Auckland!

We made it to Auckland with no issues (except almost missing our flight out of Calgary!). Andy and Nicky and Harry met us at the airport. Humid and warm here with sun just breaking through the clouds. Kids slept ok on the flight although for the last 5 hours of the flight Andrew thought it was time to get off the plane every time someone stood up to go to the bathroom. He was really excited. Will have a little quiet time then on with the adventure!
Dan

Made it on the ANZ flight

Yahoo!

New Zealand Navy

New Zealand Here We Come!

It's true. We are heading to New Zealand. We have been looking at this trip for months and finally got a good (great?) deal from air NZ that we couldn't pass up. As some of you know my mum's family is from NZ so I have lots of relatives and friends to visit. The last time Penny and I were there twelve years ago we spent 5 months driving around and camping and visiting and we had a blast (I'll try and dig out a few pictures and post them here). We are excited to be heading back with the kids although for a shorter amount of time. We leave on March 21 (in two weeks!) and return on April 11. That means we get about 10 days in Auckland and 10 days in Christchurch. The schedule is filling up with things to do and people to see but that's great. We can't wait to get going.

 

It goes without saying that the kids are excited too. We told them about it on day one which at first we thought may have been a mistake but now I'm realizing it was a good thing. They are constantly reminded that if they aren't polite and do their jobs that they might not get to come on the trip. Andrew is thrilled to be going on a plane and when he found out it was bigger than "Mr. Westjet" he was excited. I'm not sure about the 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Auckland though. I think the excitement will wear off after the first hour. Carly has been an angel since we told her about the trip. She is very concerned that the slightest misstep in behavior could result in having to stay home. I almost feel bad at how hard she's trying.

 

I'm assuming that there will be good internet connections there and we will be able to update the blog with pictures and stories so stay tuned. New Zealand here we come!

 

Bryant Creek Ski Trip

This past weekend 5 of us skied into the Bryant Creek shelter for a night. None of us were real experts at back country skiing so it was a good experiment. I think the general consensus was that it was an enjoyable trip although we did encounter some challenges along the way. Our food planning was probably a little over-done for a single night but it's better to carry food out than go hungry. Next time it would be nice to stay an extra night and ski around a bit for that middle day without a heavy pack. I think the chances are good for a return trip next year. This time with a little less garlic bread...

Chris rented a sled to haul his gear. It was a good idea and worked well although it was more difficult to pull in the fresh powder near zero conditions we encountered on the way out.

 

Ben, Geoff, Chris and Adam on the way in. This portion of the trail went through the Mt. Shark nordic trail system. It was nicely groomed and track set on the way in. By the time we skied out the next day, a bunch of fresh snow and drifting snow had covered up the nice tacks and groom job.

 

Chop chop. Geoff chopping some wood just before we left for the next occupants of the cabin.

 

Bryant Creek shelter. Ben in the foreground and Geoff in the background.

 

Adam, negotiating a steep decent although it doesn't look that steep in tis picture.

 

The second half of the trail in to the shelter was single track, skier set tracks through relatively flat forest. It was nice skiing although when you plant your pole in the snow off the track it had a habit of disappearing up to the hilt. Better powder baskets on the poles are a must.

 

On the trip out the conditions were difficult. Fresh drifting snow and warm near zero degree temperatures made selecting the right wax a nightmare. We stopped a half dozen times on the way out to re-wax and curse. Other people on the trails that day had the same problems as us so we weren't alone.

 

Ben, at one of our last stops to re-wax. By this time we were all frustrated.