New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[patches]

The bad...

It's that time of year when it's the long-weekend drought.

No public holidays for 4 months (unless you live in Hawkes Bay or South Canterbury).

I may need to make my own long weekends. 17x 5 days weeks in a row sounds terrible! haha

[hayleyearth]

On 7/8/2022 at 10:58 AM, patches said:

The bad...

It's that time of year when it's the long-weekend drought.

No public holidays for 4 months (unless you live in Hawkes Bay or South Canterbury).

I may need to make my own long weekends. 17x 5 days weeks in a row sounds terrible! haha

Can't be that long, there's one in Oct no?

 

We are leaving for SA on the 14th Dec, going till the 29th January. CAN'T WAIT for some holidays with the family looking after the kids and me relaxing in the sun!

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by hayleyearth

[patches]

Just now, hayleyearth said:

Can't be that long, there's one in Oct no?

Yup Labour Day, October 24th is the next one. So 4 months between Matariki and that one.

[patches]

I wish NZ would hold the government and politicians as accountable as they hold the All Blacks and their coach 😅

 

[davetapson]

On 7/19/2022 at 10:50 AM, patches said:

I wish NZ would hold the government and politicians as accountable as they hold the All Blacks and their coach 😅

 

Heh.

Jake White had a minimum size reqt for players - if you aren't this big, doesn't matter how good you are, sorry.  Watching the AB's against Ireland made me think maybe he had a point.

[Wayne Potgieter]

Anyone on here into snow skiing - I am afraid the bug has bitten us hard on this.

Looking to try and source some second hand stuff and avoid the long lines at rental places.

 

[GrahamS2]

1 hour ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

Anyone on here into snow skiing - I am afraid the bug has bitten us hard on this.

Looking to try and source some second hand stuff and avoid the long lines at rental places.

 

Oh yes. I'm busy booking 10 days in Niseko for December... 

[Wayne Potgieter]

Just now, GrahamS2 said:

Oh yes. I'm busy booking 10 days in Niseko for December... 

I spent an unhealthy amount of time on Youtube looking at Japan skiing.

 

I am super keen to go as well.

[GrahamS2]

2 minutes ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

I spent an unhealthy amount of time on Youtube looking at Japan skiing.

 

I am super keen to go as well.

I used to ski in Bad Gastein, Austria every year when I lived in SA. Never been to Japan but I'm very keen to go. My girlfriend lived there for 5 years in her 20's, and she said the snow in Sapporo region is next level.

[Wayne Potgieter]

Just now, GrahamS2 said:

I used to ski in Bad Gastein, Austria every year when I lived in SA. Never been to Japan but I'm very keen to go. My girlfriend lived there for 5 years in her 20's, and she said the snow in Sapporo region is next level.

Probably telling you what you already know, but I recently met a travelling ski instructor who was carrying out a season in NZ and his view was of all the places he has instructed in worldwide, Japan was the best. He spoke about the powder like a man possessed.

[patches]

1 hour ago, Wayne Potgieter said:

Anyone on here into snow skiing - I am afraid the bug has bitten us hard on this.

Looking to try and source some second hand stuff and avoid the long lines at rental places.

 

I've done a grand total of 2hrs on skis and 2hrs on snowboard at Snow Planet. It looks like something I'd really enjoy and all of our close friend group ski, so we accompany them on trips, but we usually end up doing something else during the day, haha!

I have a fear of failure and my stingy-ness prevent me. (plus my wife used to ski as a kid but didn't love it). 

I have told myself that this year I'd give it a go, even if just for one day of the trip. So if the gang head down to Queenstown I'll try my luck. (I know Ruapehu is closer but I've heard those slopes are terrible for beginners. Crowded and icy).

I do also really really want to try this next time I'm in QT during snow season

https://www.snowmoto.co.nz/

[Wayne Potgieter]

13 minutes ago, patches said:

I've done a grand total of 2hrs on skis and 2hrs on snowboard at Snow Planet. It looks like something I'd really enjoy and all of our close friend group ski, so we accompany them on trips, but we usually end up doing something else during the day, haha!

I have a fear of failure and my stingy-ness prevent me. (plus my wife used to ski as a kid but didn't love it). 

I have told myself that this year I'd give it a go, even if just for one day of the trip. So if the gang head down to Queenstown I'll try my luck. (I know Ruapehu is closer but I've heard those slopes are terrible for beginners. Crowded and icy).

I do also really really want to try this next time I'm in QT during snow season

https://www.snowmoto.co.nz/

Im keen to meet up at Snowplanet if you are....

[ByronH]

Hello all.

We moved to Auckland literally a few days ago...  We are currently staying on the North Shore near Glenfield/Birkenhead.

I brought my MTB over, its in its box. Which LBS would be recommended to build it up again? ANd what kind of cost should I be looking at?

Byron

 

 

[Kenneth]

I would go to https://www.pitcrew.nz They would be quite close to you

[SwissVan]

On 7/25/2022 at 1:28 AM, Wayne Potgieter said:

Anyone on here into snow skiing - I am afraid the bug has bitten us hard on this.

Looking to try and source some second hand stuff and avoid the long lines at rental places.

 

My 5 cents tip, having done the beginners thing with both disciplines……overall I found skiing easier than snowboarding. That being said I prefer boarding and my ski’s hardly get used. We opted to buy our own ski’s, boards and boots, in the long term it’s easier and cheaper.

 

[davetapson]

Used to ski regularly when I lived in the UK - the typical week at a time thing they do in Europe, occasionally two.

I learned to ski, then tried snow boarding, but the learning curve on snowboard is steep (although apparently shorter) but after catch edges for two days decided I'd prefer to spend the rest of the week skiing.

My thoughts are that you want your own clothing. (I bought a mountain climbing dungaree thing that was on special at the time and wear that with a fleece and goretex type jacket - I've been in blizzards, and it's been 100%.  You don't need the flash stuff. I've skied in jeans/fleece before if the weather is fine. 

And you want your own boots that fit properly.

Ski's change over time, they are worth hiring, if you can hire the flavour of the moment, or whatever you feel like trying at the time.   That said, I did buy carving ski's which are languishing in a mate's attic in the UK that I'd dearly like to have here.

I can't get over the price of skiing here - it's flpn huge.

I learned too late tho' - too much inbuilt fear/self preservation.  You need to learn when you are 5 and don't know better...

But skiing, and drinking beer at a pub by the river on a sunny Sunday afternoon are about the only things I miss about living in the UK...

Edit: the skiing mad Kiwi I used to work with when I first arrived used to go to Japan.  He said it was cheaper and better.

Edited July 26, 2022 by davetapson