Stefan's space (part 4)

Day 9

We are blessed with sun for the entire day and I organize a guide for a dedicated team to venture to Crater Lake near the summit of Mt Ruapehu (2755m).

At 1pm we meet our guide, John, at the base station and get equipped with avalanche tracking devices, shovels and probers. We catch several chairlifts and t-bars to get to the highest slope in NZ. But instead of skiing down we take our jackets off , shoulder our boards or skis and start our ascent to Crater Lake.

The view is breathtaking , so is the climb. We march on. Claire shows great determination and when her shin starts hurting half way up she soldiers on, the mountain is calling.

After 1 hour and 25 minutes we reach the top of the saddle and the peak comes into sight. The walking suddenly becomes easier, we are almost there, we’ve almost made it… finally the crater lake appears. The water is steaming (30 degrees Celsius) surrounded by ice and snow and there is a subtle sulfur fragrance in the air.

A drink of water, a chocolate bar, a group photo, another look around and we turn back, this time on skis and we challenge ourselves with runs on icy patches and free terrain skiing.

At 5 pm we get back to our hut, happy, tired, inspired and ready for a shower. My compliments to those kids going the extra mile in this incredible landscape and especially to Claire, who is holding the flag high for the girls.

The long road up (part 2)

Claire on her way up

Josh & Nick at the crater lake

The Team: Joaquin (Sebastian's brother), Claire, Stefan, Josh, Jaiden, Elias

John (our guide) in front of the second highest peak

The long road up (part 1)

Claire preparing her avalanche tracking device

The boys getting set with their avalanche safety gear

Stripping off our jackets at the beginning of the hike

Following John (our guide) up the mountain

Mitchell's Space (part 2)

Another gorgeous day on Mount Ruapehu. More lovely fresh snow has fallen overnight and it’s still coming down even now. Almost everyone has moved up the mountain from the beginner area and we’ve all been tearing down the hill, endangering innocent tourists. Our resident chief (Diego) cooked up another wonderful dinner (complete with chocolate mousse dessert) with the assistance of our Kitchen Crew (Nathan, Julian, Daniel & Nick H). Since dinner several card games have sprung up. Cheat, Speed & Fish feature prominently but by far the most popular is Doppelkopf, a German favourite introduced to the class by Stefan.

And Jess W. worked through the difficulties of her first shower with her plaster cast, which should be off soon after we return.

Hope you’re all enjoying the peace and quiet,

Mitch

P.S. Jess W says "ouch!"

More pics from Ruapehu (part 2)

Hands up for Ruapehu

David, Mitch, Adriana & Emma - The other snowboard gang

Cool Runnings - Nick W & Jacob (who joined the class the day before the trip)

Mystery student rescued by the Ski patrol

Mystery Student revealed...

More pics from Ruapehu (part 1)

View from the top

The view from our cabin at 6:30 this morning. Volcano wreathed in clouds

Looking way up there

Meg, Taylor & Claire - Our Ski Squad

The Snowboard Gang

Ruapehu in pictures (part 2)

Some of us braved the windy slopes

Others hurled snowballs from their fortified snow caves

And some went out to make some new friends

Meg's Space (part 2)

Today we again woke to Stefan’s delightful "wakey wakey" at the nice hour of 7am. We started the morning just like any other in our cute snow hut. A beautiful snowy morning, with beautiful smiley faces and a beautiful warm breakfast, maybe the smiley part was a bit exaggerated we were tired cold hungry and lazy. After breakfast and cleaning duties we all put our ski gear on, went down stairs into the drying room and put our boots, goggles, beanies and gloves on. There was 16cm’s of fresh fluffy snow. The snow was snowing. We skied and snowboarded down to where we meet for lessons only for Stefan to tell us that the chair lifts were closed. So we woke up to a cold morning, early and tired to ski 15 meters to find out we couldn’t ski today. A few of us stayed outside and made snow angels, snow men, snow balls and slide around on our bums. Others went back to the cute snow hut, and others boarded down the mountain to pay $5.80 for coffee instead of $00.00 in the hut, they had to walk all the way back up the mountain. We had scones for lunch and sat by the fire playing cards. 

