For the record, about 10 minutes to bag tag, drop off and get from taxi to lounge in QT airport.
NZ 2022
- Thread starter BMWRX
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You'll take off to the west. Do a hard left turn and fly along the lake to the south lake gaining height.
Then a sharp right around Devil's Staircase.
Cardrona today, bluebird morning, hardpacked groomers with some icy sections in the afternoon as the wind came up. Got a little crowded when whitestar Express chair was down for an hour or so but was great fun. Tomorrow is looking a bit dodgy but looks like maybe 20cm incoming overnight.Brief trip report. Just returned from an epic 3 days at Methven and Hutt.
Outgoing flight on Thursday evening was with Air NZ, my 3 mates all with Qantas. Lost 1 before the trip even started because he was due to connect from CBR 90 mins before CHC left SYD and the connecting flight was late (not sure why he took such a chance given current domestic flight issues but lesson learned). It was better for him to cancel unfortunately. Not overly impressed with my Air NZ experience – no meal and hardly anything free on the entertainment system. Felt a bit like Jetstar. Perhaps I was spoilt by my last Air NZ experience (SYD – EZE in business in 2019!). Yes I’m aware it’s a different world now! Anyway, landed in CHC at midnight got bags and then waited in the customs queue for 2 hrs because 4 flights arrived at the same time from oz, and there were 3 customs officials. This is the end of the negative stuff, from there on it got much better! Car hire through budget a breeze, and the drive to Methven was easy. Got there at 3.30am.
Accom at Ski Time in Methven was superb. About A$200 per room per night for 3 adults sharing. Food, service, bar etc were great. Cant recommend the place highly enough. I had the lamb shanks and then venison on another evening. Lovely local pinot accompanying with a few other nice wines and good IPA’s consumed.
Getting up to Mt Hutt each day was pretty easy, once you get over the sketchiness of the access road. I’d done it once solo about 15 years ago but had wiped the road from my memory. First day on mountain was Friday with a late start arriving at 10.30. Very little crowds and beautiful sunny day. Snow quality great on-piste, heavy and almost unrideable off. Spent most of the day just lapping the 6 seater summit chair which offers an excellent vertical and great terrain from all sides. Also worked up to some of the mid sized kickers throughout the day. Hutt has a nice and flowy terrain park with well constructed jumps.
Saturday we came prepared for a weekend, arriving on mountain by 8.15 but that still wasn’t early enough to make the upper car park so shuttle from the lower car park necessary. On mountain for 8.50am for 9am lift start (first tracks is on from 8-9). Much cloudier and cooler day. Starting snowing lightly around lunch, pretty much dumping by 3pm but vis was bad and I stupidly only had my grey lenses. Still rode through to almost close (my mates were done an hour earlier so patiently waited for me in the bar!).
Snowed all night and we woke early (albeit very hungover) to a snow covered Methven yesterday and the news that Hutt had received 40cms but there was no chance of them opening until lunch. Devastated but understandable! Snow covered road, avie danger etc. We waited, like many in the town and I started to look to see if the clubbies were an option but no different really, also delayed openings. So I went for a snowy jog around the town to get some energy out while the lads slept off the hangovers. Decided at 10ish, following a helpful tip from the guy in Big Al’s ski shop to get our ar$ses up in the queue at the gates. This was an excellent tip but we sat there for 2.5 hrs waiting in the car queue. Finally at 1.30pm the gates opened and it was carnage with the anticipation of the mountain opening to a bluebird day with 40cm’s of fresh. We were about the 50th car in the queue, so got up there about 2.15pm (it was a slow drive). I hate to think what happened if you didn’t make the top car park as they couldn’t clear the bottom one. Must have been some devastated punters that I felt for as they would have been turned around i guess. The mountain staff did an epic job getting it ready though so full credit to them.
I did not come into this trip with expectations of a powder day like this but those 3hrs yesterday arvo was some of the best riding I’ve had in oz or NZ. Truly special.
