angela's new zealand diary

ITS WINTER!!!!!!!

2011-08-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

OK, while I'm blogging, I cant resist a few skiing pics. Been going up to Treble Cone, the mountain ski area near Wanaka, it has the best skiing in resort of any of the local mountains, with lift access to un-pisted gullies and steep terrain. Just what I needed! I have some new skis and touring set up (bindings that the heel can lift up on, skins, and avalanche rescue gear), so have been adventuring away from the resort, into the solitude of the back-country, where you can find fresh lines, and not see another soul. In NZ you have to be fairly open minded about snow conditions, especially as its not been a great year for snow, but have managed to find some powder, and have lots of fun.
We spend a bit of time talking about avalanche risk, and sometimes dig a snow pit, or a test block, just to be sure of risk minimisation, and for the practice. Its a bit different to resort skiing, obviously you need to be sure of navigation, and what the weather will be and has been doing. There's a lot of up to every down, and you need to be constantly assessing the risk. But to be in the mountain environment, away from crowds, and finding some fresh powder to make first tracks in is an amazing feeling, and worth it all :-)
Me and Craig had a trip up to Arthur's Pass and went to some of the canterbury club fields, we camped in his new 4WD van. Bit stromy while we were up there, but great fun, once I had mastered the rope tow nutcrackers again!
So fun to be had both on and off the resort, and loving winter. Just hoping for another cold snap and some great snow, as conditions are remarkably spring like! please stay cold, keep the winds low, and bring us more snow.......

catch up.... and the next great walk run!

2011-08-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, its been ages since I've caught up! so sorry, not had a computer and been having lots of fun, so not really had the time or facilities....
So since my last adventure in the matukituki I have discovered a talent I never knew I had... mountain biking. Well, maybe not a talent as such, as my scars and bruises would testify, but a love for it. Where I live has some of the best biking in NZ, natural trails in the hills with plenty of fun rocks and steep sections to negotiate. Going further afield to Queenstown and Wanaka there is yet more biking on offer, including some gnarly trails down queenstown hill, that you can ride the gondola up to and have a day of pure adrenalin, downhill riding :-)
There is a large mountain range called the Old Man range just 15 mins drive from my house, you can get up to the top by 4WD (or freddie can do it under good conditions), and its then an hour of fun, fast downhill with a vertical kilometer of descent. Our fave thing is doing this in the dark under torchlight, adds a certain excitement!
Sooo lucky having all of this at my back door.
Big excitement of the year..... Mum and Dad came out to NZ to visit! It had been a stressfull week as I raced up to Christchurch after the fatal February earthquake to help out, doing 3 nightshifts in A&E, being woken from my sleep on a regular basis to the sound and feeling of the house being rocked and shaken! Although I slept suprisingly well through these aftershocks, and was great seeing all my old buddies up in ChCh. After these shifts I drove to Dunedin for a day of surfing to rest and recover before heading back up north to pic up ma and pa in Picton. Great seeing them after nearly 2 years, and excited about showing them my new home. We drove down the west coast and on to Clyde over the next couple of days, then sent them off on some adventures while I worked a few shifts. We all then headed down to Te Anau and had a fun three days walking the routeburn, kayaking Milford Sound, and drinking wine :-)
They went off to explore the Catlins, and I joined them later for a visit to Stewart Island, where I completed my 3rd great walk run....The Rakiura Track. 30KM of forest and mud!!!! Really very dull, except for the first bit which was lovely beaches. Not a track I recommend, unless you like forest, or want to see a Kiwi, as they do linger around these parts.
We drove up to Chch via the stunning Mt Cook Village, and soon it was time to say goodbye again. Really sad, wanted them to stay! But was so good showing them NZ and them meeting all of my friends, and at least now they can understand why I am here....I think they can be convinced to come back.
I feel at this point I should touch on the fact that I have taken up surfing. I wont stress the point as I'm rubbish, but it is fun, in the summer months. But really I am crap.
So summer and autumn were taken up biking, surfing, climbing and waiting for snow.... which was a long time coming, but now its WINTER! And I have some good, fat, stiff, off piste touring skis, so The back country has opened up to me for winter adventures..... I'll write more about that next time, but be assured, I'm having lots of them and since I've turned 30 i've suddenly got really gutsy! Heading for the steepest and deepest :-) (sorry mum) on bike or skis.
Oh yeah, I turned 30. Forgot that one didn't I! Had a great time, biking and a night out in Queenstown, and a big group of us got a batch in Ohau, an alpine village near Mt Cook, for some biking, lake kayaking, eating and drinking and fun. Thanks to all my lovely mates who came or sent wishes. And I'll have another 30th next year, as I'll be back in the UK for my birthday! So no one will have missed out, and I'll be 30 for another year, which I really dont mind as its been great the first time round. Life begins at 30........
So hope this has put those fears to rest that I've settled down and calmed down and stopped having adventures. Like that would ever happen, I just didn't have access to a computer to tell you about them.
Much love xxxxx

2011-02-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

Return to the Matukituki......
On Jan 11th this year, I had a car packed, once again with climbing and mountaineering gear, and was headed off to Wanaka to meet Craig, and start our epic adventure! Both late, we pulled into the DoC office at the same time, so look at the weather, put in our intentions, and get excited! The weather was not very promising, but we were prepared for all conditions, and had a locator beacon, so we were all set. Except for a few last minute purchases, organising gear and ..... our last decent coffee for a week!
So by the time we reached Raspberry Flat car park it was about 13.30 pm, and we had 20KG packs and a long walk ahead! The first part of the walk is flat, and pretty, to Aspiring hut, and beyond down the valley to Shovel Flat. After a river crossing, its a tough 100m climb to French Ridge Hut. All well and good, but Craig was recovering from a nasty ankle injury and had not don any tramping for over a year....way to break him in gently Ange!
By 2100hrs, we arrived, gasping, out of the bush line and into the open. We only had another hour or so to the hut, but we were exhausted and darkness was falling, so we set up a wild camp near a tarn, and made dinner.
The next day was a well earned rest day. We had a leisurely morning in the sun, and then walked the remaining hour or so up to French Ridge hut, still climbing steeply. We got to the hut and Mark, the lovely volunteer warden, made us a pot of tea :-)
After lunch we practised rope work and crevasse rescue techniques on the rocks outside the hut, then we organised our gear. We planned to camp 2 nights on the Bonar Glacier, and attempt Mt Avalanche and Pope's Nose. However, on listening to the mountain forecast, the weather was supposed to turn on Saturday, the day we were coming down. We made a decision to still go, but to take enough supplies in case the weather came in early and we had to sit out a storm. We had an expected "out" day of Sunday, but our panic day (when people start to think we are in need of some help!) we had put as Tuesday, so we had some days to play with.
The next morning, at 06.30 am we set off up towards the Quarterdeck. We came out of the clouds, into beautiful weather. The quarterdeck was much more heavily crevassed than my last trip, and the top was a great big crevasse, with one remaining solid snow bridge across it. We got onto the Bonar Glacier in glorious sunshine. We found a flat spot on the glacier, poked around the check we were not on a precarious snow bridge, and set up our tent. We then set off towards Mt Avalanche. After plodding up steep snow, and negotiating a narrow path across a step slop with HUGE crevasses at the bottom, we reached the base of the rock. We moved together over loose rock, with some fairly good gear placements and made good time up Mt Avalanche. We didn't make it to the top as we made a decision to turn around in order to get off the glacier before the snow bridges became too soft and dangerous. We made it back to the tent by late afternoon, having had an awesome day!
We chilled out in the sun until it got cooler, had dinner, and settled in for our first night on the glacier. The first night taught me that sleeping on a $10 roll mat from the warehouse on snow is cold. And that my sleeping back did not have a -2 comfort rating (actually, its +2, I had obviously miss read it). And I was jealous of Craig's warm bag and thermarest!!!!
Next day, we got up early and walked across the Bonar towards Mt Aspiring, to attempt Pope's Nose. It was a long slog up snow, negotiating some awe-inspiring crevasses! We made it up to the base of the final climb, and a brilliant view! However the last part would elude us once more, there was a big schrund across the base, probably negotiable, but then a very steep section with poor protection. We probably could have soloed this but neither of us were that confident and a fall would have been unprotected and very bad! So we came away, happy, but slightly disappointed. It was an intense walk down, and there were some very delicate crossings of fairly exciting snow bridges over pretty scary holes in the ground!!!!
We plodded back towards our tent and had a great afternoon in the sun, a lovely dinner, and a well deserved rest.
Now in true Ange and Craig style we had a leisurely start to the next day, getting up at 7am. Our style is not "fast and light", not "true alpine". Its chilled out, messy and slightly disorganised. Its always fun, but sometimes not terribly professional. So as we walked towards the top of the quarterdeck in closing in weather, we kind of wished we had a wee bit more discipline and had got up at 0530am as planned. So we ended up on this snow slope, in bad weather and no visibility, surrounded by crevasses. The only sensible thing to do would be to re trace our steps and get back up to the safety of camp. We found our camp again and hour later, and put up our tent just in time. The rain, snow and 120kmph winds began, as did our 48hrs of "truth or dare" and the name game. Oh and eating nothing but bars, no hot food or drink and strict rationing. And did I mention being stung by whipped up snow and nearly being blown away whilst trying to pee? Sometimes I wish I was a man.......
We managed to make the next 48hrs really fun, did a lot of laughing, and a fair amount of sleeping. There was a brief weather window on the Monday night, but too late for us to go for it. We decided that the next day we would pack up at about the same time and have a shot. It was almost our panic day after all, we were fine, but would not have wanted people to come looking for us! So we packed up at 1400hrs the next day and headed to the top of the Quarterdeck. We spend an intense hour negotiating the worst bits (including knocking the last of the snow bridge at the top down....sorry! and me taking a slide - and remembering how to ice-axe arrest!!). It was intense! But we made it down in clearing weather, and got to the hut radio in time to let people know we were ok.
Boy did we have a good feed that night! 2 days of eating and drinking very little, we were glad to be able to use our gas and have a hot meal, hot drinks and as much food as we liked. We were walking out the next day so the more we could eat the better! We met some cool people at the hut that night and had an awesome time.
The next day we had a leisurely breakfast and set off down the valley. It was a long walk, and we broke the journey at Aspiring hut for an hour, w=it was pretty busy, and we were soaked through and hadn't had a shower for 7 days! lovely! We headed out and to Craig's friend's house where they had cooked us dinner :-) Then back to QT to Yan's house for some wine (we had missed his birthday due to getting stuck!) and spent the next few days recovering, mountain biking and kayaking! Back to work for the weekend, then a trip to the Catlins surfing..... All in all a fun packed and tiring few weeks!