Meg

Ruapehu in pictures

Windows iced, flag frozen. Had a bit of snow fall through the night

Happy campers preparing a nice, warm breakfast

For some reason, they wouldn't run the lifts today...

Emma's Space

Emma Rose Strauli’s Random Blog.

Nz time 9:55pm Aussie time 7:55pm

Monday July 26, 2010

This is now the second night at RC SKI, a nice lodge half way up the Ruapehu mountain, which is a volcano that could erupt at any time…

Today we started our skiing / snowboarding lessons. Everyone is doing very well and a lot of people have been moved up to the next level 

After our lessons every one came back for lunch and then back out the front to show off our new skills.

Later it started to snow, we all grabbed our jackets and boots and headed outside to take photos, have snow ball fights and to make snow men it was heaps of fun!

Emma

Mitchell's space

Climbed up a ridge with Akael Alias and Nick Harrison to watch the sunrise this morning. I discovered two things- number 1: Early mornings still don’t agree with me & number2: The sunrises around here are Spectacular (yes it needs a capital and italics).

The eastern sky lightens with the approach of dawn, while on the opposite horizon the moon gently sets. A visual buffet of colour stretches across the sky, warm reds and yellows herald the coming of the sun in the east as the western sky lightens to dark blues and purples while an orange moon sinks behind the mountain.

After a harrowing climb back down to the lodge we were greeted with a delicious breakfast before we headed off to our lessons. Back to beginner snowboarding lessons for me to get a recap on the basics before turning myself loose on the slopes.

But disaster struck. As I reached to tighten a binding on my snowboard I heard the terrible sound of ripping fabric. A nasty gash in the fabric of my ski pants. Not cool, not cool at all (or as some of class 10 would say “tots devo”).

But it’s ok, I bought another pair for only $190 NZ… Yeah there was a little sarcasm in that…

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying a relaxing game of pool or reading a Jeff Deaver novel (which I have to finish before we leave ‘cause it belongs to the lodge) as the clouds slowly rolled in from the distant horizon until finally, the skies opened and snow began to fall.

You just gotta love it :)

Catch ya’ll later,

Mitch

Sunrise from Ruapehu

As the moon sets in the west...

A colour buffet lights the horizon

And the eastern sky begins to glow

Stefan's space (part 3)

Day 6
5:30 am: it is still dark outside as the our adventurers Akael , Nick H. and Mitch head towards the top of the ridge behind our lodge, 1750 m up Mt Ruapehu to watch the sunrise.
7:00 am: “Wakey, wakey, the mountain is calling and the sun is shining”. Everybody gets up and gears up for their first lesson this morning.
7:15 am: Diego, our Chilean cook and the kitchen team of the morning, prepare French toast, fried bacon and baked beans for breaky.
8:15 am: the kids do a few test runs on the groomed slopes next to the lodge.
12:30 pm: we are back in the lodge for lunch and are sharing stories about our first skiing experience on a perfect day on the volcano, which last erupted 1995.
4:45 pm: clouds are moving in, it starts snowing. Everybody but us is still on the mountain, we are having hot showers and hot chocolates….
….another beautiful day in the class room. Stefan

Adriana's Space (part 2)

Evening loved authority figures,

We’ve just arrived at Mt Ruapehu, and it is just gorgeous. I wish I could teleport you all here so you I could give you a snippet of the scenery. But only at different times of course, like sitting in the same movie theatre but in completely different sections.

The lodge is just magnificent; Stefan snagged us a great deal up here. Unlike Australian slopes, they have the lodges and huts dispersed all over the mountain. Oh come on, get jealous.

