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Published: April 2nd 2010
Wanaka
Looking the proWith me only having very little experience of skiing and Jacob none, we were both keen to get stuck in to a blanket of snow so headed to Wanaka, Oueenstown's junior sibling.
Wanaka, an activity filled town but quieter than pumpin' Queenstown is wedged between awesome rolling hills and cliffs of the Mt Aspiring region.
After a night in a few of the towns local watering holes we woke early and drove 30km out of town up to it's renowned ski resort of 'Treble Cone'.
If we weren't awake as we set off that morning at 8am we sure were by the time we began the slow and terifying winding mountain road to the top. Lets just say thank god Jacob has the ability to be the most chilled out motherf*^ker I've ever come across because I was for sure pooing my pants as I drove our less powerful beast amongst the local supirior 4x4 tanks that felt the need to hurtle up the single track gravel road at great speed. Low and behold we eventually made our way to the top and to my suprise for the size of the resort and the fact it was the weekend the
place wasn't packed at all. Perfect for us amatures.
We spent the first few hours with an instructor to pick up on the basic skills. By the end of the two hour lesson both Jake and I were hurtaling down the beginners slop with great confidence. We had such a successful beginning to skiing that we decided to come back the following day and head up the main ski lift to the peak and take on some of the more challenging routes.
Taking the lift alone was a major highlight. The five minute journey allowed us time to take in the magnificent backdrop that our camaras struggled to capture. The stillness and emormaty of these stunning mountains and its surroundings were hard to comprahend. These are views that one would dream of, ones that would only be seen in films or on postcards.
The day was a blast. We were tackling the slops and enjoying the great outdoors however it was nackering and rather grulling on our bodies so after a couple of hours I'd had enough for the day. Jacob decided he'd go for one last run so I said i'd meet him in the lodge where
we hired our gear.
20 minutes later when he should've been back, there was no sign of him. "The cheeky bugger has gone for another run, fine he can find me in the van once he's done".
An hour later and still no sign of him. The thought crossed my mind that he could be in trouble but then again I bet he's just nattering to the assistant in the shop. Nope, still no sign of him. Just as dread started to kick in and I was off to ask for assistance on the slop he emerged with a "don't even ask look on his face". In true Jacob style the silly sod only went and took a wrong turning and ended up on the black slop with the pros.
Either way, an hour later we were laughing uncontrollably at the classic Graff/Cohn saga as he told me of the rescue dogs that came to help. Another unforgetable day to our increasingly successful trip.
Bodies brused and Jacobs ego ever so slighly shattered we had breakfast by the lakeside and wondered off for a chilled out morning walk in the sun before leaving for Queenstown.
Although i had no
Wanaka
empty...they must've known we were hitting the slops desire to hit a larger city (still stupidly smaller than anything like London) much hype was around this action packed, thrill seeking place.
The drive from Wanaka was beautiful as always. Again we were blessed with floorless weather and jaw dropping scenary as we made our way through the gorge and wine fields. We stopped off at Kawarau bridge to witness the ledgendary first commercial bungy site where both Jacob and I were more than happy to stand back and allow others to fling themselves off the 43m high platform.
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Justin
non-member comment
Booya
Sounds like you are having an awesome time. It makes me feel better just reading about your adventures. I hope you're still having loads of fun :)