The Great Runs No. 1: The Kepler

2010-12-18T20:15:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I prepared to head up North to Collingwood to run the Heaphy track, however they had been experiencing heavy rain and the access to the track was impassable. The track would also have been sodden, slippery and flooded in places. I needed a new plan! Suprisingly enough, Fiordland appeared to have had the better deal as far as weather, so after checking this with DoC, I headed south to Te Anau to run the Kepler.
I drove all day, then slept in my car (rather uncomfortably as I had no roll mat or mattress!) in a backpacker car park (the back packers had closed by the time I got there). So after a poor nights sleep, I woke at 05.15 am, and drove to the start of the Kepler Track.
The Kepler is a 60.1KM track, with over 1000m of climb, reaching about 1500m over the Kepler Mountains in Fiordland. I ate a one square meal bar, and downed some powerade, before setting off at 06.20am. The morning light was beautiful over the lake, but I followed the track into the forest to begin the climb. A couple of hours later, and I emerged from the bush, onto the tops, yey! It was fairly over-cast, with a hint of light rain, but beautiful views all around. I reached luxmore hut (nearly 14km into the run) at 08.30hrs, and topped up my camelbak, which had been leaking down my back the whole way! I discovered that this was due to disruption of the seal, which I managed to sort, and avoid a long day of hydration drink splashing down my legs!!
Now for the best bit! After further climbing up to about 1500m, the track undulated along a narrow and exposed ridgeline, with spectacular views of fiordland. It felt good to be on gentler inclines and flat, although careful footing was a must, as a fall here could be serious. With a few photo stops and hellos to passing walkers, I plodded on, listening to tunes, and enjoying the view. After about 12km, the track descended abruptly and zig-zagged into the bush, entually reaching Iris Burn hut 14.6km on from Luxmore.
Iris Burn hut is tucked into the forest and is infested with sandflies! Well, everywhere here is, but they were in even more abundance here. I quickly made my way on, after a H2O top up. From Iris Burn Hut the whole way is in forest, something that I struggle with immensley, and still over 31km to go! But the way was gently undulating, and mainly downhill, and the day had gotten very hot, so there was much to be thankful for, the shade, and the lack of uphill mainly. I had managed to convince myself that I had less far to go than I actually had, thinking that after the next hut there was only about 15km to go. How wrong I was.....
As this had been a last minute decision, I had not really researched the track or known what to expect, so on reaching Motarau Hut, on a beautiful little beach on lake Manapouri, I was quite disheartened to read that the end was a six hour walk away, which would mean up to a three hour run in my state, not the hour and a half that I hoped for!
I somehow had phone reception here, so it was a saving grace to read a text from my friend Jane, saying good luck and our little motto...."keep calm, carry on". Oh, thank goodness for this little burst of positivity!! Thanks Jane!
So on I went, stopping only to bandage blisters and to drink. I hadn't managed to eat much, but tried to nibble on a OSM bar. NOT a good running food, made me want to vomit...at least I know for next time to take proper food. I was starving, and although running wasn't a problem, I began to feel the challenge mentally. The key, as always, was good tunes and switching off, and going into Sankey Land, the crazy little world in my head! I stopped to chat to a British couple, who lived in Berkhampstead, where I used to live. She was a nurse too, and they were here on holiday. Its little meetings like this that put you in a better frame of mind and keep you going.
I can not tell you how great the temptation was at Rainbow's Reach (9.5km to go!) to go into the car park and beg a lift back to the control gates! No one would ever know.... but I would, and I didn't want to have to come back and do this again when my conscience got the better of me. On, and on, and on I went throught the bush. I was nearing desperation when I saw a sign..... 1KM TO GO...LOOKING GOOD it said. Woo hoo, I can do this, come on, one last push....
And there were the control gates. I sat down, and leaned against the Kepler Track start/finish sign. From broken to happy in ten seconds! Oh the feeling to have done it! Its amazing how great you can feel, so soon after feeling so bad :-) I sent the obligatory "I'm alive" text to people, then got up to walk the two mins to the car. And then I realised how much this was going to hurt! I made two stops on the 3 hour drive home, and each time walking was a little harder.
Not much left to do but wash, eat and sleep......One down, 7 to go!!

Girl Power in the Matukituki!

