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Published: July 15th 2009
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Lake Matherson on the way over to Wanaka On the bus from Franz Joseph to Queenstown I decided to jump off at a little town called Wanaka. A few people had reccomended the place and I was also planning to have a go at skiing and Pete the farmer had told me that it would be easier and cheaper to get to Cardrona Ski Fields from there are that was his reccomendation as the best place to start my skiing lessons.
When I got to Wanaka I'd planned to stay at the Purple Cow but after the bus dropped me off I was told that all the beds were taken. By chance a lady who happened to be there at the time said that she owned the Matterhorn South Hostel and that there would be a bed there for me and she gave me a lift there. When I got to the hostel I thought that I'd made a huge mistake in booking more than one night. The place hadn't been decorated for years, the pans and the kitchen were filthy, everything seemed to be broken and it was so cold you could see your breath. I asked if she could put the fire on and she told
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Mount Cook me it was on a timer and it would come on at 4.30pm. As it all turned out the hostel was in the process of changing hands to a lady called Donna who used to work for Magic Bus so that explained a lot as did the graffiti on the toilet wall that said ''Does anything f@***g work?!'' At least it wasn't just me being picky. Obviously the previous owner had let things slip as it was being sold but the new owner Donna was really nice and I'm sure that she'll have it fixed up in no time.
Despite everything being broken & the rashioned heat, tea bags & toilet paper the hostel had a brilliant atmosphere & I met some great people there. There was no TV in the living room, which at first appeared to be another downside but it actually worked out really well as people had to talk to each other. The first people I met there were a nice couple called Heather & Jack & the first night we were there we went up to Paradiso Cinemas together where all the seats in the cinema are sofas, deckchairs and armchairs and there is
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The Haast Pass which had just reopened after the snow even a car to sit in, which is really uncomfy after five minuites when the novelty of it has worn off! They also do warm cookies and homemade ice cream and it's delicious! The next day we went up to Puzzle World which is an entire building full of puzzles, optical illusions, mirrors and hollograms. They even have a two storey maze and my favourite part was a room that turns you into a giant and then a midget. Apparantly they actually used this room to film the hobbits in the Lord Of The Rings. Jack and Heather left for Queenstown after that & I went to the Isite to organise my ski lessons & transport for the day after. When I got back to the hostel a nice lady called Sophie had just moved in who was a ski instructor up at Treble Cone ski fields. We got on really well and we were just sat chatting when completely out of the blue a random stranger knocked on the door & handed me a whole, dead trout! He said that I could have it as he had caught too many. The wierdest thing about the whole situation is that
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Me in the gravity room at the Puzzle World it's not the first time it's happened to me - a guy in Auckland gave me and Katie a couple of Red Snappers one morning when we were out walking. I think it's such a nice, community spirited thing to do, is was a lovley suprise and something that would never, ever happen in England. Sophie gutted it whilst I provided moral support and a cup of tea each as it was a bit horrible, then I cut off it's head, tail and fins and we baked it and had it with some chips from the chinese for our tea. It was very nice and freshly caught that day.
The next morning I set off with A Class shuttle (30$ return) up to Cardrona Ski Field. The ride up the mountain was brilliant and I got some really good pictures when we got up above the cloud. I'd decided to book the one day ''First Timers'' package. It was brilliant value at 100$ for two x two hour lessons and the hire of your skis, poles and boots. I'd had to buy myself ski socks and gloves as they don't hire them for hygiene reasons and also hire ski
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Me in the Roman Toilets at Puzzle World pants and jacket, which I got from Rocket Rentals in Wanaka and that is about the cheapest you'll find there.
The day started off with a group of six people and our instructor Scott who was very patient and helpful. He talked us through the different parts of the ski and how to put them on and take them off. We learnt how to move around on them and how to stop by using the snop plough. I just made sure that I took my time and listened to what Scott said and I seemed to pick it up quite well. In the afternoon we got divided into groups of ability and I was in the top group (woo go me!) and I spent the afternoon learning how to turn still using the snow plough technique. I loved the day so much that I went back up the day after and learnt how to use the chairlift and I managed to go down the beginners green slopes a few times. The chairlift is a daunting experience the first time you go on it, getting on and off it takes a bit of getting used to and a lot of
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Going up the mountain to Cardrona the time on the way up it just stops and you are left swinging in mid air. We also learnt the other ways to get up slopes which are the Magic Carpet - a conveyor belt type of thing that pulls you up and also the pommer which is a seat that you pull down over your shoulder and put between your legs and it drags you up the hill.
I really enjoyed my time in Wanaka & starting to learn to ski was one of the highlights of my whole trip & it's certainly something that I want to do a lot more of in the future. I was sad to say goodbye to the people I'd met in the hostel and that morning I sat drinking tea and nattering to a bloke from Manchester called Fez who was telling me that his house had been robbed and that the culprits had had a cup of tea and a time out each while they had been robbing him! It was a funny story but not if it happens to you! We had been chatting for ages and when I looked at my watch it was 20 past 2
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Going up the mountain and my bus was picking me up from another hostel at half past so I quickly grabbed my bags and ran down the road to meet it. After I'd stood there waiting for half an hour I went into the hostel to enquire where the hell it was and that I'd been stood outside in the cold for half an hour waiting for it! The guy asked me what time it was due and when I told him 1.30pm - he politley informed me that it was infact only 2 o clock now. It turned out that I'd read my watch wrong and was a whole hour early! I couldn't go back to the hostel for shame & I decided that my next watch has to have numbers and not dots! The bus turned up ''on time'' at 2.30pm and I got on it and set off for Queenstown..................
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Mum
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Brrrrr how cold is that then?
Lovely pics Rach, you are improving, and they will be nicer when we get them printed out. Interesting blog sounds like you are a seasoned traveller now. Although it is cold the placed seem poorly equipped for it. Not like us with the central heating and lecky blankets. No rationed heating for us! The skiing sounds fabulous. Well done you!