Paragliding in Nelson

It seems I got the weather forecast about right, as the weather changed the following day on arriving in Nelson, which was just perfect to begin the paragliding course. Come Monday, it's not quite right for the starter session, but Tuesday we're on our way and Stew drops by to pick me up and start with some "ground handling" down at the park nearby where we go through the basics of running around with the paraglider attached with no intention of leaving the ground.

The next day we head on over to one of the farms where we do a bit of a refresher on the ground handling on a slope that has a bit of downward ramp on it, and then we start Stew's boot camp of endlessly climbing hills. Here's where it starts getting interesting.. the hill isn't exactly enormous but without doubt it's nothing you'd ordinarilty jump off either. With a short run after awaiting momentarilty for the glider to fill with air, it's up'n'away, leaving the ground behind. Now, although this is solo, I do have Stew directing me on the two way radio.
Here we are Mt Heslington for the first hill launch and glide down to the brown track leading up on the far right of the frame. Later another landing in to the paddock on its left (about middle of photo). We spent most of the day here, of which a good part of this is climbing up and flying down, always introducing a new skill to the flight.

Next we're off to increase the challenges a bit more and it's over to another spot which is at the base of Mt Barnicote. At this stage I didn't even know what the towering mountain was, this part way up launch site which we had to hike several times seemed high enough for me. What really looks ineresting as this early stage of the programme, is how wrong it can all go, with so many areas that really didn't look very attractive for landing into, but all goes well, and these flights all end up in the right place by the windsock and the cattle trough.

With everything going nicely to plan, in part due to perfect weather conditions we're off to a place called Warren Bluff which is a mountain that sits right behind the main city area and is immediately above the park where we first did the ground handling, which was 100m from the backpacker I'm staying. OK, now this is getting seriously interesting. This time I'm flying out from an area where there's nothing resembling a gradually larger slope, now it's over the edge and land in a confined area amongst the roads, powerlines and houses. First launch take off, wasn't looking so good.. ok.. ready 1,2,3.. big step, lookup, let go, check... STOP. ok, something not quite right, so we go through it again. Meanwhile some hikers who have just been walking by stop to have a bo peep. So I go again, and I do land on the designated area in the very middle of the park as per the flight program, albeit with Stew guiding me down, or at the very least getting ready to tell me what is the best course of action if I don't quite get it right.
Warren Bluff which overlooks Nelson city from the South East side for a slightly higher launch site and land down in the park in the middle of the frame.


Warren Bluff again with Stew checking on the glider for me.


Photo from the landing site looking back up to Warren Bluff.

Weather and time are looking good, so its off back to a spot that I would recognise later when I would touch down at the bottom. I suspect we don't normally get to this one quite so soon, but it seems condtions are good so off we go to the big one around here, Mt Barnicote (1800ft or 600m). Now this is some serious height, and while looking over the edge I'm looking down to where the landing area is, but I'm reminded that I can't see it from here, however it will come into view once you get out there. Launching from here is quite a bit different to all the other jumps, as this one the height is enormous, and this is where you have a long time to look around at everything, as its all so far away. First flight from here is just a flight that more or less just glides straight down. I have to aim for a couple of way points on the way to make sure I'm lined up for the landing area, which mostly inorporates bits and pieces from earlier flights from the base of the same hill a few days earlier, which is a nice way to learn and everyting isn't so daunting. Bit by bit the trainer wheels (Stew's two way radio) are being removed, as this time because Stew can't see me once I leave the launch area (except when I'm floating around a few hundred metres out from the launch area, I'm on my own to locate and land on the area down in the valley.
Landing site looking back up to the top of Barnicoat. In the foreground just off to the right where all the yellow bits are is where we were a few days earlier for the more gentler slope. From the photo you'd probably think that's just a wee bit lower than the very top.. wrong.. very wrong.. The lower slope is probably only about 100-200ft at most.

We would end up returning here everyday the weather was good, which was about for the next 10 days, after which time I'd clocked up 39 flights and was no longer just gliding down to the area below, but thermalling up and landing back where I started from on top of the mountain. This is where the real skill starts coming into action. It seems almost anyone can glide one of these things down, but you really have to be on your toes to pick the areas around the side of the mountain that will give you lift. Sometimes you take off and you can just stay at a level altitude, but not quite get enough lift to make it back on top and so you have to eventually give up and glide your way back down the bottom area.