2010-12-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Time to get back out into the mountains!
Last monday I picked my friend Laurayne up from Queenstown airport and we headed off to the start of our adventure - Wanaka. After leaving our intentions with DoC and hiring a locator beacon, we drove down the Aspiring road and along a long gravel track to Raspberry Flat. Leaving Freddie in the carpark, we heaved our 20KG packs onto our backs, and set off. We were carrying all our food and gear for 7 days of climbing in the high alpine peaks of the area. we walked as far as Apiring Hut, and set up our tent there. We practiced a bit of rope work and crevasse rescue, just in case!
Next morning we were up early and left some of our food at the hut, to save weight. We climbed over 1000m to Cascade Saddle, with early cloud clearing, giving us fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. We camped at cascade saddle, by a beautiful clear snow-melt river. The next morning (at 4.45am!!) we stuck our heads oout of the tent and were disappointed to find heavy cloud and poor visibility. We went back to sleep for an hour or so, then got up and decided to head up onto a ridge and navigate our way to the Isobel Glacier, in the hope that it would clear later and we could make a summit attempt at Mt Anstead (2388m). We used bearings to find our way, but approached the glacier in much improving visibility and blue skies. Anstead is a long day, and we thought it best not to be getting back off the Glacier too late (the sun makes the snow bridges over the crevasses weak, and there is more chance of falling through). So we headed for Mt Tyndall, a higher peak at 2496m, but closer. We dumped our packs at the head of the glacier and made our way up patches of loose rock and steep snow. We had a few false starts, finding ways to be impassable and unsafe, before finding a route of snow, and a final rock scramble to the summit. We were rewarded with astounding views of the Matukituki Valley and surrounding mountains.
Very happily, we plodded back to camp accross the glacier.
We had planned to climb Plunkett Dome, but its approach was steep and heaily crevassed, with many of the crevasses opening up due to a very warm November! So we made the slightly crazy choice to descend the 1000m to the valley floor, walk a few kms along the valley, and climb another 1000m up French Ridge! It was a long day, the temperature was approaching 30 degrees and we had very heavy packs again, although we each only took one ice-axe up here to save weight, and left a few bits of gear behind. It was a ten hour day, involving a river crossing and wet feet! French ridge is steep, which is hard with big packs, but at least you gain height quickly! We camped outside French Ridge Hut, and met the friendly warden there. It was stunning, well up out of the bushline with stunning mountains all around, and a view back up the valley to where we had walked from that morning!!
The next morning we were up at five to attempt the Quarter deck(2305m) and Mt French. The quarterdeck is a snow slope, leading up to the Bonar Glacier, over which Mt Aspiring presides. It is steep in places and quite heavily crevassed, but the snow was good and firm (thanks to our early morning start). We roped up for safety and had a good steady plod to the top. The view at the top was breathtaking. The Bonar Glacier was a vast, smooth carpet of snow, with Mt Aspiring rising graciously from it. There were snow capped mountains as far as the eye could see, the sun was bright and the sky was blue. Mt French had a big schrund cutting through our route, and was heavily corniced at the top, so we decided not to risk it. We negotiated our way back down the Quarterdeck and stopped for refreshment once we were safely back on rock. I then put on my waterproof trousers and slid down the snow on my bum back to camp - great fun! (and a legitimate mountaineering technique!!).
So being back down for lunchtime, we did what any self respecting mountaineer would do - we sat in the sun and ate all afternoon! We did so well at this, that our packs were much lighter for the descent, and we had no excess food to carry ;-)
The next day we packed up camp and headed down to the valley again. We enjoyed the walk out, down the lush and green Matukituki Valley. We rested a while at aspiring hut, before the last two hour slog. back at the car (again, 30 degree heat!) we were soooo glad to take off our boots, which were the only thing we had worn on our feet for the last week, and put on our flip-flops. We drove into wanaka, handed in our return slip, then sat in a cafe and ordered massive bowls of good, sweet coffee, and stuffed our faces with mozarella garlic bread and cheese muffins! Having not had a shower in a week, we cleared the cafe out pretty quick......
We then found a campsite (with showers) and got clean! When I say clean, we had no shower gel, so used leaves of travel soap, we had nothing to wash our hair with an no hairbrush, so we still looked pretty awful! But I had that post-hills alpine glow that no make up could ever replicate, and I was so happy and content. We wandered to the pub, in tracksuit bottoms and the cleanest thermal I could find. We drank beer, had fish and chips, then returned to the pub for more wine.... absolute bliss! We could stop talking about this trip, planning our next trip, and congratulaing each other on a successful week!
The next day the weather closed in, but we didn't care. I dropped Laurayne off for her return flight to Christchurch, both so happy, in a way that is only achieved from week of hard physical activity, in one of the most beautiful settings in the world......

The 8 Big Ones!!!!

2010-09-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

OK, so here is my new idea. And I have been labelled a crazy pom for this. I want to run all of the NZ great walks. After the fun of the Routeburn earlier this year, I have decided to set myself the target of running all of the great walks, ending at the Routeburn Classic next year. There are nine "great walks" in NZ, but one of these, rather strangely, is a kayak trip, so that can not be run, and will take place whenever. That leaves me with 8.
The big 8 are:
Lake Waikaremoana, 42km, North Island
Tongariro Northern Circuit, 50km, North Island
Abel Tasman Coast Track, 51km, South Island
Heaphy Track, 82km(!!!), South Island
Routeburn Track, 32.1km, South Island
Milford Tack, 53.5km, South Island
Kepler Track, 60.1km, South Island
Rakiura Track, 36km, South Island (on Stewart Island)
So the hills around Clyde are my training ground! In the last week I have managed one 34km run, and one 44km run, the last one with a height gain of 1000m, so I think I can do it! My friends Gary and Beck and Mel and Fran all are my support crew, as will mum and dad be when they are over!
So wish me luck, and watch this space!!!!

Fiordland Trip

2010-09-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Before starting my new job, I decided I really, really needed a holiday, having had a very stressful few month of skiing as much as possible ;-)
Me and Mel and Jon, decided on a tramping trip into fiordland, once of the worlds last true wildernesses. Fiordland is the south west corner of the south island and apart from a road running to Milford Sound, and a few walking trails, its is a place of dense bush, high mountains and amazing wildlife. We were heading in in winter, to a rarely visited part on the way to George Sound. When we asked the Department of Conservation (DoC) what conditions are like in fiordland at the moment their answer was "we dont know, no-one has been in there for months". Enough said, we were excited! To get in we hired a man and his boat, to gt us across Lake Te Anau, and then, after a 15 minute walk, Lake Hankinson. He left us here and we walked for four hours to get to our hut. The way in had many obstacles, fallen trees, bog, and the dreaded three wire bridge. Literally, three wires, one to walk on, two to hold. Not easy when there is a ten meter drop below you, a 70 litre pack on your back, and nothing but your own steadiness to rely on! Most of this walk was through bush, with the odd glimpse of the high, steep sided mountains that characterise fiordland, and the waterfalls running down them into lakes and rivers.
On arriving at the hut we got chopping wood to get the fire going, and sorted our kit. There was no one else there (apart from Mr Weka-Weka, the hut Weka, which is a type of NZ bird) and the book made it look as if there are only ten or so visitors a year. The next day we set off as dawn was breaking on our walk to George Sound. It was going to take at least ten hours. The going was really tough. We had big packs on and the way was just one big bog slog. Sometimes we would disappear up to our waists in bog. Usually just knees though. We were also fighting our way through forest with fallen trees in our path. After five hours we emerged thankfully onto Henry Saddle. Its was refreshing to be out in the open, and what a view! Mountains and valleys and not a sign of human life, as far as the eye could see. It really was an awesome moment and a stunning view. We stopped for lunch and debated our next move. It would be a further six hours, probably more to George Sound, through denser and wetter forest. There was a point where we would have to wade through a lake. And we would get there in the dark. Our plan was to have a day at George Sound hut then back the following day, but weather looked as though we may have to come back the very next day, which would mean leaving in the dark and never seeing George Sound in daylight, or staying the day and taking a chance with mother nature. Jon was keen to continue, me and Mel were wanting to go back. I for one, could not face that much slogging through forest. I am "tops" girl through and through and feel strangely oppressed when I spend too much time in the forests. I just love wide open spaces and mountain tops, where Mel and Jon love the forest too. We decided to turn back, a big decision for Jon, as it had long been a goal of his to get to George Sound. I am keen to come back someday, maybe camp on the saddle and get to the sound over couple of days. Its still on the list!
We returned to Thompson Hut and had a couple of days chilling, doing day walks from the hut, and enjoying the solitude. We tried to catch some trout from the lake, but no luck. We walked out in the rain, and met Vern, our boatman. It was great to be back in Te-Anau, away from the sandflies, to have a shower, and eat some fresh fruit and veg! And although we had had some sherry with us in the hut, it was good to enjoy a good glass of wine.
We met our friend Fran in Te-Anau and had a couple of chill out days.... went for a run, and did the lake Marian walk, a lovely 3hr round trip to a beautiful clear like, nestled amongst alpine peaks. We then drove to Wanaka, where Fran's fella, Rob joined us. We had a wicked days skiing at Treble Cone, couldn't see a thing, but loads of fresh powder, an awesome day! We had a day cross country skiing on nordic skis, then a day of R&R!
A brilliant trip with great friends :-)

Winter Fun!

