Ohakune - Skiing at Mount Ruapehu

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We arrived in Ohakune that evening- it was a friday- just in time for the beginning of Mardi Gras to mark the beginning of ski season. Since we couldn't get tickets to the Ireland-All Blacks game in Hamilton, we decided to go skiing instead (turns out it was the better choice!). That evening we just relaxed at the campsite and saved our energy for the following day. We headed up to Mount Ruapehu the next morning for a half day of skiing. Mount Ruapehu is a huge volcano. We parked the car and headed in to get our gear. We got ski boots, poles and skis. We headed out to the slopes- only the beginner slope was open because of the stong winds. Dave had been skiing before, but I hadn't, so it took me a while to get used to it! After a few falls I got the hang of it, before falling off the ski lift. Twice. My pride was hurt more than anything else, because I fell on my arse. The ski lift was one of those you just hold on to and it drags you up the slope.

We stopped for a break and then got back on the slopes for an hour or so. It got really windy and rainy so we were ready to get off the slopes before they closed. It was such a relief taking off the ski boots- they were so tight! We made our way back to the campsite- the drive was a bit dodgy- visibility was really bad and the road was on the edge of the mountain and pretty windy with no crash barriers. When we got back to the campsite, we found we had neighbours, a bunch of lads of about 18 dressed up for Mardi Gras. Everything was like "so awesome, bru!". We cooked dinner and then went into the TV room to watch a bit of the Ireland-All Blacks game. The security guard was in there too, and was radioing the scores back to his buddy at the gate. At this stage it was 26-0. He radioed the scores, and Dave said "Tell her its 26-0 to Ireland", so he did. She replied over the radio "Bullshit". She was right. We walked down to Speights pub and had a couple of drinks while watching our shameful defeat. We were badgered about this match for the rest of our NZ trip! The next morning we got back on the road to go to Wellington, our last stop on the North Island.

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