Skiing at Mt Hutt and Christchurch Friends

I woke early to catch the 7am bus to Mt Hutt from Christchurch. I was greeted by a very friendly bus driver called Olly. He told me all about the snow conditions, weather forecast, where to store my bags and other useful tips! I again slept part of the way on the bus before we turned off the main road onto a 10km long dirt track. This narrow road, wound its way to the bottom lift which, unlike in Switzerland, was not a telecabin but just a chairlift. Another obvious difference was that there were no trees to be seen above the snow line and also the chairlifts didn’t all have foot rests. Of course, I was able to look past these differences and just take in the beauty of the location.

I collected my passes, applied some free sun cream, got my skis, boots, poles and helmet and headed up the mountain. I took my time to begin with and did a few easy runs, taking in the views. The snow was gorgeous and they had some interesting slope names. For example, ‘Bob’s Knob’ was right beside ‘Virgin Mile’ and another run was called ‘Pisswhistle Bowl’. Once at the highest point that the lift could take me, I hiked up for about 15 minutes to the very top of the mountain to see the incredible panorama on such a glorious and still day. However, Gentle runs and humourous names could only keep me entertained for so long and I quickly found a sign that said experts only and headed off down the South face of the mountain. This was probably where I had the most fun as I carved down through the slightly frosty powder, avoiding big rocks and generally having a great time. I played there for most of the day before I got another bus down the mountain to the local town called Methven.

I was dropped right to my accommodation at Big Tree Lodge. They were extremely friendly and offered plenty of suggestions of things to do and places to go. For whatever reason, I ended up having an entire dorm to myself despite only paying $20 for the night. Before dinner I went for a wander to buy provisions and see the town. I found a shop called SuperValue, although it has no connection to the chain at home, and after about 40 mins I felt that I had seen the entire town and headed back to cook. When I returned, the owner had the fire lit in the stove but it as it was producing a lot of smoke so I opened a window so that I could breathe. The owner then got up and closed the window. I went outside to the recycling bin at one stage and pretended to forget to close the door and once again the owner closed the door. Thus began a game of cat and mouse, as I strived to breathe and he strived to stay warm, opening and closing windows. In the end, I stuck my head under the fan above the hob while I waited for my pasta to cook!

I was again up early to catch the bus back up the mountain. The weather started out very well again but perhaps a little windier. I skied for about 90 mins before the wind picked up and they had to close all the lifts. Thankfully after another 90 mins the wind died down enough to open the lifts again. At around 14:30 the weather started to get worse so I called it a day there and got the bus back to Christchurch. I arrived back at around 17:30 with 12 hours to kill until my flight to Nelson the next morning. I was dropped right outside the botanical gardens so I thought it only fitting that I have a look around. The gardens themselves were huge and so well maintained, considering it was free and in the middle of the city. I rang the peace bell that is hanging there (it is made from coins and medals donated by 103 countries), smelled some flowers and then went to find somewhere to sit to eat my dinner.

I obviously looked particularly lost as a stranger came up to me and asked if I needed a place to stay. I explained how I was leaving the next morning and just had time to kill. He then asked if I was into the arts. I responded that I was (sort of) and he said that there was a very good female clown performing in the local YMCA that night at 7. He told me to mention his name, Mike Friend, and that they could give me comp as part of his theatre company. I had no idea what comp meant at the time (complimentary) but I thought why not? I went to see the clown perform. It was about her obsession with marriage and it was a little odd but there was good audience participation and I am glad that I went and didn’t spend $40 on a ticket!

After the performance, I wanted to see some of the Christchurch sights, even if it was by night. I went to see the container mall which is a shopping centre made entirely from shipping containers. It was built as a temporary solution after the earthquake. I also saw the cathedral still standing in ruin and the newly built cardboard cathedral, again a post-earthquake structure. I also saw the 185 empty chairs memorial to those who died during the earthquake. From here I began a two hour walk to the airport where I was going to spend the night before my flight.

I arrived, somewhat wearied, to the airport to see signs that said there was no sleeping gear permitted at the airport. On top of this there was constant loud music, harsh lighting and when I did eventually fall asleep I was woken at 3:30am to be told that the terminal was opening and I had to get up. It’d be fair to say it wasn’t my most pleasant night’s sleep but it was an experience! I had some more cold pasta and beans for breakfast before boarding the flight to Nelson for the next stage of my adventure!

You can see all the photos and video from skiing here. I apologise for the quality of the video but the camera couldn’t cope with how sunny it was!

You can see all the photos from Christchurch here.