Ski Season Has Arrived!

Ski season started for me today. Last week before leaving for Auckland, I geared up for the season. I'm going with a helmet now. It isn't a law in New Zealand, but I figure why not be safer. Coronet Peak opened last weekend, and I heard it was great on opening day. It wasn't so great today, but was still great fun. If you've skied in North America or Europe, you may be used to larger ski fields. The ski fields on the South Island aren't nearly as large as many you'll find in other parts of the world, but they're still great fun. It's very social, and because the ski fields are so close, you could ski in the morning before going to work if you wanted to. I'm sore tonight and hoping that my brand new boots won't be so incredibly painful next weekend.

June in the Southern Hemisphere

2 June on the South Island, NZ. If I was in Southern California, I'd be running around barefoot and in shorts experiencing "June Gloom", that summer month in the region when fog hangs in the air much of the day. Instead, it's currently -1 Celsius, the fire is going in the stove, and in the morning I'll be carefully making my way down the frosty stairs to the car and grateful for the fact that my newly purchased "used" Subaru Impreza is all-wheel drive. I live in Fernhill, the highest house on the hill to be exact. I probably live in the warmest house in one of the coldest places in Queenstown. It's known for staying frosty and icy during winter.

What a difference a year makes. I did hear today that the month of May was the 2nd coldest May in Queenstown since 1939. I now understand the value of sensible shoes, the need to have multiple pairs of gloves, hats and coats. This California girl can't seem to come to grips with the fact that she has to wear something on her feet all the time now.

The past six weeks have been what they call in the tourism industry here, "the shoulder season". It's been pretty quiet in town. But with each passing day, I'm seeing more and more what look to be jibbers, or snowboarders, showing up in town. It's almost ski season with Queenstown's main mountain, Coronet Peak, opening this weekend. It's looking to be an incredible ski season with the majority of visitors coming from Australia for ski holidays. I'm not coughing regularly like I was a year ago, so I'm looking forward to having a better time skiing this year.