Wednesday 7th March
At home
Having talked about it all season, Jen and I finally got round to visiting another resort. Given that it’s part of Intrawest and we can ride for free, we decided to head to Copper Mountain. The sun was shining, snow was great and Jen was riding really well. Had a fab time, exploring new terrain – planning on hitting Loveland next week!
23rd January 2007, 18.53
Meadowridge, Fraser – home, sweet home
Finally, I’ve got round to an update! Anyways, life’s beginning to take shape for us here now after quite a tumultuous month. Things have been quite tough on both of us; work for Jen hasn’t been great and she’s not as into the snow lifestyle as I am. It’s been made harder by the contrast with how much I’m enjoying myself and how well work has been going for me. It’s been even tougher cos we’ve been trying to adjust to being in a new country and moving into a new place, plus the lack of phone and internet access means we’ve been a little cut off!
But things are much better now, Jen’s been making the most of being here and getting out there more. She’s been enjoying skiing much more (snowboarding is on hold for the moment!) and has been shadowing kids skiing lessons. Plus now we’ve got internet and a PO Box, so contact with other people is much easier. Ronnie came out over New Year and I think that helped Jen get a bit of perspective on things and appreciate life here for what it is. It’s still tough for her, but things are getting better!
Anyways, now we’ve both got two days off a week (Tue and Wed) – most mornings I have clinics at 8am. For me, morning line-up is at 9.30 (when we find out if we’ve got work or not) – I’m teaching adults so work is either at Sorensen Park (total beginners), Plaza (upper level lessons) or Burton Learn to Ride (4.5 hour all day lessons for total beginners). I usually finish my morning lesson at 12 and then have to be back at afternoon line-up at 12.30 – but by the time I get down from the mountain, I’m normally left with about 15 mins for lunch, so it’s a little rushed!
Sometimes I get privates (I had quite a lot over the holidays) – it’s less pay, but generally better tips and you get to give more personal attention. But overall, LTRs are my favourite as you get to spend all day with the same people and can take more time to develop skills.
Work has been really quiet after the Xmas rush – so I’ve been learning to ski and to instruct skiing. Got myself a brand new pair of Salomon Foil freestyle skis for a great price and have been loving it! Other than that, I’ve been working on my riding – riding a lot of park and had a few clinics on the halfpipe and bumps. We’ve got some great trainers here, including Chris Hargrave who wrote the AASI book on freestyle. After a clinic with him, I’ve learnt to frontside lipslide on boxes and actually enjoy riding rails now!
The snow here is out of this world – we had a huge storm before Christmas and had about 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. Cos it’s so dry here, the snow is really light and powdery – perfect for riding! The only problem is that I have to dig my car out of snow from time to time and driving can be a little sketchy at times. It’s also bloody cold here – the last few days have been around -38 Farenheit. But things are warming up now and blue sky has returned!
So, life is going well here – I’ve got a car now (a 1991 Subaru Legacy), which makes it easier to get out of resort and visit Denver or Boulder. In fact, we’re heading to Boulder tomorrow (over the Berthoud Pass, which people seem to think is scary, but they obviously haven’t been on NZ roads!).
Sunday 10th December, 2006
The McKellar household, near Boulder, Colorado!
Wow. I’ve arrived, and in entertaining fashion! I’ve had the most amazing and fun day ever today, somehow the universe has conspired to get me here and I’m very grateful for it.
So, I rocked up at the airport nice and early, asked to get on a standby flight and was told that I needed 17 no-shows if I was to stand a chance. Determined not to despair, I smiled politely and wandered off muttering “I will get on this flight, I will get on this flight”.
At check-in, my snowboard bag was way overweight and they said I couldn’t take it on the plane. After much pleading and patience, a lovely lady called Yvonne eventually let me repack another bag and pay an excess fee. Problem was, I didn’t have another bag, so off I ran to buy a new one.
Anyways, I had to wait around for an hour to find out if I could get a seat. Somehow, I got the last seat on the flight and went racing off to pay my departure fee and clear security. It took forever cos you get checked 3 times and the whole way I was checking my watch. So as I cleared security (having had my lip balm confiscated!) there were only a few minutes left, so I raced to an internet machine, emailed Jen to let her know and booked myself on a flight from LA to Denver – the same one as Jen! I got to the gate and fortunately, the flight was delayed, which meant I could get on it. I have never been so happy to be on a plane!
The flight was late coming into LA, which meant that I had an hour to get my next flight – so I raced round the airport and was first in line at immigration (never had that before!), only to have to wait an hour for my bags! So I missed the flight by about a minute. Damn.
