A Winter Walk Into Routeburn Falls Hut

This is usually the first hut that you stay in if you walk the Routeburn trail from Glenorchy at the head on Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown). The Wanaka trampers go to the hut every June for a fancy dress party. The theme this year was 'nursery rhymes' so the kids from 31 Kings Drive went as two of the three blind mice. We were in snow for the last of the three and a half hours of the walk to the hut.
















































Ms Mice Number One, proudly sponsored by All Bran










Ms Mice Number One, and Ms Mice Number Two, and the Rat Catcher

Downhill skiing at Treble Cone

We can see Treble Cone from our kitchen windows. The resort is about 40 minutes from Wanaka with the last six kilometres on a very tight, slightly exposed dirt road which climbs about 800 metres to the car park. Great views over Lake Wanaka and Mt Aspiring.

Central Otago Hoarfrost

The Central Otago region town of Alexandra is around the size of Cooma and about 50 kilometres from Wanaka on the road to Dunedin. It lies in a valley on the Clutha River which runs out of Lake Wanaka. During the winter the valley gets severe frosts followed by cloudy days which keep the temperature just above zero. Hence the frost builds on the frost to give you hoarfrost. This may last for a week or more.

31 Kings Drive Under Snow

Snow Farm X Country Skiing

The Snow Farm is a privately run nordic skiing area 30 minutes from Wanaka. It's at about 1900m with over 50k of groomed (for 'skating' skiing) and tracked (for 'striding' skiing) trails. It also gives you access to about 150 square kilometres of cross country skiing or snow shoeing. In partnership with the Wanaka Nordic Skiing Club the resort runs a 'Ski Friends' program whereby club members are rostered one day a week (we have Wednesdays) to help with ski hire, provide basic skiing lessons to those who don't want formal lessons, and give directions and assistance to skiers out on the trails. In return we get access to the trails, all the hire gear and new demonstration gear, and after eight days are given a season pass. The following pics show you why it is called the 'Snow Farm'. The fences are only used for the shorter, easier trails. The longer trails (up to 12k) are not fenced.






























Dawn, the Masked Instructer












The Snow Farm has rooms for 60, a restaurant, cafe and ski hire.













The restaurant extends out over the snow and looks east across the trails.

Looking west from the restaurant.

Adjacent to the Farm is the Winter Automobile Testing Grounds. About 10k of snow roads, ice and snow pans and a 50m x 200m 'refrigerator' for year round testing.