Motelling with Fred

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Motelling with Fred Dennis Gazley As we tried to head South, in late The next two days were perfect and July, the Picton ferries were sailwe had enjoyable skiing. Still not ing to their usual schedule - on really enough snow; and, because it again, mainly off again. Neil and fell with a wind, the ridges tended Glynis Woodrow finally caught the to be a little boney. The good 2.20 p.m. sailing and Frances and I thing with Coronet Peak is that it the 6.40 p.m.; along with the club has been skied for years with minimal mob that was spending the week at snow cover, so all the rocks are worn Broken River. super smooth and so do little damage to the skis. Saturday dawned fine and clear as we left the motel at Kaikoura and Drove through to Wanaka in the headed evening. down the coast and inland to the Amuri Skifield. Muddy road and Overnight rain put about 7 cm of new snow didn't stop Neil as we followed snow on the top T-bar at Treble Cone him up to the roadend without stopand 20 cm of mud on the access road. ping to put chains on. I thought the road was bad four years ago - it still hasn't improved. The The weather had now deteriorated first vehicles up each morning are a and they were unable to run the poma couple of trucks which dump 10-15 cm due to the strong wind. Neil and I diameter stones on the mud. Chains bought tow tickets and headed off are fitted to the cars at the tollwhilst the ladies sat around and gate and it's all go. (Great on read. these low Japanese cars). It was most unpleasant riding up the However, the skiing and views make tow line and not being able to look up for the access road. Had some up because of the lumps of ice being great runs through the new snow on blown down the slope. Since it was the top T-bar. Combine this with the the first day's skiing for the year interesting terrain and superb views we made the most of the runs before and it must rate as one of the best heading off down to the shelter of skifields. Lunch is spent sitting in the valley for a late lunch. the snow beside the carpark looking out over Lake Wanaka and up the Back to Hanmer Springs and to our Matukituki Valley towards Mt. Aspiring. accommodation. In its day this large, two-storey concrete structure The following morning the road had would have been quite a place - dried out somewhat and we spent however it is now somewhat rundown. another great day with good snow and It specialises in menus with more minimal tow queues. spelling mistakes than this write-up would have had, before it was typed; Plenty of photo stops on the way to and serving meals with super soggy Ohau Lodge meant we didn't arrive lettuce. The evening's entertainment until well after dark. The Lodge consists of a piano player and his provides dinner, bed and breakfast twenty drunken mates. The problem at a reasonable cost and standard. is that the din carries through the threadbare carpets and rat holes and There was a frost overnight and echoes round the corridors = which chains were fitted at the Lodge, makes sleeping very difficult; at before setting off up the good access least until one o'clock when they road to the Ohau Skifield. The T-bar decide to call it a night. is set on the shady side of the basin and it, and the tow queue get little Left early the following morning sun. The T-bar was not running to and drove to Queenstown. In previous capacity and so the waits in the years we have arrived just as a queue became long and cold. nor'wester had washed the snow away. We were lucky this time, as it was The snow was icy in the morning and snowing. many of the ridges were rocky, which meant following fairly narrow trails in the top of the basin. Still snowing Monday morning as we we didn't have a memorable Although headed off to Coronet Peak. Memories skiing it would be a great day's field in of Ruapehu came flooding back with the right conditions. views of skiers huddling up against the wind and the wet chairs disap- Back to the Lodge for another night. pearing into the mist. After some Overcast and windy the following "should we or shouldn't we's", morning_and SO we decided to give the commonsense prevailed and we headed field a miss. After a leisurely back to town to play tourists. breakfast and pack we headed off to the Hermitage. A pleasant afternoon ing out against the blue sky and the was spent with walks up to Red Lakes whole scene being reflected in the and the Hooker Valley. Bookings for lake. the Tasman Glacier Skiing were heavy and we couldn't go for two days. Arrived at Methven in time for chicken and chips and settled into Peter Clark arrived from the week the most expensive motel of the trip. at Broken River bringing with him It was beautifully fine and frosty his own personal vocabulary containthe next morning as we all piled ing such words as "scurrilous". At into Neil's car and headed off to the end of the week he even had Mt. Hutt. No need for chains and Glynis muttering it. wizzed straight through to the carpark. A beautiful morning as we headed off up the Tasman Valley for a couple of The snow - if you could call it walks and a look around which includthat - was super ice. Would have ed a little ice skating on one of the put Mt. Ruapehu to shame. Super Blue Lakes. Back to the motel for a solid. The only redeeming feature leisurely lunch and then walks up to was the 1 cm of new snow on top. Kea Point with Neil and Glynis Good skiing as long as the icy attempting Sealy Tarns. Plenty of parts were missed. However these snow on the ground and subs tantial tended to get longer as the day avalanche debris across the track progressed. made the walking difficult. The weather started to deteriorate in the The men sorted out a run to the evening and the likelihood of a fine bottom of the triple chair, this, day on the glacier tomorrow looked although steep didn't have too doubtful. (Decided to rough it for much ice showing. the evening meal and dined out at the Hermitage in jeans). After lunch we headed off with the ladies to take them on the run. Past Sleep was shattered at about 11 the signs that read "Ice" and "Expero'clock by the fire alarms. Amazing ienced skiers only" and out on to the sort of clothes people put on the slope below the "Towers", and when they have to head out in the above the bottom terminal of the cold night in a hurry. All for a chair. Well, either the icy patches false alarm too. had got bigger or the snow patches smaller but it wasn't too good. The As we had feared, we were awakened ladies did shaky kickturns and gingto rain and strong winds. No use erly headed back to the T-bar runs. hanging around here anymore, so we We finished off the run but it was made our way to Tekapo and settled almost impossible to keep an edge into our motorcamp cabin. (Not the on the ice. usual standard of accommodation we had become used to; but more than Back to Methven for another pleasant adequate!). A drive to Lake Alexanevening of sitting around the potdrina and a walk filled in the afterbelly, eating and playing lie dice. noon for some, whilst others prefer- It damn-well had to be pleasant at red to kip. that price. It was a long drive around the side Overcast and breezy as we headed back of Lake Tekapo and up to the Tekapo to 'The Ice in the Sky'. Arrived at Skifield. The weather was perfect the field to be greeted by fading with only some light cloud hanging light, a stiff breeze and considerover the lake. A light dusting of ably larger patches of ice. Sat new snow over a firm base made for around the carpark for a while and a really enjoyable day's skiing. then in the cafe with about half Just the place for 360's and royal the rest of the field who couldn't christies. decide whether to ski or not. After tea, coffee and an apple turnover It was about a ten minute ride up in or two, the weather hadn't improved the double chair. Peter decided so we decided to give it a miss. that this would be a good opportun- Headed back down to have lunch in ity to do some auxiliary kipping. the Kirwee Cemetery and then into Getting a chair on his own he would Christchurch where we headed off in lie across the seat with his head on different directions to visit the armrest on one side and his feet aunties, sisters, etc. hanging over the other armrest. Great scheme as long as you aren't spotted Broken River is certainly the place, by the lift operators. if you want to ski hard all day, at the least possible cost. However, Lake Tekapo was mirror smooth as we there is definitely something to be headed back around its shore. Beautsaid for skiing different fields, iful views, with the mountains standand we thoroughly enjoyed our trip.