2010-09-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well, once more it has been far to long between blogs, I can only appologise. My excuse? Having far too much fun :-)
It has really been an awesome winter. Having started out being very tentative on skis (hadn't skiied for years), I got myself a pass that allowed me access to 11 different ski fields accross canterbury. These were "club" fields, and very unlike any places I have skied before. They tend to be privately owned and, although they do have some groomed slopes, there is a vast amount of ungroomed terrain. They are much, much smaller than european resorts, but have a friendly and relaxed feel. As a result of avoiding the commercial fields, I am now able to ski in all types of snow, over all kinds of diferent terrain. Not with much style or grace, but I can ski it. The main joy of the winter was finding fresh powder to ski in. Once you get the hang of skiing in powder it feels like you are floating over the ground, flying even. It really is the most amazing feeling! The other good thing about the club fields is the lack of people. I had a week day pass too, which mean there was barely anyone else on the slopes, bliss!
I also had a winter walk up to Mueller Hut, in Mt Cook National Park. Me and Axel, a friend from USA, walked up there in a bit of a storm, but got up safely to find that we were the only ones up in this beautiful spot. Not another soul, and beautiful mountains as far as the eye can see. The next morning we left our packs at the hut, carrying only ice-axes we climbed to the top of Mt Olivier, a very small peak, but the first one that Sir Ed Hillary ever climbed :-) Stunning views in beautiful sunshine.
I feel pretty sad that winter is coming to an end, but climbing season is starting again soon, and I have lots of fun plans.
I have moved down south to a small town called clyde, nestled in the hills of Central Otago. Its beautiful. I have started working at a small country hospital and loving the quiet life! Lots to do, really close to the mountains.... so watch this space. Have also started running training again.....will give you more info on this at a later date!
Ta-ra for now xx

ROUTEBURN CLASSIC!

2010-06-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

on thurs 22nd April, me, Mel, Jon, Jane and axel headed off down to Queenstown for the routeburn classic. We camped in Omarama, then got to Queenstown the next day to get the bus to Te Anau. In te Anau, after a night of carb loading, we got up at 5.30 am in preparation for the Routeburn Classic. The Routeburn is one of the great walks and is 32Km long. It goes over mountainous terrain in Fiordland and Aspiring National Parks. Having not done much training, and being very nervous, I had been dreading it, but I had so much encouragement from the folks back home (thanks!) and the guys I was with. It was a rainy day, but we all set off in high spirits. Not long into the race me and Mel caught up with Jane, who was having a wee bit of a crisis of confidence. We decided to stick it as a team and run it together. We played games and sang and laughed our way round the 32kms! We had a wicked day, and made some new friends along the way, as we tried to rope random runners into our "name game". Me, Mel and Jane crossed the finish line holding hands all together, after about 5hrs 56 mins.
We went back to our hotel, and had a jaccuzi! divine.... Then it was out for a hearty meal and lots of beers......
An awesome weekend!

kaikoura Coast track

2010-06-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday 14th March
Ok, so this was ages ago and I need to catch up on the blogging!
I walked the kaikoura coastal track with vera and paddy, to work friends. Its a three day walk through private farm lands, staying in farm bunk-houses or cottages on the way. It takes in stunning scenery along the east coast of the South Island and walks along beachs, through forsts, and across farm land. Its fairly gentle, just about 13kms each day, and they carry your food (and wine!) and pack if you like to the next house along the way. We met a group of six other girls doing this, they were great fun and we all got along really well. The wallk had a few hills, and a long stretch a long a beach, but all in all there was plenty of cake and wine to make it painless, and great fun.....

Mount Cook - the bottom bit......

2010-03-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how it happened that we ended up heading to Cook, I think we decided that less days off meant we needed a closer target than the slightly more realistic goal of Mount Aspiring, so Cook seemed like a good option .......!!!!!
Not only is it NZ's highest mountain, but it is a particularly daunting and dangerous one, and was a little further down my list in the section "when more experienced". However I could not resist having a "look" and a summit would be excitement beyond belief. So after a botched sick call to work (we were rumbled on this one!) we headed down to Mt Cook village, 5 hours drive away. We (me, Axel, and Steve) drove from Cook Village down a four wheel drive track as far as we could go, and slept the night, rather uncomfortably, in the back of Axel's car. It was gone midnight when we got there, and after a few hours of rest (not sure we got much sleep!) we got up and headed off towards Cook. We had to walk over rough moraine and negotiate scree slopes with heavy packs. I had some nasty falls on the scree and was glad when we crossed Ball Glacier and headed up a rocky gully. We missed our route onto more scree and had to negotiate some steep rocky sections, ending up at the bottom of an ice-fall on Boys Glacier. It was 7pm by this point and we had no idea what lay ahead so we thought it would be safest to set up camp and start again in the morning. The terrain was rocky, but we built a platform for my alpine tent as best we could. We had no sleeping mats so the boys slept on their packs, and I made do with a layer of clothing. I made dinner while Steve got a crash course in glacier travel and self arrest. We had strategically placed our tent behind a rock to protect from the rock and ice fall. However right before bed we all looked up to the sound of cracking ice. Me and Axel ducked behind the rock, and Steve ran the other direction. A huge lump of ice had broken off the ice-fall and crashed over the rock that was protecting our tent! Slightly unnerved by this we all put on our helmets, and slept in them, and built up the rock wall around our tent still further.
A cold and restless night was to come, with three people in my two man alpine tent making sleep elusive! We woke early to get onto the glacier, moving along to the constant sound of rock and ice fall. We had come onto the glacier at the wrong level, so found ourselves trying to find a way around wide open crevasses. We ended up having to ice-climb down into crevasses and out the other side. It was slow progress. We eventually got onto the snow covered part of the glacier, making progress smoother and easier, as the crevasses were all linked by snow bridges. We got to boys col and looked up at the mighty face of Cook. It was so immense, so huge, so exciting! It made me realise that I had a lot of work to do before I was good enough for this!
We wanted to push on further but the route ahead was heavily crevassed, with it being so late in the season, and I'm sure our route up the mountain would have been the same. We did not know the mountain well enough to know if it was worth a shot, as we could not be sure of conditions or safe bivvy spots. The weather also looked like it was closing in, and it was a long way to plateau hut. We made the wise choice to return to the car. It would be a long walk out.
We descended along the correct route, which involved a steep descent on scree, made harder by heavy packs. on the way ac cross a steep scree slope, with a 70ft drop over a lip about twenty meters below me, I was knocked over by a loose rock which came flying down the slope. I couldn't get it off my leg so I was stuck! I was praying that I did not have a broken leg or anything, as that could have been disastrous. Luckily Steve was there and lifted the rock of my leg, it was fine, apart from a few bruises, and an injured knee all was well. It really knocked my confidence on the scree though, and I completely froze after that when crossing scree, something I need to work on, as its an integral part of mountaineering here!
We got back to the car late that evening, walking the last bit in the dark. We had no water, but plenty of beer, so we ate and drank, then slept. The next day we were all a bit sore, but packed our stuff and went and did some rock climbing a Sebastopol Bluffs. It had been an awesome trip, and one of the biggest learning experiences I have had in the mountains. This Trip has been invaluable, and has certainly spurred me on to get fitter and stronger, to carry MUCH less stuff (no more comfy pants ;-)) and to climb more mountains.
I will be back in the spring, for Mt Cook, take two! And one day, the Grand Traverse. Until then, I've got lots of work to do!

catch up - Kaiteriteri

2010-03-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

So, much time has passed and I have severly neglected my blog, which isn't really good enough at all. And its not as though there is nothing to tell, I've had some exciting trips so much to catch up on! So they will come in installments.... here's number one!
Back in March I had a weekend away with some friends from work, Chrissy and jamie, as it was the big 30 for Jamie, and some of their other friends came too. We went to Kaiteriteri, which is a tiny place on the north of the South Island, near Abel Tasman National Park and Nelson. Its a beautiful place, with golden sandy beaches and clear blue sea. We did some sea kayaking and saw seals and blue penguins, which was awesome! there was drinking a plenty and good times had by all. We were camping just a minutes walk from the beach so that was great. Bit of a long drive just for two nights, but the drive was through some beautiful scenery, through Lewis pass and up to the coast. Will definately need to go back, but for longer next time.
So I will leave you with this, and you can eagerly await blogs for Mount Cook (take one), and Kaikoura Coastal Track. Rest assured, I'm still here, and still having adventures! xx

West Coast Weekend!