Returned to Methven smiling and with very exhausted back legs but feeling amazing. For our final day I’d booked us into the Tranquillity hot springs (Opuke pools). Reminded me a bit of the Japan onsens far more luxurious – being NZ wasn’t extortionate ($59 NZ for 2 hrs) but it was well worth it. Highly recommend, but you need to pre-book. Its popular.
Then drove back to CHC last night and slept for a few hours at the Jucy pod hostel next to the airport. More than sufficient for 4 hrs sleep before getting up at 1am (oz time) this morn for our 6am NZ flight. Flew home on Qantas it was significantly better than my Air NZ flight. Lovely breakfast, smiling attendants and a good entertainment system (I watched Class Action Park, recommend it). Tired af now but stoked on a fantastic trip. I’ll be returning. I'd ridden the Q'Town resorts only a few years ago, but I genuinely dont know why I bothered when Hutt is so good. I guess QT is a great ski town though. I'm sure others love Remarks and CP but they didnt really interest me. We only considered Hutt because we have the Ikon Passes and i'm delighted we did.
Some pics below. Good one of me stacking head first into the pow which I'll try to edit and attach soon.
That goods lift you remember got upgraded to A passenger lift some time ago (maybe 15 years ago?).
Yeah BR seem to have constant problems with the tram the last few years.
One of my best skiing days there. Snow was good but not great, like 10cm fresh or so, but we had met almost everyone on the hill the night before, awesome night drinking and hanging out in the lodge with snow falling among the beech outside, locals showed us the sauna. There was good powder farming discipline and staggered opening by patrol so it was fresh tracks. All. Day.
The rope tows are murderous though and surely can't survive as a 'thing' that people are allowed to use for much longer in this day and age, even with the ACCrope tows are a great crowd filter, cheaper than helicopters and easier on the legs than skinning. I reckon there would be more acc claims from chair lifts and slipping over on the cafe deck.I can't believe I have missed this thread!
I realised I had the OP on ignore - no idea how that happened - certainly not intentional. I have my own TR thread but will now certainly keep an eye on this one.BTW I arrived in Wellington on Saturday and will be making my way down to Wanaka next weekend.2nd day of skiing in NZ. Had a very enjoyable morning up at remarkables, bit of a crowd but not as packed as I was expecting. Snow was still in good shape and managed to find a few nice pockets of wind blown freshies!
Looks like my career at Perisher will draw to a close quicker than expected -end of next season..I'll be doing trips to nz from then on.
This. I’m surprised it took me this long. Stick a fork in me Perisher, I’m done…
I’m fine now. Woke up with a migraine (nor surprising seeing as I had a headache before I hit my head) but some panadol and my migraine medication had me come good by mid morning.Well I nearly managed to end my ski trip before I began
Tripped over my packed ski bag in the dark and hit my arm and my head hard enough to see stars. Seem to be in one piece apart from a headache but gee, one day my insane clumsiness is going to get me in big trouble.
Adelaide airport was busybut I had more than enough time and my plane was delayed. Auckland International Airport was nearly deserted. Everyone was getting their luggage X rayed at customs which I’m guessing is because of foot and mouth.
It feels a bit like going back in time here with all the masks. There is a bit of a different vibe compared to back in Australia.
.
Will see what the weather brings tomorrow. Hopefully Wednesday is a full ski day for me.
Our van park is kicking us out. Hence.
No more accommodation in Jindabyne.
I don't think I'll ever snowboard in Australia again.
I think that’s probably just Queenstown. Across the rest of the country pretty much everyone still masks up to enter an enclosed space like a supermarket or a library or whatever. And public transport too, of course.
And it’s not like there are different rules for Queenstown or Wanaka. It’s just that everybody, tourists and locals are ignoring the guidelines. Because, you know, they’re special right?