On one occasion Stew seems happy that I'm keeping enough height to stay well above the mountain and he heads off to pick up some of the others that have asked for some pickups from the base of Barnicote and possibly some other areas. He spots me from a suburb nearby and says, "Ash, you've got lots of height.. how about gliding back down to the park nearby the carpark". I'm thinking, "what carpark?" From up here I can see forever, and I start scanning around looking for possible parks. It eventually dawns on me that he's talking about the park which is in suburuban Stoke, where we've often rendezvoused with others heading up to the mountain. I try to follow where I think the road would go to, and confirm the landing area. ok.. that looks possible... and I start recalling bits and pieces of conversation on this one over the last few days, one of which is the high tension power lines that you have to have enough height to get over. These aren't just regular power lines, these are the ones that are a hundred feet or so high that carry power from one city to the next. So I start my way there, and I'm constantly checking to see if my glide approach really is going to make it over these power lines. It's all looking good, so I'm over the top of them now, and now I have to lose some height as the park is just behind the power lines. Anyway, all goes well, and Stew gives me the pointers I need to make it in for a nice touch down at the park.
Barnicoat launch site looking back down to Stoke/Nelson in the early morning. We continue flying around here until Thursday always learning a few extra skills and refining the art of going up instead of only going down until the weather changes on Friday make the cloud a bit too low at Barnnicote, so its time to clear up all the theory for the written side.
Here's some video that others have taken before I arrived here.

Nelson via Transalpine

"You're taking the Transalpine, then just wait out front at 7am in the morning and the shuttle will take you to the train station." Well so much for the free shuttle. I wouldn't have minded walking there, but to just have some bunch of clowns just have you hang about for 45 minutes then have to make your own way there anyway wasn't a great way to start the day.

In the end I get there on time and the weather is again better than the forecast, which is certainly a bonus for this trip across to the west coast. There's a couple of stops on the way (with the photo at the top at the midway point of Arthur's Pass which is just before the 9km tunnel - note the open carriage just behind the loco).

Into Greymouth just after midday, and after a quick lunch at a nearby hotel it's onto Nelson via an Intercity coach. You could have almost called this one a big taxi, as I was the only one who was on it for full the six hour ride with our driver Steve through to Nelson via that fantastic bit of road through the Buller Gorge.

Akaroa

The Transalpine train that was I hoping to get me over to Greymouth, isn't running the full train service on Tue and Wed every so many weeks, so instead I head on over to Akaroa for the day, which is . I didn't quite make their last time so curiousity satisfied.

Mount Shut

Sometimes things work out better if you dont plan it. Leaving the paradise of lakefront behind I expect I'll be in Christchurch tonight although I do tell our driver that I wouldn't mind checking out Methven. At Geraldine (our breakfast stop), he says its time to "call it" if you want get off at Methven as we don't go through the town unless we are picking up someone there. Moments later, two dutch girls ask the driver if they can get off at Methven to do some skiing.. Ok detour locked in. After they'd studied the form they realised they werent going to make their plane by departure date (no bus wed) so they abort, but Dusty says, lets check out the place anyway. When we get there, the weather is looking good and I ask him to drop me out front and if they've got a spare bed, I'll stop here.

I'm in and it's 11:15am. (later that night George, the owner says he booked more people than beds, so it was a tight squeeze). I figure I may as well check out the ski scene and immediately discover there is a shuttle bus leaving in 45min to Mt Hutt. I'm on it.. Scary ride up there (overtaking everything else up the mountain), this is the cowboy minibus version with only 3 passengers.. But anyway, we make it up without sliding off the edges. By the way, this unsealed road winds around the edge of the mountain with no barriers for 14kms. Cars do go off the edge, and a recent story of a bus doing a 180 degree spin on some ice and somehow managed not to go over the edge. The bus now going a new direction figured it was better not to do a three point turn and go back up the mountain and drop everyone off!

As I've not snowboarded before (not without a kite), I'm told that I really should get an intermediate class to learn the essentials. I do that, and I'm not regretting that one bit. After my instructor Matt, figured out I didn't know what turning really meant, he showed me the back and toe strategy on the beginner slope, and then I'm away on the main drag. I'm hooked and I want to squeeze the last minute out of the ski lift.. but I'm reminded that there's always tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes but Mt Hutt is living up to its reputation amongst the locals here as Mt Shut, as I'm up at 6:30am to see the official word on the notice board. I consider myself lucky and fortunately plan B came into action as the bus is still booked to come and get me to take me on the last leg of Magic back to Christchurch.

Mt Cook - Hooker Valley walk

Waking up to clear blue skies, it was a no brainer to go venture off as far as possible towards the base of Mt Cook. A nice easy 4 hour walk that almost anyone could do via the Hooker valley and on down to the Hooker Glacier terminal face.