2010-02-16T22:23:00.000-08:00

After finishing work at 5 on Sunday, Axel picked me up and we drove to Lake Pearson, on the way to Arthur's Pass. We found a good spot, off the beaten track, and set up camp. we had a great dinner of curry, and washed it down with a few beers, a great start to the weekend! We woke up in the morning and drove to the West Coast, passing coast to coast runners on the way through Arhtur's Pass. After Greymouth we stopped to pick up Axel's new kayak, then drove on to Punakaki. At punakaki there is a place called pancake rocks, where there are interesting layered rocks ( a bit of a tourist spot). We drove to Charlston and went for a walk up to caves where they do tours. The caves were closed, but not locked, so we snuck in with our head torches for a sneaky exploration! we ventured quite far in, and saw stalactites and stalagmites. We then heard voices in the distant cave, so made a swift exit! We ran out and luckily did not get caught! Shame we could not have explored more, but I have to admit, I was getting a bit worried that someone would come and lock the gates while we were in there!
We stumbled across a pile of large inner tubes on the way back down, used by the caving tours to do black water rafting (ie floating down a cave in the tube in the dark), we couldn't resist, and "borrowed" a couple, jumped in the river and tubed our way back down to the car, awesome! We obviously left them were they could be found and used again the next day.
That night we had dinner, and went to the local, and rather unfriendly, European Hotel for a beer, then returned to camp by the sea with a wine.
The next morning was bright and sunny, we set up a top roped and rappelled down a couple of sea cliff climbs, climbing back up them, in the sunshine. We only managed a couple of routes each before we had to leave for home, and night shifts again. A great weekend :-)

Mt Murchison 2408m

2010-02-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

1st-2nd Feb 2010
After finishing work on Sunday at 5, jumped in the car with Axel and Peter and we headed back to my second home, the CMC hut, Kennedy Lodge, in Arthur's Pass. We had some beers as we made plans, deciding on Mt Murchison, an easy climb but a long walk in and the highest peak in Arthur's Pass.
We got up and drove to the Bealey pub, where we left the car and walked in along the Waimakariri river bed, occasionally leaving the bed for forested areas. 15km into our walk we passed the Carrington hut, a large hut, where we had some lunch and a rest, and cached some stocks for the return trip. we carried on, boulder hopping along the white river, getting wet feet on the necessary crossings. After a while the river turns into a gorge, so we left the bed for steep scree and tussock slope on the true left. Hard work, especially with big packs! After a couple of hours we did some scrambling on loose scree/rock up to the Barker hut where we would spend the night. It was now 7.30 pm, a long day! We basked in the sun next to the hut. The hut is tiny, and perched high on rock, surrounded by huge mountains. You could see down the valley to Rolleston. The sky was blue, and we were happy to be resting, so we brought the matresses outside and made a fantastic couch, with the best view in the world. We drank a little bourbon, and ate dinner, chatting into the night. The sky was so clear, with millions of stars, and a bright moon that lit up the snow on the mountains around us. The sunset over Rolleston was amazing. It was a mild night so Axel and I slept out under the stars in our sleeping bags. An awesome experience.
We woke at 5am and set off up Murchison. it was an easy snow plod up a moderately steep slope, with some loose rock to climb at the end. We took a bit of a detour, and gave ourselves a slightly more challenging, and way more fun, rock route. On the summit you could see for miles and miles you could even see Mt Cook, and the sea of the west coast. It was one of my favorite moments ever. It was perfect, perfect blue skies, and mountains as far as the eye could see. I really felt that this was exactly what I came to NZ for.
Happily we descended after lunch, bum sliding the slopes (avoiding the crevasses!) and practiced a bit of ice-axe self arrest. Back at the hut, we packed up and began our long walk out. After four hours we reached the Carrington Hut, and picked up the rest of our food, but decided to walk the remaining 15km out that night. It went on forever! We happily reached the Bealey pub at 9.20 pm, had some beers and went back to the CMC hut. We didn't even manage much bourbon before falling asleep! What a fantastic couple of days.

Arthurs Pass, 2 Scots, a Pom and a Kiwi!

2010-02-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Andy is leaving NZ so we decided to take a trip to Arthur's pass, with his mate Magnus and our friend hayley from work. We headed off Sunday 24th Jan to the CMC hut, had dinner and a few drinks that night. Hayley joined us at 6.30 am th next morning, and we all set off, after a good brekkie, to Avalanche Peak. It was a beautiful day, and we followed Scott's track up through the bushline, through tussock and on to a rocky ridge. From here the summit was gained by all, after a little encouragement.....
The views from the top were amazing. Rolleston looked beautiful as always, and you could see Murchison and Franklin in the distance. The boys chose to carry on around the ridge to Mt Bealey, but Hayley, whose first ever mountain it was (Yey) and I went back down the way we came.
Tired but satisfied we had dinner drinks, and games that night at the hut. Next morning we took it easy, had an ice-cream, and a walk to devil's punchbowl waterfalls. Me and Andy went for a run, and we spent the rest of the day basking in the sun. We went out to the "wobbly Kea" for tea and a glass of wine.
The next day the boys were leaving for the west coast. Hayley walked the Bealey track and I raced to the top of Avalanch peak and back in under three hours, just to see if I was fit enough, as I am now officially entered in the Routeburn Classic, a 32km cross country run in the fjiordland mountains!
We has an ice cream and headed home, for a good rest before an early the next day. An awesome few days :-)

Mount Rolleston 14th Jan 2010

2010-01-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

It was with great excitement that I packed up my car for my first NZ Alpine trip! I met a guy called Peter over the mountaineering club website and we decided to climb together. He has twenty years alpine experience but has not done much for years, so after warning about my relative inexperience we decided that a trip up Rolleston would be a good first go. I hadn't met him before I went to his house to pick him up, so I didn't really know what to expect. It turns out he was a famous alpinist in his day, putting up first ascents all over the Cook region, including some tough lines on Cook and Sefton. Seems I would be learning from a master! A friend from work, Axel, also decided to come along, having done lots of climbing and mountaineering back at home in America.
We drove off to Arthurs Pass, arriving late and finding ourselves locked out of the hut! A bit of detective work meant that we avoided a bivvy on the porch and got inside the hut. Although tired and ready for bed, a few bourbons seemed like a good idea, and it turned into a 3am bedtime. We had a leisurely start at 8am, and set off for Rome Ridge on Rolleston. Rolleston is a beautiful mountain, clearly seen from the pass, and from Avalanche Peak, which I have climbed before. The initial walk up through the forest and out of the bushline was a bit of a slog, but didn't last long, and we found ourselves on steepening rock. We eventually roped together, moving over loose rock placing anchors where possible. At one point we had to leave the ridge and descend a steep snow slope, with a climb up the other side on snow, to avoid a steep rock section. The weather looked like it was closing in and that we would loose our beautiful blue skies! We commit ed to the ridge by climbing a steep rock step however, as Peter knew the mountain well and we had a clear descent plan. We carried on in light rain, cloud and wind, and eventually reached the final snow slope leading to the peak. I led this last bit, and we happily arrived at the top of the ridge! It was great to be there, but we didn't linger as there was still to come a descent down the steep snow of the Otira Slide. I cant say I wasn't a little scared! Steep snow, and I couldn't see the bottom. Getting down was a relief, but it had been an amazing experience! We walked out of the Otira valley, and still further down a road to the car. Tired but happy, we went back to the hut, for food, wine, and more Jim Beam!
We had a lie in in the morning, Peter slept til midday, so me and Axel went for a couple of beers at the "wobbly Kea", we then packed up and drove to castle hill for a little play on the rocks on the way home.
Back to Christchurch just in time to pick up some red wine and get an early night, before an early shift in the morning. A fantastic few days, absolutely awesome....absolutely knackered!

