Volcanic Skiing

We made it to the ski slopes last weekend. P drove, which was wonderful. We left Friday night after work and got in just after 8pm, which isn't too bad really. We arrived to a wood cabin with the heater turned on waiting for us to arrive. The man at the rental shop (in the basement of our hotel- how convenient!) was very friendly and had P's bindings remounted by 7am the very next morning. He also had some tips on bringing physics into the teachings of road safety for me.

The room was full of character with the wooden walls and writing on the bunk beds, and the bathrooms were clean and had plenty of hot water. Much better than I was expecting for the price, better than I'd expect for a much higher price actually. I've already booked to return to the Skotel (not the best name, but a great place) for another ski weekend. You can't beat the location either- right on the mountain, 10 minutes from the slopes and in the volcanic hazard safety zone.

Ah yes! Volcanic hazards. I had almost forgotten that Mt Ruapehu is an active volcano, despite that being much of my motivation for buying ski passes- I mean how often does one get to ski down an active volcano? Upon arriving at the Skotel, and again at the slopes, it was impossible to forget. There are signs (like the one above) everywhere, as well is the "WHAT TO DO!!" tips on the poles of the ski lifts for you to read as you're riding up the mountain.

Don't worry though- Mt Ruapehu, and the neighboring Tongariro, are at the lowest level of activity a volcano can be at and still be considered 'active' and there are lots of scientific observations, measurements and precautions in place to give us warning and keep us safe.

Mt Ruapehu

Beautiful day for a ski

It is a bit of a bizarre landscape though. I suppose maybe the ground is warm, so snow doesn't seem to stick around except in the really high altitudes. It was weird to be staying only 10 minutes from the base lift, but have zero snow outside our front door. In fact, there wasn't even any snow in the parking lot. We didn't find snow until we were almost at the lifts! It was a beautiful sight to see from afar though- the snow topped mountains set in the barren moon-like landscape of the volcanic zone.

Downhill skiing- watch out for rocks!

They were making snow when we arrived, but you could still see the big boulders poking through on the sides of the open slopes. It's an interesting mountain to ski- the slopes are defined by the grooming and rocks only, no trees to guide you. So essentially, you have a wide open mountain from which to choose your favorite path down. It was really quite fun, if a bit icy. I actually felt like a real skier and managed to point my tips downhill, most of the time.

Mt Ngauruhoe

That is until I fell. P was just around the corner at the bottom of the slope waiting for me, not more than a hundred yards away but still out of sight. But he says from the way I described the fall that I must've done 6 sommersaults and 3 cart-wheels. It felt like I was falling for a good 20 seconds. I tried to stop myself from sliding down the hill at first, but then I just gave in to the fall and actually quite enjoyed falling down to the bottom of the mini hill. Luckily, I stole away with nothing more than a bruised inner lip. Turns out it was a good thing I didn't break any bones, as the nearest orthopedic surgeon on duty was all the way in Rotorua! (We discovered this at dinner whilst talking to the family next to us, whose 10 year old son had broken a bone and was currently at the hospital in Rotorua with mom.)

Southern Cross

When we got back to our Skotel lodge, we took advantage of being in the middle of nowhere to go out and see the stars. They were made even more vibrant by the nearly new moon. It was a bit chilly and we weren't dressed in our full ski gear, so I didn't last long, but P managed to get in a few good photos.

What a great first day back to skiing, and first day ever of volcanic skiing!!

The Windy City

The coolest little capital in the world

They say you can't beat Wellington on a good day. After our wonderful Wellington weekend, I can agree with this statement. We jetted off to the Windy City, Wellington, capital of New Zealand for the weekend and had beautiful, sunny weather the whole time. It was hard to make the decision to spend Sunday afternoon in Te Papa Museum, but everyone put it at the top of their list of things to see in Wellington so we had to check it out. It was well worth visiting and there was a Sunday farmer's market in the parking lot next door, so we stepped out for a lunch break of corn tacos and a butter chicken wrap from the food stalls.