So just imagine, while you’re fixing up the driveway pavement and installing the new barbeque (from the Bunnings catalogue we discussed earlier), just imagine, your children are able to walk outside the backdoor right onto one of the most famous mountains in New Zealand which is only famous for resembling a famous mountain in Japan.

Cool huh 

Age

The view from our lodge. It's very pretty

Our lodge. Well up the mountain, absolutely gorgeous

Out the front door and onto the slopes. Doesn't get any better.

Beautiful view over the moutains.

Claire's Space

25/07/2010 - Sunday

Today we arrived at the snow, excited at first and then it diminished has we had to walk up the slight hill and then onto the ski lift, with our bags!

Before we even arrived we were pulled over by the cops because “a person” was not wearing their seat belt, yay how fun…

When we actually arrived at the lodge I couldn’t believe how beautiful it is to be staying on the mountain its self, beautiful views and we even get our own chef.

This class trip has been amazing and I great experience. I would just love to say, thank you Stefan for the experience you have given us for the past two and a half years.

Blackwater rafting pics (part3)

Just a little nervous...

Smile like a doughnut

IT'S COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Warm spa - perfect way to relax

Blackwater rafting pics (part2)

Superheroes of Waitomo Caves

Ready to tackle the frozen waters

Just cruisin'

Tubular rafting action

Blackwater rafting pics (part 1)

Before the decent: carefree and innocent

Vanishing into the gloom, only our glowsticks remain visible

And we escape the frigid waters into blessed sunlight

Jessica Wilkinson's Space (plus some)

24/07/2010

Day three.

We went to the shops, us cool bus kids bought (toy) guns, balaclava’s, silly string and a squeaky burger (editors note: the drivers hate the squeaky burger) We played Taylor’s and/or Tee Pain’s A-Z games which drove Phil insane. Then We sang…

In the bus, the smelly bus, Mitchell snores tonight.

Ohh weeeeeeeeeee eee eeee ee ee um bum ba way x2

On the trip, the mighty class trip, theres a nudey run tonight (Gossip Girl).

Ohh weeeeeeeeeee eee eeee ee ee um bum ba way x2

Then everyone partied in our cabin to reggae tunes.

Day four

Slept in, went to the shops, bought more annoying stuff, we pimped out the cool kid’s bus with disco balls. Then we were the first to black water rafting. It was really dark but the glow worms lit the way. The water was cold but the instructor was hot. We left our numbers for Brad (our instructor) ;) (editors note: I think he was scared…)

Dived in the hot tub as soon as we got back which is 40 degrees.

Curry for dinner, Peace out.

J Wilks

Tee Pain

Davoh

Emily

Seb

Emma

& Chloee

:)

P.s.

HI MUM!!!!!! (Tracey Beaker) :)

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – Nelson Mandela.

(Words of wisdom by Tee Pain aka Taylor 2 da Cohen)

Copyright by Taylor and Sons Productions 2010.

Here's some pics from our next stop: Waitomo Caves

Look it's a bird... No wait, it's a possum... Or maybe a glow possum???...

Going for a swim in the spa

Kids in the playground

Flashback to the Marae

Atlantis rises to replace Apple

Stefan's Space (part 2)

24/07/2010

Day 3

Phil whips up a big pot of porridge and everybody helps tidy up the Marae after breaky. Our little convoy of three twelve seaters hits the road down south following the instructions of Tom Tom the electronic navigation system. Once out of Auckland sweeping green hills surround us and we start counting sheep. We get to Waitomo Caves in the afternoon and the kids take over the hot tub and the playground. We finish the day with a sausage sizzle and the best short walk in New Zealand: limestone tunnels, glowworms, king ferns, cascading water, mossy trees & orchids all lit by a full moon and a procession of teenagers with torches and laughter.

Stefan

The journey thus far (part 2)

Class 10 doing a dance for the Maori elders

Getting ready for bed

Warm up games prior to Haka classes

Really lived up to its name

I have nothing to say for this...