We had planned a winter trip to the mountains for the middle of August and were incredibly lucky to have a few days of absolutely amazing weather. Although there was limited snow at some of the ski resorts we ended up doing a variety of activities which made for a great long weekend.
On Friday we headed straight to Coronet Peak ski area for some skiing (or snowboarding in Eric’s case). Being a day ahead of the weekend crowds meant that we had the place to ourselves, and even although the snow wasn’t great we were still able to spend plenty of time cruising down the open areas of the mountain.
After stopping off for some mulled wine on the way back to out hotel we went for a quick walk along the river before dinner. Looking at the weather forecast we had another beautiful day ahead of us and so we decided to head to the nearby cross-country ski course to see what it was like.
The drive over the Crown Range was beautiful and we had great views through the Cardrona Valley as we wound our way up the access road to the cross-country skiing area. Like lots of the ski resorts here, only the very top of the mountain has snow during the winter, so you often end up driving some pretty long and winding dirt roads to make it to the base of the ski area.
Arriving at the small base area, we quickly picked up some cross-country skis and headed out onto the trails. The conditions were perfect, beautifully groomed ski trails and perfectly clear, sunny skies. We were both pleasantly surprised by the hidden world we found up here; between the slightly uninspiring name ‘Snow Farm’ and the general lack of information about the place, we felt like we had found a hidden gem.
We picked out a loop trail that would take us around the edge of the ski area, stopping off at a couple of the backcountry huts that we wanted to investigate for future reference. It didn’t take us long to find our feet again on the skinny cross-country skis and soon we were cruising along the trails.
We spent a few hours making our way through the gently undulating valleys, and occasionally would reach a ridge that gave us views out across the mountains. After exploring a few more of the shorter tracks from the lodge we reluctantly made our way back down the hill in search of some well-earned dinner.
Our last morning was another beautiful, clear day and so after enjoying some brunch in town, we decided to stop off at Lake Hayes on the way home for a quick walk to stretch our legs before sitting in the car.
The early morning reflections on the lake were beautiful, especially with the snow-covered hills in the background. We had the track to ourselves, despite the pretty morning, although as we reached the far side of the lake a few early-morning rowers took to the water. It was hard to believe we were only a few minutes from Queenstown and the hussle and bustle of the town and ski resorts.
We finished our loop of the lake and then started the trip back to Christchurch. The winter storm that had arrived a few days earlier had left just enough snow to dust some of the hillsides in the Lindis Pass making the hills look quite different from their usual golden tussock brown colour.