Below is a terrible shot (due to the sun in the way) of the glacier terminal and the bottom right is how it looks from about half way along the track looking back at the village.



The Hermitage hotel and complex is effectively the centre hub of town. Here and very nearby is where what little food you can get is found. Very nice place this one, and it's also where the Planetarium and the 3D cinema is. Actually, this is one of the highlights of the area. The 360 dome type cinema with short movies that are some of the best examples of where astronomy and entertainent meet. The 3D movie is worth watching several times and covers fantastic history, climbs and flights around the area.


Above is looking towards the Hermitage Hotel and also the view that you see from the hotel (Mt Cook - 3754m is the peak in the middle and the Hooker Valley walk was to the glacier terminal base of it).

Mt Cook

Paul drops us both back into the village to get picked up by the Intercity. It's about the right time, but we see another bus instead. It's one of those Great Sight buses. The co driver gets off and asks for us by name, so onward we go on this 5 star coach which it seems Great Sights pick up Intercity passengers for the routes they don't have enough people to run their own bus. It's a short cruise on over to Mt Cook. The weather is changing as we arrive. It's still sunny but storms are brewing on the peaks. We venture around to scope out the place and also take the 3 hour walk out to the glacier terminal here. We'll probably do again tomorrow, as the mornings are generally cloud free. Osa may not be... she's only here one night, and bus leaves about the same time we arrived.

Local temptations

As much as I want to head up to Nelson, I also like this spot, and I'm now starting to think I want to go over to the nearby town of Mt Cook (the closest town to the highest peak in Australasia). I have to again say goodbye to another bunch of fantastic people, and let Andy, Jendra and Lara continue on back to Christchurch without me. It's just Paul and I left here, and I'm asking him about how I might be able to get on over to Mt Cook. He reminds me that it's off season, and the shuttle bus isn't running now, but that Intercity still do, and leaves in about an hours time from here. Ok.. book me in, but we discover that the actual time is 10min away.. too short a time span to pack and make the 400m walk into the village. OK.. so I'm stuck here then.. at least til tomorrow. Paul reminds me.. "just have to stay another day here in paradise".. and he is of course right, as we sit down looking out across the lake. Paul reminds me of the walks around the area, so I plot a course the long way up to the St John observatory via the lake.

A little while later, someone else arrives in town (on the Intercity bus that I was going to be too late for) and as I'm about to depart for the afternoon, Osa peers in and I ask her if she's got anything planned for the arvo.. off we go.. with a small detour down to the YHA as she's told her new friend from the bus that they'll meet later this arvo, but this excursion might put this at risk. On our way there, Sabrina is on her way to Lakefront, so onward we go up the observatory. It's a 2.5 hr walk up there, and we enjoy the views all the way there, and of course up the top is a great place to sit back in the glass house style cafe up there.

The view on the way up and looking up to the observatory (or as Osa says.. "It looks like something out of a James Bond movie")


The view from the top at the cafe/observatory.

As it turns out, Osa is off to Mt Cook tomorrow also, so Mt Cook here we come.

Starry nights and clear views

Spectacular sunny skies as we depart out of Dunedin and stop in for breakfast at the picture perfect cafe at Moeraki Boulders. It's surprisingly warm here. We're still almost as far south in latitude but its like a summers day. Everything about this spot is perfect and makes for a great place to have a relaxed cooked breakfast on the wooden deck overlooking the ocean, before a short walk down to the beach to have a look at the giant naturally formed marbles.

Gradually, Andy takes our bus back inland on a highway with the snow peaked mountains almost all the way onto Lake Tekapo with a quick stop at Lake Pukaki and the salmon farm to feed the fish and pick up some dinner for tonight. We arrive for a quick sight seeing tour of this quaint little church on the edge of Lake Tekapo (Tek-ah-po) which despite the town size of about 100 requires two years advance booking to get a wedding there.

We're prepared for a great stay here. Andy says the Lakefront Lodge is the best backpacker in NZ, and with this size town and this scenery, this is looking like a place to stay put for a while... so much for the express to the top of the island.


The Lakefront Lodge looking from the outside.. and from the inside.


This place has a great atmosphere and is perfectly designed to please backpackers and architects alike. Paul manages the backpacker here and joins Andy and I while we tuck into our salmon steaks. Paul couldn't be tempted as he's a vego, but I reckon he was almost thinking he was going to be tempted, and had to resort to telling us that he had a moral code on it. We're actually lucky Andy was there, as there was plenty of vegies around to make up a nice salad to go with it and fortunately the bottle of chardy I picked up in Oamaru came in handy here too.

