Heights of Winter

Heights of Winter is a Rogaining (orienteering) event. You get a map in the beginning with a bunch of different points on it spread over many kilometers. Each check point is worth a different value based on how hard it is to get to. Teams are 2-5 people- my team was just me and my friend Chantal from the tramping club. We started off with my 3 office mates from the university, but they soon took off to get some of the more difficult check points. We spent over an hour in a densely forested gully looking for a check point that wasn't even worth that much (and we never did find it)! Anyways, it was an adventure.

Mount Hutt

Today was our first day of skiing/snowboarding in NZ. We went to Mount Hutt for which we both have mid-week season passes. (They are a pretty good deal for students, especially if you purchase them way before the season starts. I got mine for just $270 NZD during Uni welcome week). Mount Hutt is about 1.5 hours from Christchurch, and it is one of seven ski hills that are within approximately that distance. It is the biggest though, and one of the few (maybe the only?) that has chairlifts. The rest have these fast moving tow ropes for which you need a special harness. One day we'll check them out.
The conditions today were excellent. Mt Hutt got 52 cm of snow yesterday! The visibility was reduced though. In fact, at the top of the hill there really was no visibility, except pure whiteness. So I didn't get too many photos. Had it been a clear day it would have been some of the best conditions we've ever seen. Well, we'll be back several times.
The road to Mt Hutt is great up until about 8 km before the hill. Then you have to go pretty much straight up- and it is narrow, windy, slippery and there are no road blocks between you and a cliff. You have to have chains on your front tires on most days or they won't let you go up. (Luckily, most people drive slow).

Korwlai-Torlesse and Kura Tawhiti

Kura Tawhiti (Castle Hill)

Korwlai-Torlesse

Another weekend with the Christchurch tramping club. On Saturday we hiked up to the peaks in Kowlai-Torlesse Tussocks Parkland. There were some pretty nice views from up there. We experienced 3 seasons in one day, with the weather changing drastically from one side of the mountain to the next. Then we headed to Arthur's pass where the club owns a hut (which is really a cabin in the town) and celebrated mid-winter Christmas. No turkey in these parts- just ham and roast beef with a bunch of different root vegetables (of which several I had never heard of before). On the way home from Arthurs pass we stopped at Kura Tawhiti which has spectacular limestone boulders (apparently some of the best bouldering in the world- and the Chronicles of Narnia was filmed nearby). I'll be back when the weather is nicer!

Kahikatea

Kahikatea

Riccarton Bush is really a forest- one of the last completely natural forest areas that wasn't deforested in the city of Christchurch. It's hard to believe that this province was once covered in such dense, tall trees. The tallest is the Kahikatea. Actually it's the tallest type of tree in New Zealand (currently the tallest one alive is 56 m). The ones in this forest are over 40 m high, and are 300-600 years old. I learned that it's easy to tell the difference between non-native and native trees in the fall and winter- the native ones keep their leaves year round while almost all introduced deciduous species (from Europe) turn colour and lose their leaves.

Heaphy Track and Karamea Area

Inside one of the limestone caves

Rimu Trees

Ocean at Karamea

Charming Creek Waterfall

Walk to Moria's Gate arch

Inside Moria's Gate Arch

Oparara's Arch

Along the Heaphy Track

Nikau Palms

This past weekend was the Queen's Birthday weekend (a long weekend similar to the Victoria Day weekend). I went to the west coast with the Christchurch Tramping Club. It was an excellent trip- it's so hard to believe that in just 4 hours your arrive at the other side of the island with such different geography! On the first day we did a portion of the Heaphy track which is one of New Zealand's great walks- and the scenery was fantastic. The forest was all Nikau palms. The next day we went to Oparara's arch and Moria Gate arch (the name is inspired by the Arch of Moria in Lord of the Rings). They are natural limestone tunnels formed by the Oparara River. The forest here was different again- very tropical. We also checked out some really huge deep caves, which also had glowworms. On the way home we did an hour's hike to huge waterfall as well as a couple 20 minute walks. Brad also had a wonderful weekend doing what he loves- golfing.