Get yourself a van park in St Arnaud on the lakeshore bro. It will be the ‘new’ Queenstown eventually.
One reason why the Southern District Health Board has had to manage the heaviest load of all the DHBs for winter respiratory illnesses I guess.
I know plenty of folk in Queenstown who haven't had covid at all yet, and at the moment they are all avoiding "town" like the plague. I'd say masking is approached pretty sensibly in Dunedin, but yeah it's not happening at all in Queenstown, and it's been like that all winter.
Ha.Get yourself a van park in St Arnaud on the lakeshore bro. It will be the ‘new’ Queenstown eventually.
Its nice there.
Isolated. Nice though.
By the end of next season.
Ummm nz. Canters and Ohau areas.
Plus Rua in Sept holidays.
Twizel is a decent town for Ohau. Stayed there for a few nights.
Lake Tekapo seems like more of a resort town.
Interesting.
By the "rules" at orange everyone in retail should be wearing masks.
And I would have thought the mountain buses would count as public transport.
Guess a bit of whatevz in QT.
I went out for a few beers in methven when it got busy, thought to myself if I’m gonna get the rona it’s now…..3 days later tested + , missed out on a couple of heli days and some of the best touring weather of the winter, feeling like crap. Suffice to say I’m not going to the pub again until summer
There’ll be plenty of good heli days and good ski touring weather to come. Hope there’s no new infection for you. Enjoy ❤️
At least you haven't committed to spending most of this September in Europe
The way the snow pack is looking, there will be plenty of prime touring to come yet.
I turned up with a mask and went with the flow. Stopped carrying it after day 1.Interesting.
By the "rules" at orange everyone in retail should be wearing masks.
And I would have thought the mountain buses would count as public transport.
Guess a bit of whatevz in QT.
It’s amazing how Twizel has come on in the last decade or so. From a town that was mostly basic 60s prefabs built in a hurry for the Waitaki hydro workforce.
Dunedin mask use was pretty much the same as Auckland when I was there a couple of weekends ago. And in Auckland we’re all sick of masks but realise the need to get through the winter.
Mask use in Melbourne and Sydney is virtually non existent.
* with a couple exceptions.
You guys are a few months behind us in that regard.
I don’t think it’s a matter of being ahead or behind Donza. We’ve just taken a bit of a different approach. The government here asked everyone to keep wearing masks where practical and sensible through this winter, not just for Covid but for all the other respiratory illnesses that are putting pressure on health services as well, and to a large extent we’ve complied. It isn’t compulsory, for example, for masks to be worn in schools, but the majority of schools have reintroduced masks to classrooms.Anyways. Plenty of other threads to discuss covid.
New cases Total cases and distribution and hospital admissions as of Friday for southern.
for the record I’ve never been infected, don’t wear a mask.
have been vaccinated x four. And have had more tests than I can remember for various reasons.
Money question. Card vs Cash in QT.
For those that have been in Queenstown recently, in post covid NZ did you survive without cash?
I'm in QT for a week later this month and traditionally I would have pulled out $100NZ or so at the airport ATM.
Did you manage to survive on card swipes alone and no cash?
I live here and tossed the cash over 10 years ago. It’s not Japan.
100 bucks ain’t going to go far in Queenstown so I’m assuming you missed a zero. You could totally manage with a card everywhere but it’s nice to have a bit of walking money on you while on holiday right?
You clearly don’t catch public transport to work?New cases Total cases and distribution and hospital admissions as of Friday for southern.
for the record I’ve never been infected, don’t wear a mask.
have been vaccinated x four. And have had more tests than I can remember for various reasons.
I forgot to withdraw cash for our 3 day trip and didnt need it once. Recommend using an ing fee free intl card or something similar though, otherwise you get slogged for every small credit card transaction (like i just did).
Card. I pulled $20 out so I’d have some coins for the laundry. Threw remaining coins to a busker. Brought $10 in notes back.