Tramping at Nelson Lakes

2009-12-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

On Thursday morning me, Mel and Jon left Christchurch Public Hospital after a night shift, and jumped in the car (a couple of strong coffees later!) to drive north-east to Nelson Lakes National Park. Luckily Jon had managed to get a few hours sleep on his shift so he was happy to drive. We stopped at Murchison, NZ's white water centre, for a lovely lunch and a coffee in the cafe, then on to our destination, near lake Rotoroa. We set off after debating an overnight camp to sleep off the night shift. We walked up the Mole track which followed forest then river bed up to Mole hut. It took about three hours and was about 7pm when we got there. Mole hut is a small four bedded hut, seen in my pictures. It did not have a fire but was fairly warm. We were joined by a man who had come up to the hut for a few day to hunt deer, and so we quickly befriended him, thinking that fresh venison go down a treat! Was not to be though, we probably scared the deer off with all the noise and giggling! Anyway, we were all so tried, so we had a brew, cooked some pasta and settled down to our first hut sleep! Which was surprisingly good I have to say, probably thanks to having been up for more than 24hrs!
Next day we got up at six, faffed around til 8 (how did that happen!)and then set off with our packs. We climbed up to mole tops, my favorite bit of the trip. Up on the hill tops you could see mountains all around, and not another soul for miles. We dumped our packs and climbed to the top of a rocky outcrop and along a beautiful ridge line. There were small tarns all around, and snow on the distant mountains still. We left the tops for a dubious descent down Bull Creek, a track no longer maintained by Department of Conservation (DOC), scarred with landslide. It was mainly following a river (wet feet again, an integral part of NZ tramping!), boulder-hopping and wading, leaving the river for bush every known again. It was slow going, and hard on the knees. I have to say, I was getting rather fed up by the end! At the bottom, we followed the river along for another hour or so to our next hut, D'Urville hut. Part of the path was flooded so we partly waded there. The hut was bigger, with 12 bunks, and a fire. It also had running water. There was a party of 3 fishermen there, making the most of a weekend by the lake, lake Rotoroa. We had another great pasta dinner, then were soooo tired, we went off to bed. We had been walking for 11 hours.
Next morning we didn't leave til gone 9. It was raining so we put on our waterproofs, squeezed back into our wet shoes and set of down the Tiruamea path, even more flooded this morning! The water was freezing so cold toes and legs all round. We walked to the Tiruamea hut for lunch, a lovely 6 bunk hut with a fire. We had some lunch then carried on for a long slog of a climb out of the forest onto meadow land. Thank goodness for lollipops and flapjacks! We topped out a few hours later and made a decision to continue down to the car and get back a day early. The trck down to the car took a while to find, and in the rain and mist we almost decided to return to the nearby Mole hut and walk out the next day. However after being mislead by a confusing sign, we found our intended route, Jamieson track, and decided to take a gamble. It was 4pm by then, and there had been a sign at the bottom saying it took 5 hours, but luckily it was a good track of steady descent along the ridge of a spur. We got down in three, by 7pm. Yey! ten hours walking today! I stayed with the packs (sensible) while Mel and Jon ran back to the car (silly). 20mins later we were all in the car and changed into dry clothes. To our great excitement the cafe in murchison was still open, so we had a great feed, brought coffees for the road and just caught the petrol station before it shut. Me and Mel shared the driving, we were all tired so played games the whole way back to avoid a sleepy driver! Home by 1am, tired, sore, and definitely thinking that Mel + Jon + tramping does not equal a relaxing country break! Thanks though guys, definitely character building! x

Camping at Gore Bay

2009-12-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

5th December 2009
My first NZ camping trip! Went camping in Gore Bay on the East coast, just a two hour drive from Christchurch. Gore Bay is a tiny bay, with a scattering of holiday homes and a small campsite. Its has a beautiful, long sandy beach and is the perfect place for a relaxing weekend away. We borrowed some camping stuff and packed up the car. It was Dyllan's first camping trip so we only planned to stay for one night. She seemed excited though, and loved playing on the air mattress in the tent. We went for a walk along the beach and played in the waves, although we weren't brave enough for a swim, just a paddle. The water was pretty cold! The sun was shinning though and it was lovely and warm. We had a few beers at the campsite that night.
The next day we drove to Hanmer Springs and had a look around, meeting up with James' mum and sister for lunch. Hanmer is a small town in Lewis Pass with hot thermal pools. No time for that today though, as I was starting nights on the Sunday night (again!). But a good weekend, summer is definitely here!
xx

Kayaking at Akaroa

2009-11-29T22:51:00.000-08:00

27th November 2009
Today I was up at the crack of dawn (yes, 6.30 on my day off!)to go kayaking! At 7 (well, nearer half past) I turned up at Mel and Jon's house to pick them up for our outing. We were headed for Akaroa, a small town on the Banks Peninsula an hours drive from home. Its a beautiful harbour village, surrounded by hills. Although the day was a bit over cast, we were excited about our little adventure. Although the car was in fine form, and my driving to its usual standard, apparently Mel and Jon were not that impressed, and its not only my mum that gets sick on my driving :-(
However the upside was that we were there within an hour and ready to go.
Mel and Jon got a double and I got a single and with some advice about which way to go and not crossing the harbour we were let loose!
We headed out towards the mouth of the harbour first, keeping an eye out for penguins and dolphins, but the weather turned windy and the sea choppy so we decided to explore the other way, rather than being further exposed to the elements. We headed beyond Akaroa Harbour and crossed the harbour (naughty, naughty!) to the other side and a place called French Farm. Mid way we carried out an impressive off-shore kayak shuffle, with me and John elegantly swapping places without capsizing.
Its surprisingly hard being at the back of a double kayak, having to co-ordinate strokes of the paddle, steering and chatting to Mel, all at once! On the way over, we saw dolphins! They were so beautiful, swimming right near the kayaks. We only saw a couple, but it was so special, just us in the water and these beautiful creatures.
We stopped for lunch, a lovely picnic of home-made pizza and other goodies. Feeling tired, we headed back to Akaroa, after nearly six hours on the water, and lots of laughing!
We had a quick change and a coffee in Akaroa, before heading back to Christchurch. Very, very tired, and very, very sore!
But a great day, thanks Mel and Jon.

Avalanche Peak (but no avalanches!)

2009-11-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

The big news is that I have actually used my ice-axe and crampons that carried all the way over here and hadn't used! Yey! I had had a good weekend, been walking in the port hills on the saturday with a girl called Laurayne, who I met through the mountaineering club. We are keen to get out and about together so fingers crossed! The weather on Sunday was not as good as expected so me and James put our castle Hill bouldering trip on hold, and had a walk in the port hills, once the weather had picked up a bit. On Monday I had the day off so I packed my rucksack and headed to Arthurs pass. I had decided to climb Avalanche Peak, a peak of 1833m. I was on my own so I chcked in and left my intentions at the visitor centre, and made sure I had enough stuff with me should I get injured or stranded, as the weather was pretty awful when I set off. The way was well marked though and wound up through trees and scrub for the first hour or two. The sun came out as I began walking, and as I left the bush line only the tops of the mountains were in cloud. Once the bush line fell away the gradient became gentler and patches of snow became evident. The cloudds had now completely lifted, and I got great views of the mountains, Rolleston in particular. The last bit followed a ridgeline, with snow and rock, so I got Alice (my trusty ice-axe!) out, as a slip would've been disasterous without her. The snow was steep and stopping a slide would've been difficult. I reached the summit in blue skies and sunshne and took in the fantastic views. I had some lunch on the summit, and was joined by a kea, a mountain parrot, know for its appetite and cheeky tricks to get food off tourists! I left the summit after lunch, and wore my crampons for the descent. It had been a great day, and a successful summit, all bit it a little one!

