WANAKA AND LAKE TAKAPO

I had a lovely walk around the lake in Wanaka and I could notice that there was a lot more snow on the mountains than when I was staying in the town a while ago. But sadly Treble Cone ski resort was still not opening because there was not enough snow on the slopes. It was now due to open the day after I was leaving. So I thought I would try the other ski resort,Cardrona, but when I went along to inquire about ski hire they said there were going to be very high winds the next day and there was a high probablility that the ski lifts would not be running for most of the day!!! It seemed I was destined not to ski. But All was not lost, someone told me that when I get to Lake Takapo there is a ski area called Roundhill and that is where the New Zealand ski team train, so it should be good. I made up my mind to go skiing there.

Later on when I was talking to some of the young snowboarders in the hostel, I said I was moving on to hopefully go skiing at Roundhill by Lake Takapo, they said to me "oh are you Chasing snow!!!" and I have to say before I could think I said "Yeh!" as if it was the most natural thing in the world for me to be doing..and it made me giggle to myself..who did I think I was kidding that I could ever be some kind of snow junkie who needs my fix of Skiing!! In reality ,I just fancy another challenge and thought it would be nice to ski for a day in New Zealand.

I met up with Rachel, who was kicking her heels because she could not start work in Treble Cone until the snow arrived. So we went for a lovely walk by lake Wanaka and chilled out together for the day.
I left the next day on the bus to go to Lake Takapo. It was very snowy and icy and the roads were very dangerous.

Everyone was stopping by the roadside struggling to put their snow chains on. We just managed to get through, but my heart was in my mouth at one point when the bus began to slide.

The YHA in Lake Takapo is right on the edge of the most amazing lake and the views of the snow capped mountains were breathtakingly spectacular.
It is just impossible to put into words the beauty and serenity of it all. I was so glad that I had booked in for three nights!.
I went for a walk to explore and came across a very old church on the edge of the lake it had the most wonderful views out of the window behind the alter.

When I got back to the hostel my chasing snow epic continued...I enquired about going to Roundhill to ski. There are no shuttle bus services to the slopes. You can only get there by car!!! and I did not have one. Not deterred I planned to hitch a lift the next day.

But later in the evening the snow began to fall very heavily and the next morning everywhere was covered in the most beautiful blanket of snow...And guess what..there was NO SKIING AT ROUNDHILL because there was TOO MUCH SNOW!!!
(VIEW FROM MY BEDROOM WINDOW AT THE YHA)
So much for my chasing the snow. First in Wanaka not enought snow, then the winds are too high in Cardrona, now there is too much snow in Roundhill!!! It made me laugh. I was not so cool now!
But I have now found out that there are some good snow fields in the centre of the north island, so all is not lost. Lets see if I can catch up with the skiing there and get to the slopes!!!

But in the meantime I went for a lovely walk in the snow with two girls I met in the hostel. We climbed to the top of Mt St John.
It took us three hours for the round trip. It was very blistery at the summit, but the views over the lake were great, so it was worth the climb.
Down the road from the YHA there are some newly opened thermal pools. So I spent a few hours just chilling in the 40oc pools overlooking the lake and mountains. It was magical and I have to say I did wish that I had been there with someone. Mostly I do love my own company and I do not feel lonely at all. But this was one of those moments when it would have been nicer if I had someone else to share it with.

The next day I walked to the top of Cowand Hill through the woods and I was astounded by the view of the snow capped mountains all around me. It was a great feeling being up there overlooking the lake and mountains.
The sun was shinning and I felt so happy to be alive. I sat for ages just taking in the beauty of it all and hoping that I will be able to remember this feeling if things get tough in my life. It will make me feel happy. I walked back down and sat by the lake reading my book for a long time, until it was too cold to stay put.

In the evening I sat in the big sitting room by the fire at the hostel talking to some really interesting people.
A group of girls from Bahrain and Kuwait, were explaining all about their cultures and how they felt nervous in some parts of New Zealand during their travels because of the way they dressed and covered up their bodies. Sometimes they were laughed at in the street. Which I found so sad. Then I got chatting to an amazing guy called Solomon who comes from Taiwan. I said to him that I had to admit that I did not know much about his country. Well he went off and came back with a little broach with a symbol of his country and he gave it to me. He showed me a map of the world and eplained exactly where Taiwan was. He proceeded to tell me the history of his small country and how China is not letting them be independent, and how passionate he was about it maintaining its independence.
(SOLOMON IS 3RD FROM LEFT)
He was amazing and I really loved talking to him. He has promised to give me a personal guided tour of his country if I visit and after his enthusiam I am going to try to visit it one day. He really was a remarkable ambassador for his country and he was thrilled when I told him that he had spurred me on to want to know more about his country and its relationship with China.
(VIEW OVER LAKE TAKEPO FROM HOSTEL SITTING ROOM)