But Qantas rebooked me on the next flight for free and waived the excess baggage fee for me – they even gave me $15 to buy food with (I’ll still never fly with them again!). So, Jen had no idea I was coming and neither did Ann and Gordon (Amy’s parents – who were picking Jen up). I had no idea what I was going to do in Denver and I couldn’t get hold of Ann or Gordon. So I rang my mum and asked her to email Jen to let her know and then jumped on the flight.
Hanging around meant that I met a few snow bum types and got chatting with Andy – a kiwi originally, but is now a permanent resident in Vail of all places. We ended up on the same flight and sat next to each other, gassing all the way. I was talking about what I was going to do when I arrived and he said “No worries! My friend Allie’s picking me up, she’ll drop you in Boulder on the way” – the kindness of strangers never ceases to impress!
In the end it all worked out, cos Allie let me call and I managed to get hold of Gordon. Allie dropped me at a gas station, where Gordon was waiting with Jen!
So there we are – am now safely here, with all my bags and my hair intact, in a lovely house in Colorado! The sun has set on our time in New Zealand, but winter has only just begun in the States!
6th December 2006
34 Cassino Street, Bayswater, Auckland
Hurrah! It’s been a hectic few days, but we’ve now got out passports in hand with visas (and dodgy photos). So, we’ve been staying with Jo and Kevin (Twiggins – newly married, ah!) who are friends of Mez’s and we’ve been visiting Jo’s parents, Andre and Catherine who’ve let us use their internet and address for a few days. Their hospitality has been amazing – they’ve welcomed us with open arms despite the fact they don’t know us at all!
My interview was on Monday, but Jen was going to spend the day trying to see if someone had cancelled so she could take their place and managed to get one on Tuesday after the first phonecall. The ‘interview’ was ridiculous – after being manhandled through security, we were presented with a room closely resembling a post office. A diminutive Indian lady took my papers and checked them, then asked me to sit down and wait… 45 thumb-twiddling minutes later (they’d taken away my phone, MP3 player and any form of entertainment), I was called to a desk by a serious American voice, who simply asked me two questions – where was I going and why was I here? That was it – what a waste of time! But anyways, it’s all sorted, sigh of relief – we’re going to Snowplanet tomorrow to get some practice in.
30th November 2006, 2.58
The Mousetrap, Paihia
Well, given the political situation (see the FCO travel advice), the visa delay may have been a blessing in disguise!
Anyways, it’s raining here now, big heavy monsoony type rain, so I thought I’d let you know what we’ve been up to. Well, yesterday, we borrowed some bikes and cycled to Waitangi, where the treaty of Waitangi was signed – it basically created New Zealand as a country and thanks to some hasty interpretation, has been a source of dispute between Maori and Pakeha ever since. Fascinating subject and one of the few incidences where the UK decided to intervene to ensure that indigenous people got a fair deal.
Too stingy to pay the $12 entry fee for the treaty house, we walked to Haruru Falls instead – not a particularly spectacular set of falls, but a really varied and interesting walk. It’s about 5km from Waitangi to Haruru, the walk starts in native bushland, complete with kiwis and huge ferns. Then it drops down and hits one of the few patches of mangrove in New Zealand, we timed it just right and reached the mangrove at low tide, so we could hear snapping shrimp – it was incredible, a constant popping noise throughout the forest. Then it heads back up and we passed two trees full of nesting cormorants – fascinating seabirds that nest on land (they’re actually the symbol of the Joint Services Command and Staff College as they encapsulate the natural environment of all 3 armed services).
Then on the way back, as we left the mangrove and crossed a footbridge, there were hundreds of baby fish in the water (not sure what species though) – as we stood watching them leap out of the water and float in and out of view, a jellyfish came blobbing along gracefully through the water and right under our feet – it was amazing!
So that was that – so this morning, I’ve knitted myself a little case for my MP3 player and baked some bread.
30th November 2006
Mousetrap
Finally, the news we’ve been waiting for – the I797 final approvals have come through for snowboard instructors and I can book an interview in Auckland! Hurrah! We’re just waiting on Jen’s one now, but fingers crossed they’ll be through soon. Such a relief!
21st November 2006, 11.32am
The Mousetrap Hostel, Paihia
It’s been a while since the last update, but we had a lovely few days in Raglan, staying with Nicky (and an enormously fat but lovable cat). We ended up staying longer than planned, but it was just what we needed – time to stop and relax and enjoy life. Nicky was housesitting at a lovely place overlooking Whale Bay – apparently a top surfing spot.
Recharged, we headed south to Waitomo to visit the famous glowworm caves. On Ronnie’s recommendation (ta Ronster!) we went with a small company called Rap, Raft n Rock. Simon, the owner, was our guide and we rappelled into the cave (about 27m!), then went blackwater rafting (on a rubber tubes) through all the glowworms before rock climbing our way out.
