Guess it´s been x-mas and all..
Well, I got to spend the holidays in Fox Glacier and Haast on the West Coast of NZ, working this time.
Not a bad place to be and a pretty good mind space as well..
This is a photo taken by one of my clients, Mike, a few days earlier. I got given the Santa hat for the next trip and, there will be some evidence of how that was later..
For now, Merry Christmas and Peace and Love
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Love has happened!
In love
Loving
Love for life
Living for love
Loving to live
Loving to be loved
Love - left, right and centre in other words.
Not that this is any different from what my life has offered before.
I just see it in a different way.
..to start from the end.
I just got back from an expedition. My end of study year expedition.
4 days hiking over Ben Nevis - Mt Ellis, throught to Hunters Hut, Porters Hut and via Red Hill Hut to St Arnaud. EPIC is the right word.
That was my part of the expedition, due to my back has been playing up and I wanna be fit for work later next week. The rest of the crew continued with 2 days solid of MBT riding vie the Rainbow Rd to the Acheron Bridge. Where the rafting was supposed to stard. But after epic hiking and 117 km biking, the energy was too low and the rain turned into snow, with temperatures to follow. So the last leg of the expedition was canceled. Good call!
With this in mission mind...
The 3 weeks previous to the expedition, I was enjoying 15 days of rock climbing in Golden Bay.
EPIC! But in another dimention.
The climbing guru, Chris Warburton, kept his hawk´s eye on us instructing clients climbing.
Climbing Guru - Great!
Climbing - Great!
Deep water river-side bouldering, with a side-order of rafting - Check!
Golden Bay - Great!
Life - Great!!!!
...and the Two weeks previous to this...
I was on a training trip with ACTIVE NZ, for my guiding job.Again EPIC.
These guys have the ability to surprice and impress. My energy and gratitude goes out to all our training instructors and ACTIVE NZ staff and a great big, Thank You, for an amaxing experience.
Great friends - CheckMind-blowing places - Check
WOW-moments - Check
Great hiking - Check
Helicoper ride - Check
Great kayaking - Check
Great biking - Check
Flooding - Check
Amazing food - Check
Music - Check
Great company - Check
Great Life - Check!!!!
Life - Great
Love - Great
My haven - Great
...and the time priot to that...
Kaikoura - Great
Christchurch - Earthquake
Snow - Great
...again, Life - Great!!!
The two best words I know - To you all
Peace & Love
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Beautiful Kaikoura
First an Earthquake and then on the way up to Nelson I stop just north of Kaikoura to go for a quick first spring swim and I look up in the sky and over the horizont and see this... Still not sure what or how it happens.. because this is facing east at 5.30 pm and the sun is just about behind some clouds in the fare west behind some mountains..
Well figure it out for me if you can..
And then continuing further up the coast and heading straight into the dark belly of a major storm and rain system..
Beautiful forces of the world!
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Things tent to happen in three.. and people tend to happen to you when you least expect it! Most of it in a good way! So when you run into someone you haven't seen in a while, in a place you least expect. It makes MY day at least!
I'm still chlling in the mountains and got one day left to work here at Porters, before I head back up to Nelson and summer again. The weather seems to be not so good for the start of next week so I might just head straight back up after finishing my hours. Otherwise I was thinking of taking a few days off here and enjoy some boarding. But I'll see what happens.
Yesterday I finished up at work a bit early and headed down. There was some bad weather and we all got a few more hours of day light yesterday. That was nice.
I messed around with my van for a while. Tidying it after living in it for a few weeks now and then headed off to Flock Hill to hang with my mates from course. On the way I stopped at Castle Hill and walked around the boulders for a good hour.. enjoying the sunset and the amazing energy of this magical boulder-mecka.
After arriving ro Flock Hill I ran into an old friend, in the place I least expected to. It is great to see old friends again! Kinda one of the beauties of life I'd say!
So thanks Jess for showing up and surpricing!
To day is a slow day at Porters and I might just go and finish off those skiis I started fixing up this morning!
Peace and Out
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Day 10!
Industry practice, I have to do 100 h working for a company in the outdoor industry for my course an I am at the moment enjoying the snow at Porter Heights ski field. This is called studying, and I am loving it! Spending my days fixing up snowboards and skis and hanging with ski patrol, or just generally riding up and down the mountain to check all is under control. Not a bad way to spend my days I gotta say!
Anyone jealous??
So I’ve got another 3 days of work to do before I’m done with my hours. There is a slight chance I might stay down here for another few days and get some more boarding done before I head up to Nelson and the summer again. Cause it seems like the summer has arrived there again.
It’s been great to get some winter and time in the snow for me. It feels more like a whole and proper year if I do. I like the seasons and the changes and all it brings, and I am getting a fair bit of it this year.
The last few weeks has been rather intense and I have been busy sorting out job for the summer as well, and as it look right now I’ve gota chance to work with Active NZ for the summer. They seem like a solid company and I am going on a training trip with them in a month. I am very much looking forward to that!
But for now with the new love fallen from the sky, a few more days here in the hills is pretty likely.
…snow storm today and all is wet and cold..
Might be time to pull the pin for today!
We’ll see how se survive this one!
Peace
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Today there was not too good snow conditions up the mountain, not for riding atleas. But we still dug some snowpits and did some avalanche training. Great fun and interesting.
But a big part of the energy goes into the fight to save the Adventure Tourism Course at the moment.
Yesteday I was interviewd by the Nelson Mail and today Close-UP, TVNZ got in touch with me and wanted to get us on the show. Its interesting how a little bit of publiciti can create a massive amount of attention.
But as we where up the mountain all day in the snow, we got back a bit too late to get on the show to night. Hopefully we'll be on a follow-up tomorrow!
Keep fighting the good fight!
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