Alrightttt, the long await for part three of three.
The reason why this has taken so long is that shortly after writing part two, my new work visa came through and I had to go back to my job… so, didn’t get a chance until this rainy Sunday to continue writing. Let’s journey back in time to August, shall we?
August kicked off and the snow came to a halt. Literally, it was one of the worst Augusts on record for snowfall here in Wanaka. So that meant one thing – the bike came back out again.
That said, the lack of snow meant we had some beautiful bluebird days, which lend very well to multi-sport days. The second weekend of August allowed for such shenanigans. On Saturday, August 8th, we hit Cardrona with a huge crew of us for an absolute beauty of Spring-not-Spring ski day.
We spent all day ripping groomer laps and watching B, Fraser and Hayden hit jumps. Then, as we headed into town for apres, we ran into a group of friends who said that the river wave was pumping and they were heading out for a surf. I had heard of the river wave, but had never been out there. Feeling a little intimidated, I opted not to surf, but soon regretted that choice. It was SO cool. The wave is man-made in the river and you get into it by kind of slow-paddling and allowing yourself to coast backward on your board, down the river towards the wave. Then, right before you hit, you paddle like hell and get caught in the rapid. Then you can body board it or, if you’re feeling confident, try standing up. Both B and Hayden got in and managed to stand up before toppling over, while the rest of us drank beer on the bank and cheered them on.
The next weekend was another beauty, but still, no snow. So after a morning fish on the Saturday…
We packed up the 4WDs and headed for Old Woman Hut on the Nevis Range. Fraser was keen to get some hunting in up there and the rest of us were keen for some time out of Wanaka.
We got up there just as the sun was setting over the range and I went up for a bit of solitude above the hut to watch the sun go down. Soon Fraser walked up and joined me and we sat watching the horizon for a bit. Just as I was thinking how sweet the whole scene was, Hooch walked in front of us – paused, lifted his tail, let one out – and then walked off. Romance.
After a few drinks and some music, we headed off to bed in our bunks. The next morning, Fraser woke me up to go for ‘a walk’ with him – the term he uses when referring to hunting. Except ‘a walk’ is the understatement of the year. This was a full-on hike and I was not prepared. I doubled back about halfway through and headed back for the hut. For future reference, sneakers weren’t going to cut it on these ‘walks’ – I definitely need some hard-out hiking boots.
My favourite part of these hut trips is becoming breakfast the next morning. We kind hummed and hawed about doing a hut breakfast at Old Woman or going for brunch back in town, but ultimately decided to have some breakfast sandwiches and then target practice with the leftover eggs. Naturally.
The following weekend – still no snow. But again, it’s hard to resist a beautiful day on the mountain, so up we went to Cardrona.
Then, on the Sunday, I went with Victoria and Jossi who were finally giving in and buying bikes. With Fraser having bought his bike the weekend before, I had almost converted everyone – we got ourselves a mountain bike gang! So the following weekend, August 29th, the last Saturday of August, Fraser and I head over to 7 Mile in Queenstown for a ride.
Man, it was hard to get my riding legs back and I felt really off-kilter the whole time, but that’s usually how it goes at the start of the season. Meanwhile, Fraser – who spent time riding when he was younger, but hasn’t in years – was charging. He’s going to pick it up quickly; he’s already amazing… men.
On September 4th, my current work visa expired. This meant that I was unable to work until my new visa came in, which could’ve taken anywhere from four weeks to four months. Luckily, I had saved money all winter anticipating this situation and just as I finished work – the snow came back. The Saturday after my last week of work was by far the best day I’ve had on snow here in NZ. We had gotten a huge dump the night before and we were in the right place and the right time all day long, managing to be the first group on new terrain everytime it was avy cleared and opened. So, so good.
To top off the day, on the way home I got to see my campaign on a bus back – so that was pretty cool.
That next week was my first week off work and it was so great. I got to sleep in, work out, go for runs and even help out Victoria by driving one of her company vehicles back from Queenstown – while getting a lift there in a helicopter. Not too shabby for Jessie.
That Friday, Victoria was even so kind to send me up on a heli-ski trip as a thank you for all the business I had sent them all winter long (with campaign shoots). Heli-skiing has been at the top of my bucket list forever and I was so stoked. It was unbelievably beautiful and the skiing was incredible. By the end of the day, I was pooped, but so happy.