So now, we’ve headed north again and after a brief stop in Auckland, have landed in the Bay of Islands. Had a beautiful sailing trip around with Mike and the Gungha II (the boat that Peter Blake circumnavigated the globe with!) and now we’re waiting for the US Government to decide whether or not we’re terrorists, which could be anytime between now and December.
Unfortunately that means that our trip to Fiji isn’t happening anymore, which is a bit of bummer. But, mustn’t grumble – we’re at The Moustrap (how ironic), a lovely hostel run by Jake and Nikki and seemingly overrun with Germans! It’s a really homely place (must get some photos up) as is evident by the amount of long-stayers here. Paihia is the main town in the Bay of Islands and is very tranquil, with beautiful scenery all around. And here we’ll wait.
7th November, 11.01am
Cosy Cottages Holiday Park, Rotorua
Ah, the stench of sulphur – now that’s the New Zealand I remember! We’re just a few miles away from Tokoroa where Dad worked for a while and we all came out to visit.
On the drive up from Taupo, we stopped off at Butcher’s Pool, a tiny little locals geothermal spa pool that’s just south of Reparoa. It was brilliant, really quiet and no tourists for a change! Enjoyed a long soak and chatting to a few locals, and what’s best is that it was totally free!
Went off to Wai-O-Tapu thermal park yesterday and nearly passed out at the stench! Pretty spectacular though – I’d been to another volcanic area when we were here, but I don’t remember it being as colourful as Wai-O-Tapu. We’re in a cosy holiday park with natural geothermal pools and a hangi – basically a steam cooker powered by natual steam. So I bought us some lamb and popped it in the hangi with potatoes, garlic and veg – about 5 hours later, it was ready and the meat just fell off the bone – yum! Gonna try something else tonight methinks.
Next stop is Raglan to see Nicky – we’ve landed on our feet there, cos her friend’s place needs housesitting for a couple of nights – it’s only a $1,000,000 property!! All we have to do is look after the dogs. Result!
5th November 2006, 00.50am
Kitchen of De Bretts Holiday Park, Taupo
Don’t ask why I’m in the kitchen at well past midnight, I just am! Anyways, we’ve been in North Island for a few days now and have had some mixed experiences.
The Interisland ferry was nice, the crossing was real calm and the ferry was well equipped, even if we nearly ended up getting trapped on board – as we came into Wellington, the car in front of us still had no driver! But a bit of crafty maneouvering and we were away.
We didn’t get on with Wellington – aside from staying in a manky hostel that had pubic hair in the bed (!), it was just big, dirty and noisy. I guess if we’d stayed for longer we’d have gotten to appreciate it more, but we wanted to head off as soon as possible and get out to the country.
Next up was Hawke’s Bay originally to see Nicky, but she’s staying in Raglan for a bit longer, so instead we stayed at her uncle Tim’s farm near Waipawa. It was absolutely lovely and Tim has very welcoming to both of us – we had a great time, Tim’s a really interesting guy and good fun (thanks again Tim!).
In the morning, we had a bit of a wander around the farm – Jen got scared by some cows that mooed at her in what she deemed to be an aggressive manner! Then we headed to Havelock North for a spot of wine tasting – after the delights of Blenheim, we had high expectations, but were sadly disappointed by the wines on offer – the Chardonnays were nice, but the rest were mediocre. Nevertheless, we made up for it by finding a great cheese tasting place and a honey tasting place!
So now we’re in Lake Taupo (well, obviously not in it – electricity and water are not good friends), we went for a walk to Huka Falls today – there’s a great little hot water spring that you can sit in on and it’s totally free – although I couldn’t convince Jen to try it! We’ll have a bit more of a look around tomorrow, then we’re stopping at Rotorua for a bit before heading to Raglan to see Nicky – joyful days!
2nd Novembe 2006, 11.56am
Internet Cafe in Windy Wellington
Felt compelled to blog this. So we stayed at a lovely hostel in Picton called Sequoia, camping in their car park for a mere $14. Anyway, the next morning, we were packing up to go and a guy comes over and asks when I’m selling Doris. So we had a chat and swapped numbers so I can call him when we’re in Auckland.
Being the inquisitive type, I asked about what he did and what he’s up to – turns out he has cancer and only a matter of a few months to live. He’s just finished doing up a BMW for his mate’s 9 year old daughter and is just buzzing around New Zealand doing a few things he hadn’t got round to. So we hung out in the sun and chatted for a bit, he even offered us the use of his boat in the Bay of Islands.
Jay was inspiring, saddening, generous and funny and I’m sure there’s some profound meaning and message in all of this, but I’ll leave that to you – all I know is that I’m glad I met him.