livingasmagnus
my way of telling stories
my way of telling stories
x-mas
Mon 7. Mar 11
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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The end of a time...
Mon 7. Mar 11
 Well, a lot has happened since I last wrote something here...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!!!!
              ...and the two weeks prior to that..
 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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Earthquake watch…BIG TIME
Mon 7. Mar 11
Earthquake watch…BIG TIME! 04.38 Saturday 4 September 2010
I was sleeping away all peaceful and for once very nice and well, when I all oft he sudden get shaken to the ground.. or rather shaken BY the ground. I woke up and thought some druken bastards from the pub had decided to shake my van and wake me up… but the next thought that came into my head was, EARTHQUAKE! Shit it really IS an earthquake. Guess I better wake up and get out of my van… hmmm, easier said then done with the doors frozen stuck… hmmmm, again! Guess I might as well just stay put here and let Mother Earth rock my world and enjoy it!
I could hear my friends from the house talking away rather upset outside and thought I should get out there and join them.. but the doors were frozen stuck and I wasn’t in much of a hurry to get outside. The quake must have been about 10 minutes and in the van it felt like at least 10 people was standing outside it and rocking it back and forth and to the sides as well as jumping up and down on the roof.. It was moving in all possible directions.
 The earthquake was measured to an 7,2 and is one of the bigger in NZ in a long time. The damage in Springfield wasn’t all that big. The pub lost it’s chimney and, sure a lot of alcohol, bottles that fell to the floor and of course a lot of glass. But not much more then that, and the loss of power for a few hours. The epicentre was only 30 km away from us and about 40 km from Christchurch, but there the damage was much bigger. I travelled through the city today to check it out and the streets were busy with other curious people like me with their cameras, photographing the broken chimneys fallen to the ground, walls bending out in the wrong direction and whole houses fallen to the ground. There was a lot of damage! Some street was totally closed and most of city centre was closed off. Some of the streets had big cracks in the asphalt and
one could see some collections of water here and there from pipes that had broke.
     No one was killed and only a few was hurt by the quake, but there is much work to do to re-build and repair. Its going to take a long time.For me, it was an interesting feeling of a first earthquake. I have a big respect for Mother Earth and her need to breath and reset herself sometimes. We just need to accept how small and insignificant we are when she tells us off.
Peace and Respect Mother
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Magic wonders of the world
Mon 7. Mar 11
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
Mon 7. Mar 11
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
Mon 7. Mar 11
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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Back in Flock Hill again and have had another day up at Porters
Mon 7. Mar 11
Back in Flock Hill again and have had another day up at Porters and some good times snowboarding!
The last three weeks with trying to save our programme, has taken its toll on me but I am feeling very relieved and good today. Tired and drained, but much more peaceful.
  Yesterday was the peek of the AVT-action. We had a demonstration in front of the NMIT library just as the council members walked in. There were kayaks and rafts and people lined up so they had to walk through the gateway with paddles over their heads. People were all dressed up in outdoor gear and the music was pumping. Just as they tried to slip through the line of people, we managed to get them to stop for a few minutes and we had a go on the mic to express our views. They listened and even said a few words themselves.
 After this we followed them up to the meeting room and sat in on the first half. We apparently made an impression on them and all the hard work over the last few weeks has paid off. In the afternoon we got the word! The word was that they give AVT another year to find a better form to make better revenue. THIS, to me, sounds like the bureaucratic way to escape saying the truth. They need to keep this course in Nelson, and they know it!
It’s as easy as that!
I’m overwhelmed and very grateful to all who has helped in the actions and an glad to have been apart of it!
 So yesterday when we had gotten the good news we went for a beer at Sprig n Fern in Nelson. One after another walked in and there were hugs and cheers left, right and centre. Great times! I was sitting there a bit in the edge, because I didn’t really want to leave. But I had about 6 hours drive in front of me and eventually said ‘bye to all.
