The Christmas break was a little busy for Aleisha and I this year but it was great to be home again. I had a conference in Christchurch in mid December, the conference was a little dull but it was still good to catch up with friends and old colleagues again After that I was up to Auckland for Stefans stag party, I cant remember much but I sure felt rough the next day so I assume it went well. Aleisha then flew into ChCh and we had our first Christmas in NZ for 5 years (One of the many benefits to getting married is that you can enjoy twice as many Christmas dinners).
On Boxing day Stefan and Claire flew down from Auckland to join us for some tramping and 8 long hours of driving later we arrived at Glenorchy Airport. The planed trip was a tramp known as the 5 passes, which was mostly off track with no huts and takes ~5 days. As time was going to be tight we decided to cheat a little and hire a helicopter to drop us off at the start of the walk and save a boring day trip walking up a river valley. The helicopter ride was amazing, certainly better than walking! The tip didnt go exactly to plan, bad weather caused us to spend some days stuck in the tents using up our walking time. We all decided to take the safe option and not try to rush the trip, sadly it meant we had to change the trip and walk back out.
The change in plans meant we got out a day early and we ended up spending New Years in a hotel in Omarama. New Years day we drove back to Darfield and spend the day attempting to dry out all our kit.
Feeling refreshed, the next day Aleisha and I headed up to Wellington to spend some time with my Grany and Nanna. The fun and excitement didnt end there though, and a couple of days later we headed to Auckland for Stefans and Claires wedding on Waiheke Island. The wedding was lovely and the weather perfect. We even managed a little time for R&R before flying back to Sydney.
On Boxing day Stefan and Claire flew down from Auckland to join us for some tramping and 8 long hours of driving later we arrived at Glenorchy Airport. The planed trip was a tramp known as the 5 passes, which was mostly off track with no huts and takes ~5 days. As time was going to be tight we decided to cheat a little and hire a helicopter to drop us off at the start of the walk and save a boring day trip walking up a river valley. The helicopter ride was amazing, certainly better than walking! The tip didnt go exactly to plan, bad weather caused us to spend some days stuck in the tents using up our walking time. We all decided to take the safe option and not try to rush the trip, sadly it meant we had to change the trip and walk back out.
The change in plans meant we got out a day early and we ended up spending New Years in a hotel in Omarama. New Years day we drove back to Darfield and spend the day attempting to dry out all our kit.
Feeling refreshed, the next day Aleisha and I headed up to Wellington to spend some time with my Grany and Nanna. The fun and excitement didnt end there though, and a couple of days later we headed to Auckland for Stefans and Claires wedding on Waiheke Island. The wedding was lovely and the weather perfect. We even managed a little time for R&R before flying back to Sydney.