Mount Cook Trip!

2009-10-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all, have just come back from a fantastic weekend road trip to Mt Cook. Me, James, Becks, Gary and Dyllan headed off on Friday evening for Fairlie, about half way to Cook, to break the journey at Gary's mum's house. We left for Cook the following lunch time, stopping off at the beautiful lake Tekapo and The Church of the Good Shepherd, a place I have been to before, but that I still love going to. A tiny chruch perched on the edge of a beautiful lake, with mountains all around it. We then drove up to an observatory to get a better view of the Southern Alps. On the drive to Cook Village you go past lake Pukaki, a turquoise-blue glacial lake, and on a clear day, you can see Mount Cook Accross the waters. We were so lucky to get this view that day. It was so amazing, possibly my favorite view in the world! So exciting to see Cook, and think that one day I might stand on top of it. I could have stayed there all day looking at that view, but we pressed on to find our cabin in the glentanner complex. We had a tiny cabin, bit of a squeeze with four of us and a baby! But really cosy. We sat out in the sun with a glass of wine and watched a beautiful sunset over Cook.
The next day we headed into Mt Cook village for a look around the visitor centre, and had a lazy day in the sunshine. We did a couple of short walks in th hooker valley, and had a drive down the Tasman Valley, but mainly just took in the beautiful surroundings. A couple of cold beers in the Mt Cook bar went down a treat, and we had a little nosy around the village, finding a campsite from which to base our next adventure. We'd love to come back soon, for a bit longer and do some of the walks in the area, with a hut stay overnight, and I hope to come back to the region with the mountaineering club too.
Back to the cabin for some dinner and a sherry! The boys went hunting that night, and me and Becks chilled at the cabin.
We were lucky enough to have great weather all weekend, until we left and the clouds and rain came. We popped in to Gary's mum's on the way back again, but we had a tired baby to get home, and an even more tired Angela, who had to go do a night shift!
Cant wait to go back!

catching up...

2009-10-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hey, just thought I ought to get you up to speed on what's been going on, its been a while since i updated my blog, and I hate for you all to think that I'd forgotten you! The weather has been a bit more iffy over the last few weeks, the sunshine has been interspersed with some heavy rain, and even snow! This had put paid to a couple of climbing trips unfortunately, as has work. Boo to working weekends! I have decided to cut down my hours at work anyway, so long as finance allows, so more free time makes Ange a very happy girlie indeed!
Anyway, the last few weeks I've been out into the Port Hills climbing once, at a sport crag called Britten Crag at Mount Pleasant, with Sarah and Brett. I ended up climbing next to famous mountaineer Stephen Venables! How exciting. Me and James also had a look at Castle Rock, another great looking crag in the port hills, which we will save for a sunny day!
I've been exploring the local area a bit more, with a drive to Diamond Harbour the weekend before last (forgot the camera though, sorry!!!). Its a beautiful little harbour on the banks penninsular, just a short drive from the city, a great place to hang out and chill, and a very scenic drive there. I've also been exploring the shops! (suprise, suprise)mainly to stock up on camping gear for our next adventure!
Not a lot of other news, been planning trips to Fjiordland and Southland for next year, and have a long weekend in Mt Cook Village next weekend, so watch this space for great pics of beautiful scenery (fingers crossed for the weather!!)
Oh and I wont go into too much detail but there may have been a small tree climbing episode after a few too many wines, all good practise you understand, and very elegantly done I'm sure! Thank God we definately did NOT have the camera then!!
I hope all are well back home, missing you lots but having far too much fun to come home, so I hope you are all saving for your tickets to NZ....
xxxx

Weekend of fun!

2009-09-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

So my 2 weeks of permanent late shift are over! Yey, this called for a weekend of serious fun. After a much needed lie in and a considerable period of indecision (this wont be a surprise for some!) me and James jumped into Blackie for an afternoon drive to Akaroa. Akaroa is a small town on the coast, about an hours drive from Christchurch its made up of a few shops, bars and cafes, and a beautiful bay surrounded by hills. There is also a cheese factory on the way in, so a stop off was essential to buy the smelliest, most mouldy cheese to take back to Rebecca! Yum! James was lucky enough to be able to drive Blackie (not just any old person gets to be so privileged!), mainly so I could take in the beautiful views on the drive in, as they were a bit of a distraction whilst driving!
Akaroa is a beautiful and peaceful place to spend the day. We had a wander along the edge of the bay to the lighthouse watching the boats out on the water, and had a glass of wine in a bar on the waterfront. Relaxing!
After a scenic drive back to Christchurch we had a few (and a few more) drinks with my new house mates, Nick and Amelia, they are lovely people and it was nice to actually have some time to spend with them. We had a great night, probably too good, as we had a castle hill trip the next day! And I had a brand new bouldering mat to try out, another good trade-me find.
Sunday morning was sunny and bright, so it was time to rehydrate, take some paracetamol and try and feel keen for a bouldering trip to castle hill! We went with Hamish, Paddy and Oscar again, and were joined by some others who I hadn't met before. Everyone was lovely, we had a good play around on the boulders. I didn't do anything too spectacular, but James managed a particularly tricky crack problem that he couldn't do last time, so he was pleased. The crash mat worked and there were no new injuries, it served particularly well as a mat to sunbathe on, as we spend a good part of the day chilling out in the sun, having a doze and enjoying the view. Still ache a bit today though, so obviously I did do something worthwhile out there!
Now I'm all set for a week of nights, and I have been persuaded into a charity speed climbing event! How exciting, its on Friday so will keep you posted on how that goes!

More Bouldering!

2009-09-06T04:14:00.001-07:00

Today me and James went to Castle Hill for a day of bouldering (and sunbathing!) After a leisurely start to the day we jumped into Blackie and headed to Castle Hill. Blackie did well on the open road and got us there safely. The sun was shinning, and it was really warm. We worked on quite a few problems, a couple that I had tried last time came fairly easily to me and we did some good tricky new ones. Much to my dismay James seemed to be overtaking me in bouldering ability, pulling off some good moves and doing some challenging problems. I had a great time though, and after a shaky start to the day (another Angela freaking out near the top moment - sorry James!) I did some fun problems, with not too much crying involved, lots of power screams and some great dynos! (that's a running jump to grab the first hold to those who are wondering!). There was a healthy amount of lying in the sun, basking in the glorious weather and taking in the beautiful snow-capped mountains around us. We drove home to a home cooked roast, courtesy of Rebecca (with a little help from Gary!) then a glass of red before bed.

A fantastic day, thanks James!

Settling in!

2009-08-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well, another week has passed, work is going really well, and I'm making lots of friends. The most exciting news of all is that I've brought a car! A lovely shiny Toyota Caldina, the most expensive thing I've ever brought. I feel all grown up to have a proper car, its huge so will fit plenty of gear (and friends!) in it, and there's room to sleep in it, fully stretched out, with the back seats down. So this is the key to my freedom, and the start of my NZ adventures. I also move into a new house tommorrow, with Nick and Amelia. Nick is a fire fighter, and Amelia (his girlfriend) works for the police. They live in Merivale, a lovely suburb close to the city, with plenty of nice shops, cafes and bars. So fingers crossed, it should be fun! I'm sad to leave Vera's though, everyone has been so good to me and its really helped me to settle in to life in NZ. I'll still be seeing lots of them though, me and James climb together, and we all have plans for trips to Mt Cook village and a Kayak trip to Abel Tasman National Park in summer. Plus I'll still pop round for coffee and a catch up as much as possible. I'll miss it here lots, but I feel that moving into a place of my own will be a good step towards putting down some roots and making new friends. So a big weekend for me, making my first steps towards independence (again!). Now I just want all my stuff to be shipped over, so that I can make my new room homely and comfortable. I'm missing the folks at home lots, so the sooner I settle in the better. Apart from that, I'm having the most fantastic time, I feel so happy to be in NZ! Miss you guys at home though! xx

Trans-Alpine Train

2009-08-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

22nd August 2009.

