Chapter II - Roadtrip Arthur's Pass

After the season as a ski instructor in Mt. Lyford has come to an end, I drive to Christchurch, where I drop off Tom at the airport.

After a night in Christchurch, we continue towards Arthur's Pass. The pass is known for its mountains and unique ski areas, which I really want to try out.

The first destination is the ski field 'Porters High', which is located right after the summit and at the entrance of the valley. It's only about a 10-minute drive from Lake Lyndon, where I spent the night, to the gate, from where a long but better developed gravel road leads to the parking area of the ski field, just like in Mt. Lyford. Luckily, the weather is good there, because in Arthur's Pass it can be really bad weather, which can trap you there for up to a week due to the mountains. The day pass usually costs $99 in Porters, but as an employee from another resort, you get a nice discount everywhere in New Zealand. After a long time, I'm sent to the ski field in Porters High again with a modern 6-seater chairlift from Leitner. The area below the cable car for beginners looks modern and very suitable. The first ski instructors are already giving their lessons there. Above the chairlift, there are 3 more surface lifts that take you to the summit. From up there to the very bottom, there are many different runs and slopes that are really fun. There's also a small fun park. Luckily, the slopes are still relatively empty in the morning, so you can do a lot of skiing before more skiers start coming around noon. But fortunately, there are no real lift queues here in New Zealand so far. Of course, I go back to the parking lot as one of the last ones leaving the mountain, where I then have my first encounter with the kea, a famous parrot in New Zealand. The birds are very smart and behave like humans, always looking for food. They don't hesitate to hop into cars as well.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast doesn't look good for the next day, so we continue to 'Arthur's Pass Village'. On the way, I come across the famous 'Tranz Alpine' train, which runs daily from Christchurch to the village and takes its passengers on a unique tour. The tracks wind through mountains, tunnels, and rivers. The destination of the train is a small village surrounded by a huge waterfall. In the center, there's the train station, an information center, a few houses, and a gas station, and that's about it. After a short walk, you reach the waterfall in about 20 minutes, which is really beautiful, and the forest around it is something special too. Then, a few minutes behind the village and a bit higher up, there's the ski field 'Temple Basin'. Unfortunately, I can't go skiing there anymore, as the season has already ended. From the parking lot right next to the road, there's a nice but also exciting hiking trail that takes about 1.5 hours to reach the basin of the ski field. The funny thing is that there's no access road here, only a small goods cable car to transport food and luggage. The skiers themselves have to hike up the trail, as there is no other option. Once you reach the top, there's a small collection of huts, like a village. During the season, the entire staff lives up there, and there are also some accommodation options for guests. The ski field is definitely only for experienced skiers and not suitable for beginners, as there are only rope tows. It's more suitable for ski touring and ice climbing, the terrain is really impressive and very steep. It annoys me a bit that I'm late here. In the afternoon, the weather gets better and I enjoy the sun from up there.

Afterwards, we leave Arthur's Pass a bit. The next ski field on the list is 'Craigieburn'. There, they only have rope tows, which means ropes that you hook onto with a nutcracker and get pulled up the mountain. This is very typical for New Zealand and especially for the 'Club Fields', which are not commercially developed. Luckily, I'm already familiar with this technique from Mt. Lyford, so I can start right away without an introduction, which every layperson would otherwise have to go through first.

But after a few hours in the morning with these ropes, you get very exhausted, and the afternoon is approached a bit more calmly in the next ski field 'Mt. Cheeseman', which is located right next door and has cool slopes.

The 'Arthur's Pass' is truly impressive in terms of landscape, and it's no wonder that so many people pass through it daily, not only by car but also by train, the so-called 'TranzAlpine', which is world-famous for its great views.