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Published: July 14th 2008
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Lake Tekapo
View from our batch Part I of our Tour of New Zealand ski fields -Mt. Dobson, Roundhill and Ohau!
What a remarkable trip this was with so many interesting and diverse skiing options - and none like those in the US! It was an amazing opportunity to be able to ski at five different locations. You can't call them "ski resorts" like we would in the US, because resorts they are not. They are called "ski fields' in New Zealand, but fields they are not either. This is serious stuff - no lounges with hot chocolate and schnapps. or long expensive lunches in a heated restaurant. We were lucky to find any food at Mt. Dobson (meat pies, chips and chocolate), at Roundhill most people brought their own girlls and were grilling next to their cars on the slopes (although, on their behalf I will say they did have a tiny cafe that served 3 warm items), and Ohau had a nice cafe - fire and decent cafe food, but still charmingly rustic. The ski fields on this part of the trip were not for the faint at heart. The ski fields themselves were not all expert runs, but the slopes have a limited
amount of grooming and the lifts are old fashioned - mostly platter (Poma) lifts and T-bars, or old, slow chairlifts and only one per location! I guess this is what skiing must have been like in the 1960s.
Day 1 - We stayed at the "batch" owned by the South Canterbury District Health Board. This is a rustic (at best) duplex cabin on the lake with beautiful views. No insulation made for chilly nights and a real appreciation for our electric blanket. On Sunday evening we hiked to the ice rink and hot pools to check it out. We ended up staying and ice skating for an hour.
Day 2 - First exposure to New Zealand ski slopes.... The weather was meant to have been clear and sunny. It was cloudy - a white out and cold. Driving to Mt. Dobson was like nothing I have ever experienced. It was a 15 kilometer climb on a very narrow, winding road. When they recommend chains for your tires - even 4 wheel drive vehicles - they mean it! We could barely see where we were driving - not sure if this was a pro or a con. On the
Lake Tekapo
Dinner at the batch way down we did see how beautiful (and terrifying) it was. The resort had 4 little huts - toilets, ski rental (we brought our own stuff from the US), a small warming area/ticket booth, and maintainence area. The resort had 1 platter lift, 1 T-bar lift and 1 chairlift. We couldn't see anything so we opted for the easier slopes and the platter lift. There was a learning curve for the kids as they had never used either platter or T-bar lifts before. The many falls brought back all sorts of memories for me and Gregg when we were learning. A few minor mishaps on this day... it was so foggy that at one point we had no idea where the ski runs were. I panicked as the runs aren't marked, or groomed very well, and I had visions of us being lost in the fog. But by the end of the day the clouds lifted and we could see the beautiful surroundings. The other major mishap took place when the kids took their first chairlift ride up for the season and were put on the only chair that didn't have the seat down. This meant they were balancing between
Drive to Mt. Dobson
This does not do it justice! the front bar and the backseat. It would have been very easy, for Avery esp., to have slipped through. By the time they realized what was wrong, it was too late to get them off as they were 50 feet above the ground. Gregg and I were on the chair behind them praying the whole way up. This was opening day for Mt. Dobson and every resort hires new international staff. Every employee was extremely friendly, but I will say that safety is not their number one concern (or they hadn't yet gotten all the safety training). All and all it was an amazing first day (we survived) and everyone felt good on their skis. Contrary to what I have written, we will most likely go back to Mt. Dobson as it is the closet ski field to Timaru - less than 2 hours away. That night we visited the hot pools for a much needed soak.
Day 3 - Roundhill - Now, had we done this drive on day 1, I would have thought it was challenging, but after the drive to Mt. Dobson, this was a cake walk. This ski field is owned by a larger group
Mt. Dobson
The sun finally came out! - not family run like Mt. Dobson - and had more money to dump into the ski field. There were only 2 lifts - a T-bar and a rope tow, but they serviced a large area. The hills were beautifully groomed and the conditions were excellent. Although there are not many difficult runs, there is a lot of opportunity for "off piste" skiing. We all enjoyed a great day of sun and leisurely skiing. Next time we want to bring our grill and have a "barbie" (BBQ) on the slopes.
Day 4 - Packed up the batch and headed to Queenstown. Enroute to ski at Ohau we stopped at a Salmon farm and bought some delicious fresh salmon. Okay, so I thought Mt. Dobson was treacherous driving?! Ohau takes the prize. It was one of our favorite ski areas, but the drive was so frightening to me (and I was just a passenger) that I don't think I could go back there again. I drank a cup on Baileys on the way down just to calm my nerves - and it helped. The skiing here was really good. It was a good family atmosphere, nice cafe, good runs, and
Mt. Dobson
Sydney and Gregg hike to rim one chairlift. They had a little terrain park that they boys liked axcessed by a Magic Carpet lift. But by the time we drove to the top, we all felt like they ought to have paid us to ski and not the other way around. It was another really good day of skiing, however! Got to Queenstown at 7pm - It was dark when we arrived so we missed seeing the beauty of the area. Opted to have dinner at the local high tech bowling alley. We played one game and decided that bowling really wasn't our strength. (Hey Steve Perkins, if you are reading this, I always think of you when I bowl!)
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