Me, Rebecca, James and Gary set off a 8am to catch the trans-alpine train. Bit of an early start for a non-work day really, but I was very excited about the day ahead. Its basically a train trip across the Southern Alps, via Arthurs Pass, to Greymouth on the west coast, from Christchurch, on the east coast. The scenery was amazing, a great opportunity to sit back and take in the views, without running the risk of crashing the car! We crossed the cantebury plains and climbed into the mountains, with our picnic of Brie and crackers, very civilised!

Four and a half hours later we arrived in Greymouth. We only had an hour in Greymouth, but the sun was shinning, so we sat in a pub garden and enjoyed a cold beer.

More beers on the way back set us up nicely for a night out in Christchurch, me, James and Becks went out, and a couple of people from work joined us, as well as a couple of James' friends from work. So met some new people, and had a great night out.

My First NZ Sumit! (just a baby one though!)

2009-08-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Me and Sarah had made some big plans for some alpine climbing this weekend, however the weather was not on our side, and avalanche risk too great (see Mum, safety first!). We decided to do a small peak named Mount Thomas, just 45 mins drive away. It was rainy and grey in Christchurch, so we packed our waterproofs (and sadly left our crampons and ice-axes behind). We went with Carolyn, one of Sarah's friends, who is breaking herself back into hiking gently, following ankle problems. We set off in light rain, and followed the trail through beautiful forest up to a col, where we branched off up a gentle, rounded ridgeline to the summit. As we approached the final Kilometer, the trees fell away to open hillside, with patches of snow. The cloud disipated, and we had sunshine! We had climbed above the cloud, and were in bright blue sky with warm sun. We talked about how amazing it is that you can set off in poor conditions, and have no idea of what awaits you at the top of the hill. So many times you might decide not to climb that day, and miss out on such a treat. Just that small hill of 1026m had completely different weather to the valley below it. We had lunch on the summit, and left just as the cloud began to reach us. We walked back down into the mist. The way back down was quick, but my boots were playing up again (actually, I think its my feet that are the problem!), so I actually walked some of the descent in bare feet. The gorse and stones became too much though, and on went the boots for the last bit. All in all, a fab day, and a new friend too! Back home for a glass of wine :-)

Bouldering at Castle Hill

2009-08-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

8th August 2009. I went bouldering at Castle Hill with Hamish, a guy from work who was living at Vera's until at little while ago. His partner Paddy and their three year old son Oscar came along, and had many adventures amongst the boulders, being secret agents and hunting dragons! It was a beautiful day, blue sky, and really warm. Castle hill is a hillside littered with boulders so its a really great place to chill for the day, with the snow covered Southern Alps as a back drop. The rock is like nothing I've climbed on before, rounded and smooth, with very little friction. Fun? Surely not then? But it was briliant! Never one to shy away from a challenge I tackled a few problems, while Hamish waited patiently for me to get it together, man up, and make the moves! I had a few trademark moments of "this is scary, get me out of here!" (bit silly really, was only a couple of meters up!), and I didn't quite manage to hide the fear in my voice through a particularly smooth, exposed top out, but it was great fun, and I managed a few good problems. Loss of control in what was supposed to be a climb down, but ended up as a sack-of-potatoes-being-thrown-off-the-top-of-a-boulder type move has left me with a sore bum and Hamish with the lesson learned that Angela is never really in control, so expect the unexpected! It was a fantastic day. Hamish is a great climber, and made everything look so graceful and easy, so I was appreciative of his instruction, he did some great problems, that I wouldn't even try. But hey, he does have a few years more experience than me, I live in hope! That night I went out with James, Vera's son, and we met up with his brother, his brothers' girlfriend and some of their mates, my first night out in Christchurch! It was great, but I was in bed by one as had to be at work for 06.30 the next morning! Boo!

2009-08-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met up with a girl called Sarah, who is looking for a climbing partner too. She climbs a lot with her boyfirend Brett who is a trad climber, but is wants to do lots of alpine stuff. So obviously I jumped at the chance. We seem to be about the same level, and have similar aspirations so its looking good! So we decided to head into the hills. We went to a farmers market at lyttleton, then walked back over the hills to their house. Walking over the hills the views were stunning. One way you have the bays and then the ocean, the other way you could see across the plains of Christchurch to the beautiful Southern Alps, stunning! After lunch the three of us set off to Repaki Crag for some climbing. The weather was fantastic, I actually ended up climbing in my sports bra, as it was so warm! (Better weather than the UK summer even?! - sorry guys!). It was spectacular. A great day, finished off nicely with fish and chips. It was a great start to my NZ climbing career. I led a fairly easy grade 12 climb (with some encouragement to do a mantel finish, relying on my old enemy the cam!) and seconded a 12 and a 17. It was fun climbing, with interesting rock, and plenty of protection, I still need to work on getting braver though!
All in all, a fab day!

Trip to the Mountains

2009-07-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

So the first few days have gone well, done the boring organisation stuff, and spent (too much!) money on stuff like mountaineering boots! I decided I should drive out for my first close-up view of the mountains. Hamish and Paddy, a couple who live with Vera also, said I could borrow their car whilst they were away for a few days, so I had a test drive to the supermarket. It took me a while to figure that the reason the car was making a horiffic noise and not going far was because the hand brake was on! But after that it was a smooth ride (I could get used to an automatic!). So the next day I put on my walking boots and got in the car. Arthurs pass is about 2hours away and the drive was incredible. The snow-covered mountaions looked beautiful, so enticing! If you know me at all you'll know its just not good for me to be that distracted whilst driving! But hey, got there in one piece. The NZ roads are so emptey and clear, there is just not that much stuff to crash into. Perfect for a scatterbrain like me ;-)

Once in Arthurs Pass the weather turned from clear to grey and rainy. Typical mountain weather. But what a great excuse to eat cake and drink coffee in the "Wobbly Kea" cafe. Well, need to break the new boots in gently!!

On the way back I stopped at Castle Hill. This is a hillside covered with hundreds of boulders, a climber and boulderers paradise! Literally thousands of bouldering problems, and over 300 bolted climbs. I can't wait to get going!

And best of all, I had a response to my internet plea for a climbing partner, a girl called Sarah, so off out to the hills this weekend. No major mountaineering routes, as avalanche risk is high so its just too dangerous :-( But the mountains will wait, plenty of hills to be going on with.....

Goodbye UK

2009-07-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it was mixed feelings to be going, I was so excited to be fulfilling my dream of moving to NZ, a new life was waiting for me, where I could climb mountains and achieve my greatest climbing ambitions. However this meant saying goodbye to all of my family and friends, who mean the world to me. I'm so lucky to have such great people around me, so am a crazy to say goodbye?
I have many promises of visits and reunions, and I think I'm probably doing people a favour, who wouldn't want to visit nz?!
The flight was fine, premium economy so pretty luxurious, even a cheese course after dinner, served with port! Fantastic! Flying down from Auckland to Christchurch I looked out of the window. I had a huge smile on my face, as the morning was clear and the early sun was glistening of the snow that covered the mountains as far as the eye can see. The Southern alps were stunning, and filled me with excitement!
Anyway, here I am, staying with a lovely lady called vera, who has lots of lodgers, and a son who also lives with her, so I am not short of company. Its friendly and relaxed. One of the guys here has done lots of climbing and mountaineering, so I've been bending his ear for tips and advice.
I've had a wander into town, and seen my new A&E department, it looks so big and shiny and new (sorry RLH, but its a different world!) they have up to 20 nurses on shift (13 at night) and they only see 75,000 patients a year!
Anyway, I'll keep you updated, and will leave you with a poem, which may explain the reason for the title of my bog:

Only a hill.

Only a hill, the earth set a little higher above the face of earth,
a larger view of little fields and roads,
Higher still, to clouds and silence.
What is that to you? Only a hill.
But all of life to me
Up there between the sunset and the sea.

xxx