Wanaka snow bunnies

Arriving back at Matterhorn backpacker, things have changed since I was last here. The place has just been sold and the new owners are moving in at the same time as me. Not the usual hospitality going here, and nor is the rate. I check in anyway, but not staying for long. Fire doesn't work (its a pretend wood fire), and there are wide reports of the showers not being hot at various times of the day, so its time to scout out some of the places that were on the shortlist last time. I head on over to Wanaka Bakpaka - its the one that has probably the best location of all, including the 5 star motels nearby on the same street. It's got fabulous views looking back to the main town and is set high above the lake. It's cheaper, more comfy, and has the best showers yet seen in all the backpackers I've stayed at. No running out of hotwater here, as it's an "infinity" system, and the shower rose gives something akin to a spa. However there's only two or three of these ones here, and not everyone here even knows they are there! I take the last available spot here for the week, but may have to step out of Wanaka a bit sooner than expected as the ideal time frame is 10 days.

First up, I get in contact with Richard who is the local tandem paraglider operator here, and doubles as the driver of the Treble Cone ski field shuttle bus driver. I get the essential information from him about the nature of the mountain there, but end up getting my own way up there due to various misalignments of time, weather and seats available.

One of the better local pubs around here is Shooters. Nicely set on the main street overlooking the lake. It seems to be a good place to find out what's going on in town. I meet Phoebe here who offers to drive me up the mountain on Friday. We get there early in the morning, but there's an inversion layer (of cloud) that is hovering around just below the snow level on the mountain (which is also the take off area for paragliding), so this is a no go unless it clears. I wait around for a few hours but not looking good, so time to go onto plan B, and do some snow boarding. I grab a lift pass for the half day, and park the glider at the snowboard rental area and resume where I left off at Mt Hutt.

It's school holidays here, but Treble Cone isn't noticeably busy, and even a learner like me can find plenty of room here. I learn later that a good reason for this is that Treble Cone is more of an advanced ski field, so most of the kiddies are over at the nearby slope of Cardrona.