With perfect timing, its time to head on over to the star attraction here... the St John Observatory just up the hill behind us. This is the largest observatory in the southern hemisphere, and it's put here because of the crystal clear skies. We get picked up by the small coaster bus, with a short stop off in the village to hand over the $75. While waiting, I'm joking with Jendra that I'm thinking of a way to get into this one for free. I'm not even real sure I know why I'm thinking that, but I run a few ideas past her loud enough that the girl behind the counter can hear, and it seems she picked up on it. As I stepped forward.. I said, "and a free one for me I believe", she says "yes, of course", and hands me my tickets. Jendra looks on with amazement...

Up the mountain we go with our headlights off. This town (err village) is real particular about lighting around here, so that they can observe without light pollution. I'm even told there is a council rule that says that all household lights must not point up in any way. One thing was for sure.. the view from up there certainly was clear.

It's rediculously cold up here and we've got ideal conditions for star gazing.. no clouds of any sort. Our guides are more briliant than the 3/4 moon with their begining to end comedic commentary... every joke that astonomers must have come up with they had them all.. non stop... and with an enthusiam that really made up for a lack of what you really can see through the scope. These telescopes are powerful, but when it comes down to it, what you actually see really is unimpressive. Ok, the 120,000 light years away galaxies are impressive, but they still just look like a bunch of blurry dots on the end of the telescope. In any case, it was a good night out, and the view from the top of the mountain of the region all the way around was impressive on its own.

Towards the North of the South

Leaving the action packed place of Queenstown behind, its back on Magic with a plan to get up to Nelson ASAP. As I'm leaving, I notice that one of the crew in a our little self contained unit has had that loving feeling overnight with rose petals made into the shape of a love heart on the dining table - even I will miss the place (probably as much as I'll miss those Fergburgers - without question the best), and also miss out on Louise's birthday tomorrow.. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUISE!

Andy is our bus driver today, and takes us on through to Dunedin, which he reckons is the best of the cities in New Zealand. We got there at around 3ish into the YHA there. As usual its got (the YHA) that dead feel to it (and quite frankly I wasn't in agreeance with Andy on this one), so its straight out onto the streets for a walk down to the only touristy thing I'm aware of that I can get there and back again on foot, and that's the steepest street in the world. Well, that's a bit a non event, but what surely must have been a real guiness book of records should have been the number of churches there. I had to snake my way down about 5-6 streets for about one hour and there must have been 50 churches. I shudder to think how many you'd count if I walked for similar distances on other points of the compass.

This town didn't look like it was going to sway my decision of getting towards the north end ASAP, so I'm ready to leave in the morning. I check out the dungeon below(which must have a been designed as a natural freezer) where there's a second TV room to find angelic Lara a bit scared of turning out the lights, to watch the latest release of Harry Potter (and yes Dave... Let's book a flight to Colombia!)

Shotover Jetboat

Another great day of weather here again in Queenstown. The forecast again was no where near the outcome fortunately. For about the last 4 days they've been consistently saying it's rain and snow, but clear skies every day instead.

I've decided I'll skip the paragliding license in Queenstown and head back up to the sunshine capital of Nelson, where the paragliding flight school say conditions are almost always good for training, so I'm going to get back on the Magic bus and cruise back to Christchurch, and catch another bus from there over to Nelson.

Today I'm weighing up if I should go get one of these super cheap chopper flights that are going at the moment ($99 for a snow landing at Remarkables), or go do the Jetboat on the Shotover canyon river for $109. Tough choice, I've done similar rides recently, and opt for the Shotover. It was as expected, some very good and risky stunt boat driving, which leaves zero room for error, and this is truly amazing that every 15min a boat load of about 12 people experience this full throttle ride everyday of the week... and yet if I want to ride a push bike around Wanaka I've got to wear a stack hat - there's just no comparison. As you'll see in the video below (which apparently isn't allowed, although I didn't know this until I saw the sign when I got off the boat.. "no video cameras"), they really do run inches away from the canyon walls (often sideways), and note also the semi submerged rocks which would clearly open this thing up with more ease than a can opener.



Seriously cold temperatures down here. I was out snowkiting the other day, and this was definitely colder than that (mainly windchill factor). A good test for the new jacket (Windstopper variety), but the way you really know it's cold is how it is on the only part you can't fully cover up.. your face.

For reference value, the next video is the official memorabilia one that someone else uploaded.