CS

So this week I felt on top of the world, and I was pretty much there up in the mountains.

Not only did we ski at two mountains that we hadn’t been to before but we also did the highest bungee jump in New Zealand. It was pretty high, a 134 metre drop with an 8 second free fall in fact. I really didn’t know what to expect and I tried not to watch the videos of other people jumping so that I wouldn’t be put off, but I caved in and watched them anyway. It didn’t help.

When we boarded the bus there were plenty of locals doing the same, as it was locals weekend giving us 50% off the price. This also didn’t help the nerves as there were people we knew, so to back out now wouldn’t just mean a bruised ego, but a friendly chicken remark here and there around town. As we got closer to the jump we climbed up through a fair few stories and up some steep gravel tracks.

Over the top lay the AJ Hackett swing and the country’s highest bungee jump. We flung ourselves into the appropriate harnesses and safety equipment and boarded the small cable car over to the platform, which was held up by a few bits of wire, or so it seemed. Once on the platform they called out our names; me first and then Vicki, which suited me just fine. She was trying not to look down but that’s pretty hard when you’re up in a box in the sky.

They set us up with the appropriate attachments and walked us up to the tiny platform over the Kawarau River, hearts beating pretty quickly. There’s one more check and then 3, 2, 1, go. We both went first time, you know you have to do it and the longer you wait the worse it gets. So we were happy that we just went. Here’s a photo of me going over the edge with our videos below.

Next up was my birthday on Friday. We both had the day off so leisurely woke up and got ready to go skiing, which would be a first for my birthday. The weather turned out to be incredible and the skiing was awesome, it was such a great way to spend a few hours on my birthday. Being in the sun on the mountain with Vicki was perfect. Sounding soppy but it’s true.

The evening was spent at an all you can eat buffet, courtesy of Dad, so by the end of the evening I couldn’t eat or drink anything else. I made sure I put into practice my buffet piling techniques that Henry and I honed during our many years going to Pizza Hut!

What a birthday!

We had a couple of days exploring the skiing at Cardrona and Treble Cone, with discount as I work in the ski industry. I still can’t go anywhere without getting some discount 😉

Cardrona was fantastic and we had a free advanced lesson to improve our technique. We both learned something new and we are trying to put that into practice, so hopefully we can continue to improve our skiing!

Treble Cone was on another level. The view over to Wanaka and beyond was amazing and the day was as clear as it gets. The skiing over in the back bowl was powdery and fun, with a few black runs thrown in for good measure. For end of season skiing this was bloody incredible. There’s still no other feeling like being in the mountains with fresh spring air rushing past with views that go on for miles.

Next up, snowboarding on Friday, wish me luck…