Last week I gave you the first part of the campervan tales. For those who didn’t read it, the post discussed the fantastic start to the ski season, and my potentially foolhardy decision to travel the South Island fields in a campervan with my significant other.
As discussed, our campervan Janet was not the most stable of beasts. This was mildy annoying on the roads between Christchurch and Tekapo, but became downright terrifying as we moved further south, and both ice and corners became more common features of the road. The journey over the Lindis Pass, with me at the wheel for the first time, was a scary experience to say the least. However, we made it safely to Wanaka, and settled in for the night at a rotary park in Glendhu Bay, where we hoped freedom camping was allowed.
Having arrived in the dark, we really had no idea where we were, so it was a true delight to wake up on the lakefront, surrounded by snowy mountains and the promise of a day on the slopes. With much wriggling and cursing, we eventually managed to don ski gear in Janet’s cramped interior, and set off on the road towards Treble Cone.
Many of my formative years of skiing were done at TC, and I regard the place fondly. Fondly that is, except for the road, which I always remember as terrifying. This memory was validated as we headed up in Janet, who swayed alarmingly on the corners, and lost traction with remarkable frequency. Nevertheless, we kept her moving, and all was going relatively well, until we neared the top of the road. Within sight of the carpark, the car in front of us stopped in the middle of the road. Unable to regain traction, we were forced to stop and put chains on. This performance was torture, with the slopes temptingly placed ahead of us, and fresh snow fallen overnight.
Within sight of the carpark, the car in front of us stopped in the middle of the road. Unable to regain traction, we were forced to stop and put chains on. This performance was torture, with the slopes temptingly placed ahead of us, and fresh snow fallen overnight. In addition, we normally drive a Landrover up the Canterbury club field roads, and consider ourselves pretty handy when it comes to chains. Looking like fools fumbling around underneath a campervan with a queue of cars behind us was a fairly embarrassing experience!
The remainder of our trip was uneventful, if you consider icy roads, an unheated campervan, and two cancelled flights to fit in that category. Would I recommend travelling around the Southern Lakes ski fields in a campervan? Yes. Would I recommend getting a larger campervan than we did? Definitely.
