turns to dragon smoke on the cool night air. These hot pools were significantly different to the last ones I was in whilst in Budapest. Perhaps the outside air temperature (30 degrees versus around 10) had something to do with the altered ambience, but by the time we hopped out and were driving home I was pretty darn impressed with my country.

So, this was adventure number one on home soil. I have never been one for sitting still and watching the world pass by, so I dare say there will be more to come in the near future. But switching on my tourist feelers and visiting the snow was a bloody good start!