Cuba Street

We arrived late Friday night, but the streets were still buzzing with people out and about and the Cuba Street night market was alive and well. I was surprised to see signs of the 4th of July- hot dogs sold by Uncle Sam on the street corner and American flags hanging in some of the local bars. We had a snack of 'chimney bread' which was quite yummy and very filling.  Tired from the flight, we wandered on back to the hotel. Although it wasn't terribly cold, we were glad to have a working heater in our room and curled up with dreams of a southern style breakfast from the cafe across the street.

Chicken & Waffles - YUM!

If you look closely at the stop light,
you'll see a clear wind barrier

 Saturday morning I woke up to the sounds of a FIFA World Cup games on TV. Live from Brazil. We set out for a day of exploring the city on foot. It's a very walkable city, complete with wind shelters on the street corners to hold onto and hide behind on really windy days. Apparently it can get pretty bad, but based on the weather we had it's hard to believe.


Wellington has so much culture and fun little pockets. It's quite hilly and on the coast, so it already had a lot of character but the architecture, the people and the art all over the streets adds to it even more. There are pedestrian streets everywhere with parks and playgrounds and fountains in the middle of them. There was something new and fun around every corner.

Just one of many cool lounge/play areas in the middle of the city

City Gallery
hands on exhibit

Old Saint Paul's Church

We stopped in a few museums. The Wellington City Gallery in Civic Square had a really fun and interactive exhibit - you were allowed to touch and move most of the works that were part of that exhibit. It included a giant air-filled bean bag that took some effort to climb but was a relaxing float when you finally made it to the top. I personally liked the exhibit pictured to the left- you could run through these yellow columns and push them around the floor or knock them over (well, at least try to, they just popped back up again).

The Beehive

A tour of NZ Parliament, aka The Beehive, prompted a few questions about the NZ government. I've got some studying (or Google searching) to do now. I need to increase my knowledge a bit, especially with elections coming up this year.

The most memorable part of this tour was the media hall that I've seen a few times on TV and the 'earthquake proof' system in the basement. They showed a video of how they retrofitted the building with special pillars that move with the earth during a quake to help keep the building stable.

True to my childhood 4th of July tradition, we took a ride on a cable car (it wasn't the 4th St Elevator, but it follows the same concept). I always enjoy a good ride on cable cars and this one did not disappoint. It even had a museum at the top with the history of the cable car and the little town it leads to.

Mount Vic

Steep path not recommended

Sunday morning we started with a walk up Mount Victoria to get stunning views of the city, harbor, airport and surroundings. I couldn't make out the south island though.  For the walk down, we took the 'steep route - not recommended' which was a fun challenge.

Waka round the fountain

After working our way down the mini mountain, we came out at the beautiful Oriental Bay. It felt a bit like our neighbourhood in Auckland, but with more space for pedestrians, runners, and cyclists to all share the space. We even picked up a few geocaches in the area.

We met up with our Couch Surfing friend (it's good for more than just finding places to stay) for the third time this weekend - it's nice to know a local.

Oriental Bay

Walk across NZ

 After an already full weekend in Wellington, we finally made it to Te Papa museum and spent the rest of the day there. It was full of interactive exhibits of all types; earthquake simulators, alien invasions, sea critters, a giant NZ map you can walk on, a colourful modern Marae, a dinosaur digging sand pit, and much more!

Te Papa Marae

Digging for dinosaurs

The Middle of Middle Earth

Alas, it was time to go home. We had our dinner in the airport cafe, under the artwork inspired by the famous Lord of the Rings. LOTR must be a big tourist attraction for Wellington, it is afterall the "Middle of Middle Earth" as proudly announced on the side of the airport upon arriving.

 Goodbye Wellington~ until next time!

The Windy City

Victorian houses on Mount Victoria

Koru - A sign of new beginnings