6 down, 6 to go?

This post is a month or so overdue, but anyway it's time for a summary of my first 6 months in NZ.  Since my last post I have been indulging in skiing a lot (of the downhill variety).  Cross country stuff here is not as common as in Oz- your only option is apline touring and for that you have to be able to ski really good and know about avalanches and stuff (three skiers in the backcountry have died in avalanches in the last month over here).

Anyway, a summury:

The Good:

- No traffic

- Good biking

- Good hiking

- Good skiing

- Good photo opportunities

- Lots of great places to visit within a couple of hours drive

- Relaxed pace of small town life

The Bad:

- Supermarkets aren't open past 8

- No decent takeaways (I really miss: Italian food, Nandos, Chinese food, Pancake Palour etc)

- No one seems to be able to make a decent bacon and egg sandwich around here (who'd thought you could actually screw that up even?)

- (Last on the food I promise) Fish and chips are pretty sub par around here.

- Small town living (it has it's downsides as well)

- Missing the music opportunities of Melb

- I do even miss my faithful readership (of 1 or 2).  I notice the Victory haven't had the best of starts to the season.  

The Ugly:

- The job.  Pretty much over it nowadays.  The kids are a mix bunch, but the worst are really energy sapping.  A couple of weeks ago it was 'throw things at Tim' week.  I ducked a chair.  Had a stone hit me in the foot (in fairness it was really thrown to hit me I don't think).  Net result of both incidents - not a whole lot.  I thought at least the chair throwing chick would get suspended, but no she eventually was forced to mumble something that may have been an apology. (After refusing to do so for several days.)  

-Restorative Justice (the results of which are above).  School's discipline model is based on this system.  No punitive punishment, only RJ.  Sorry, but I much prefer to be feared and respected than to be in an equal relationship of power with my students.  (At least with this kids anyway).  Maybe I'm just bitter because in this whole year I don't think justice has ever been restored to me.

So where does this leave me?  Seriously considering returning home at the end of the year.  Julie can go back to her old job if we return within 12 months.  A big financial carrot given our combined income at the moment is less than what one of us was been making last year.  Having said that though, the thought of leaving so soon pains me... but the thought of another 3 months in this job (let alone a whole year and 3 months) pains me equally.  

Jobs back in Melb for next year will soon be advertised so I guess decision time will be soon.  Annoyingly I don't really want 5 days of classroom next year, but finding instrumental work from over here may prove difficult.  Bah, enough musing for now. 

Requiem

I've decided to include this as a separate post rather than bury it in the long update just posted. Whilst it may seem sad to mourn a rock formation, it was with great sadness that I read of the demise of the Island Arch on the Great Ocean Road - one of my favourite places to photograph. I think I would've photographed it on at least 10 different occasions.

Update

Firstly, good news is I am still alive. Whilst my predicted death from swine flu in my previous post has not eventuated, it does seem somewhat ironic that now Melbourne is in fact the epicentre of swine flu in Australia. (I even noticed that one of the schools I worked at last year was one of the ones that were closed for a week or so). Keep wearing those facemasks people (or you could just continue living your life like normal - a more sensible option).

Tramping has continued - two trips in the last month, one to Buckland Peaks (photos attached) and another on a school outdoor Ed trip down the Copland Valley (didn't both taking the camera). Not much to report on either - both were pleasant excursions.

Starting out - valley floor at the 100m contour
Halfway...






4 hours, 10km and we're up on the tops around the 1300m contour.

Buckland Peak Hut - Seen center of the frame in a basin below various ridgelines.

Descending into the hut. Somewhat icy in places

Hut

Climbing back out of the basin onto the ridgeline.

In Other News....

I've noticed that Lake Mountain and Stirling have just got a good snow dump... Starting to feel home sick again. Should get some skiing in here over the winter school holidays (a couple of weeks away). It will all be downhill though, not too many places you can do cross country here unless you know about avalanches and the like.

I am somewhat tempted to return home for a week over the winter holidays. Return of velourfog is one carrot. Another is that the education department over here says that if I travel to Australia I must take one forced week of sick leave on return. Bonus. Probably not going to happen though.

Any news from the home front out there? I wonder if my readership his diminished from 2 to 0.

God must be angry

Well this may be my last transmission.... It seems that I may have inadvertantely angered god as he seems to be sending his wrath down on us here:

First tornados.

Then, swine flu - two teachers from my school where on the same flight as these kids

They are currently taking the week of school and taking anti viral medications.  If I don't escape this emerging pandemic, please, have a parma in my honor.

Autumn and Burgers

Another quick update. After returning from tramping last weekend I headed down to Queenstown and Arrowtown for some autumn colours, and to live the dream of eating Fergburger at every meal (though I later had to concede on breakfast and only managed lunches and dinner). Fergburger is by far the best burger I've ever had. The classic Fergburger with cheese is a good starting point, but for the truly brave the Big Al (pictured below) with 2 patties, 2 eggs, lashing of bacon, beetroot, lettuce, tomoto, cheese, red onion, relish and garlic aioli is a winner.

Arrowtown, a historic gold mining settlement about 20 minutes from Queenstown lived up to it's reputation for spectacular Autumn scenery.

More Tramping

Easter Weekend

Plan was to attempt Mt Bowen (1955m). Failure. We decided to take a more round about route than the standard route up Mikonui spur. Reports were that the Mikonui spur route was overgrown and difficult to follow on to the tops. So we decided to try via Explorer Hut and then along Miserable Ridge.


Exlporer Hut took 7 hours to reach (instead of the suggested 4). River travel and boulder hopping is really slow going. On the second day we were defeated in the thick scrub belt below the alpine zone, on a track that had not been cut since 1980. Armed with a machete and a pruning saw we managed to recut about 100 metres of track in 2 hours. Running out of daylight and water we ended up retreating to Explorer Hut and abandoning the attempt to get up Mt Bowen. We walked out a day early (probably lucky cause on Monday there was quite a bit of rain and we may have become stuck with rising river levels).

Mt Bowen from Mikonui Flats

Explorer Hut

Where's the track?



Ahh... Mud



River travel



Mikonui Flats Hut



Old Farmstead

Last Weekend: Kirwans Reward Track

A nice, although at times a slog up hill, track through a historic goldmining area on a well formed pack track. Starts at about 200m and 12 or so kms (and 6 hours later) emerges at around 1300m. Nice Hut, and really good views from the tops. Gave me a few blisters this one though. It seems a well form track has it drawbacks - you're only using your feet and legs. On the really steep stuff like Mt Bowen and Mt Alexander most of the time you're hauling yourself up with your arms by grabbing scrub, tree roots etc - more of a whole body thing.