On Saturday, the good times continued with the opening of my beloved Bike Glendhu. Although they only opened the bottom half, it was still so awesome to be back. And it was Fraser’s first time riding there, so really cool to see him experience it for the first time.
The weekend before I finally got my visa, was Treble Cone closing day. Last year, me and Chlo hit this up, but this year it was so good to have a whole crew of friends to go with. We headed up super early to get a carpark and then did a BBQ breakfast and tailgate beers before catching the chairlift and going skiing. It was the best day skiing, all of us trying new things and shredding the spring corn. I haven’t felt that confident on my skis in a long time and it was a perfect way to end the season.
Then, on the Tuesday (Sept 22nd), I got my visa and back to work I went on the Wednesday. The following two weeks went by without much happening – to be honest, the weather was shit and I was exhausted from trying to get back into the swing of things. After three weeks off work and five months of visa stress, it felt weird to just settle and realize that I had made it – I had gotten what I wanted. Coming to terms with that was strange and I kind of just needed some time to let everything sink in.
Monday, October 5th was Victoria’s birthday (and my two-year anniversary in NZ), so that weekend we headed off to Christchurch to celebrate. We brought along the bikes and got to hit Christchurch Adventure Park (a bike park) on the Saturday. Wow, it was so good to ride lift-accessed trails again. The Adventure Park had a lot of tech trails, so I was in absolute heaven. Molly and V both held their own, even though they’re just starting out and it was so cool to see them handle their shit, even though they were intimidated.
That night, we went out to dinner then rode around Christchurch on Lime scooters – which was so funny I almost peed. We visited the old cathedral, which had been damaged in the earthquakes in 2011. On that note, there were a lot of ruins around Christchurch – stairways that led nowhere, uneven streets, rubble and closed buildings. Even though the earthquakes were almost a decade ago, it’s crazy to see the damage they caused. It kind of reminded me of Berlin – just pieces of a history that have never quite been cleaned up.
The next day, we headed to Sumner for brunch and a walk along the beach before heading home. It was so good to be near the ocean again.
This past week at work was the first time I finally felt like I was back into it and on top of what I’m doing – it feels good to have a bit of a routine.
Then, this weekend, we made our way 4x4ing to Macaulay Hut in Tekapo, not too far from my favourite Mt. Cook. The hut is definitely catered towards a hunting crowd, with animal heads mounted on the walls and a small structure for bleeding animals out. On the way into the hut, Fraser spotted and shot a deer. I’ve never seen an animal get shot before and though I know we’re going to eat it, it was still sad. I guess as someone who enjoys her steak, I should be able to watch an animal get killed – but the first time is a little shocking.
When we got to the hut, there was a huge crew waiting for us and we sat around chatting and playing Chase The Ace all night. Somewhere along the way, someone thought that we should add consequences for those who lost and so kicked off the naked run, strobe light (headlight) dancing, half-an-onion eating and river dips (the last of which was my consequence).
That night, Fraser and I cozied into the top bunks and I only woke up when he slipped out early the next morning to go hunt for tahr (a kind of mountain goat).
After Fraser got back, we made breakfast and then headed out. Stopping a few times along the way for Fraser to scout the crags for tahr and to haul vehicles out of mud when our drivers got too ambitious.
The idea was to stay at Macaulay Hut for two nights, but there were several deep river crossings on the way in and we were worried that Saturday night’s rain would make them too deep to cross back over. So we scouted another hut in the Lindis Valley called Aruhihi Hut to drive to and stay the night there.
When we got there, it was already pouring rain, so we loaded everything inside, cracked a cheese board, pumped the fire and settled in for the night. It wasn’t long before everyone was ready to call it a night – tired from the day mudding around and driving. It was a rough night – we had heated the cabin too much and it was a total sauna. But by the early morning, the cold air had seeped in, making the temperature bearable. With the heavy rain on the roof, it was soothing sleep from there on out.
And so ends part three of three! Look at that, we’re all caught up! If you’re wanting to see the video edit that I do, check it out by clicking here. There’s four parts to it, so remember to press the little arrows to see the whole thing!
Until next time.
- JB
Onward. 