Arriving in Flock Hill just after midnight and having only a few hours sleep (but what a sleep!) in my van before I had to pack up for a day up the hill. Great day up the hill and now I’m looking forward to that sleep again.
Guess there might be a little bit of political activist blood in my veins after all.. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Peace Love and Understading!
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Save AVT mission
Mon 7. Mar 11
Back in Nelson for the weekend. Got in two days ago and sticking around until Tuesday evening when I head down towards Christchurch and Arthir's Pass again.
 I was hoping to not have to do this mission back up to Nelson at this stage. But as we have been fighting to save the AVT-course and it's future and beeing involved in the front of the actions, I felt I had to come up for our demonstration we have on Tuesday morning.
To day we had a sign-making session at SANITI office to prepare for the demonstration. Great good sunny day and a lot of fun. Not all that many people joined in today but we got quite a few signs made and I'm looking forward to Tuesday. As I said, I hoped it wasn't gonna come to this, but now its on and we'll fight all we can.
 Being back in Nelson is great though. It was a great pleasure to drive back in Friday night. Out of the raign and storm of the east coast. We got hit by some hard winds and rain over the last few days and unfortunantly most of the snow will be gone from the mountains when I get down. But as the weather here is very changing and it looks like new snowfalls mid-week. Hope for it!
Join in and help us in this fight..
We need to save AVT!
Peace
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Springfield
Mon 7. Mar 11
 Springfield! And not just any Springfieldbut NZ’s own Springfield. No yellow Bart Simpson, but a hell of a lot of Hillbilly rednecks. Oooops, sorry all you Springfielders. But it is a bit of a redneck town! Not saying that is a bad thing. JusG0014.jpg]own and it’s a great little spot in the middle of the spine of NZ’s south island. Close to the clubfields and all the riding you can ever want. NZ’s club fields are a very Kiwi thing. Small
non-commercial skifields that has at the most about 100 visitors on a big day. But of course the general maintenance is not the best, but there is so much love and character to go around many times over. Though they have an “invention (from the stone-age!!)” that I am not to impressed with.  Nutcrackers! This little mechanical device that you squeeze around a rope running up the hill in 100km/h… (haha, just joking. It must be over 500km/h!!) So your standing there on your snowboard rushing up the hill in 100km/h and holding on to your Nut(s)cracker for all your worth (going nuts) and hope and pray to the God’s you believe in, that you don’t ram your legs into any of the
pully’s the rope is running on. Believe me when I tell you, It is not a very pleasant feeling to hit your leg into a metal bar flying up the hill…! Never been so bruised in my life as I am now after two weeks in the NZ Mountain’s. But don’t get me wrong, I love it here! The terrain we get access to is amazing, if only there could be some more snow! But it’ll come! I’ve got another two weeks of Snow2 module and avalanche training and then another 2-3 weeks up at Porter Heights to do some Industry Practice and get more familiar with what goes on up a ski field. Good fun and great to get as much time in the snow as I can this winter.
  To night is Pernilla’s birthday party and there will surely be a few drinks and a bunch of people around. Good fun and well needed break from course and snowboarding.The last 10 days I have had a busy timeworking with the FB page to get the public support to save our Adventure Tourism Programme as well. NMIT, (Nelson Polytechnic, the institute I study at) is trying to close down our beloved course and we started a Facebook group page to support the cause. It has been my little baby to run the page and I am passionate about the course and our cause so it has taken much energy together with snowboarding all day and a bit of studying on top of that. But the public support has been overwhelming and I am very proud of the energy people has put into it. Yesterday we handed in our submission to get them to change their minds and now we have to wait for a certain Tony Gray to make his decision. IF he decides to axe the course anyways, against everyone’s will, there will be big public protests and
demonstrations. I hope it doesn’t have to come to that. But we will be heard!
Now its time to get some sun and sort out the costume for tonight’s party… Come dressed up in something you normally don’t wear it says. Hmmm, well I guess I have to dig deep into my pack and see what I can find.
Peace and Love and Poilitics
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The fight goes on!
Mon 7. Mar 11
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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