Say Yes to Adventure – the magazine has come to life. Hollie Woodhouse has been dreaming of producing a magazine for over 10 years and last week her dream came true. I can happily say that I have have a part to play with some photography and my very own 4 page story being published! Hollie needed a snowboarding story, so I shared my Japanese adventure which happened a year ago.
All posts by Richie Johnston
Welcome Rock | Mountain biking New Zealand’s finest water-race
While on assignment for 360queenstown-wanaka, I had the pleasure of exploring the Welcome Rock and Roaring Lion cycle trail. Described by the Kennett Brothers as “New Zealand’s finest water-race”, I was in for a treat.
With clear blue skies ahead of me I drove from Wanaka to the Nevis road, which took a little over two hours.
Ski hut is the first of three huts, which offer accommodation high up in the hills of the Central Otago high-country. After parking there, I wrote my intentions in the guest book and started riding anti-clockwise around one of the best Central Otago rides today. There were enough supplies for two days with plenty of chocolate and curiosity.
The first part of the trail is a gentle up hill toward Welcome Rock. Smooth berms and corners lined with local schist stone made for fun riding, as I made my way up to the historic meeting point. Welcome Rock was an iconic place of trade over 100 years ago when Chinese miners lived there in search of a fortune. As the story goes, a bottle of whiskey was stashed among the mossy rocks for an emergency drink… After a few minutes of searching, none was to be found!
Continue reading Welcome Rock | Mountain biking New Zealand’s finest water-race
Flying high | A joy ride over the local rivers with Dad
While hanging out with Dad, we decided to go for a last minute flight over the local rivers. He flew in the red & grey Moth and for much of the flight we flew side by side.
Classic Flights Wanaka took us on a flight of a lifetime. These Tiger Moths bring the soul back to flying. In total over 8,700 Tiger Moths have been built, 4,200 for the RAF alone. This type is credited with training thousands of pilots for the Allied war effort and remained in service until as late as 1951 in the UK and 1955 in New Zealand.
They were developed in the 1930’s and had 120 – 145hp engines. These particular Tiger Moths were built in New Zealand in 1941.
Check out this 50 second clip of the Tiger Moth experience.
#sayyestoadventure #shareyouradventure
Camphill Surfers | Bringing the coast to Central Otago
There are may things in this wonderful world that makes me tick. Without a back-to-back winter this year, snowboarding has taken the back seat and surfing stepped forward. Well, not the salty kind but the next best thing.
River works started and the wave was built in late 2012. Located on the Hawea River at Camphill Bridge, the Hawea Whitewater Park (or Hawea Wave as it’s called by most) is a man-made structure within the Hawea River itself. The park has two river waves for kayakers and rafters, bodyboarders and surfers, to play and train on. When the Hawea Dam is released, the correct water flow provides the perfect standing wave.
The Hawea River flow is managed by Contact Energy, specifically for electricity generation. Releases are made based on power requirements. From the 1st of September to 31st of January Contact Energy are required to ensure that the flow is kept between 10 to 60 cumecs. About 50 cumecs is one of the best flows and has helped me learn to surf on a Rincon 6ft board.
If there is a community group with enough momentum behind it, they can request flow rates. Join and support Camphill Surfers and we can get the waves we need! An unexpected bonus this summer. With a fun crew to challenge each other we have spent hours at the wave till dusk searching for the next best slash or trick.
Walking NZ for Kidneys
My Dad calls me up and tells me he there are some special guests coming to stay at the B&B. Being my curious self, I wondered who it could be. While on a break from cycle touring, I was fortunate to meet Ros and Hugh Cole-Baker. They are traveling the length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa Trail to raise awareness for the need for more live kidney donors. Ros gave one of her kidneys to her husband Hugh October 2013 and have almost completed a challenge worth sharing.
The duo set off late September 2014 from Cape Reinga and have been walking and biking the length of New Zealand on the Te Araroa trail. During their visit in Wanaka, my Dad hosted them while the enjoyed local walks and rides around town. I Was fortunate to meet up with them for a hike up Mt Iron followed by an interview with the Otago Daily Times.
If you would like to find out more about Kidney Health New Zealand they are more than willing to answer any questions ranging from dialysis to transplants.
What is Kidney disease?
- Your kidneys clean your blood by working as a filter to remove water and wastes from your body. Kidney disease damages these filters so they don’t do their job properly.
- Kidney disease usually affects both kidneys and may also damage other parts of your body, such as your heart.
- When enough of the filters are damaged, the body will fill up with excess wastes and water. This is called kidney failure. It can happen when you have kidney disease for a long period of time (chronic kidney disease).
- Kidney failure is fatal if not treated by either dialysis or a kidney transplant.
The role of KHNZ:
- To fund research into the prevention, early detection and cure of kidney disease.
- Provide education and support in the recognition of the symptoms of kidney disease.
- Provide resource information concerning the treatment and management of patients with kidney disease.
- To promote the donation of kidneys and other organs and tissue for transplantation.
- Liaise with and support patient Support Groups
It is becoming increasingly likely that anyone of us or family members will be in some way affected by Kidney disease. To learn about a donation to help with prevention, support and research please visit here.
Icebreaker | Ambassador
2014 finished of with fun travels and great news! I have been fortunate create a relationship with a company born and bred here in New Zealand that I have looked up to and respected from day one. Icebreaker have chosen me as one of their ambassadors leading into the new year. Stoked!
It all started when they needed snowboarders for a commercial during the winter. I put my hand up! Before I knew it I was sitting down with their Marketing Co-ordinator and Inhouse Producer a few weeks later. They kindly sent me new merino threads which will be great for the antics ahead – and because it does not hold odor, I will be doing less laundry. Happy days…
Some other good news is finding out that my story on Japan has been selected to feature in Say YES to Adventure Magazine! An amazing New Zealand publication that is raising money to help protect the Rhino and Elephant on the Laikipia Plains in Kenya. Read more about it here. Perhaps your story will feature in Volume 2?
Biking the rainforest | Exploring the West Coast
We parked up the truck next to some of the deepest rain-forest in New Zealand. Neither of us had been here before and we curious about the ride ahead. While leading a VBT trip down the west coast I was able to scope out some of the local mountain bike trails. Ross (another VBT guide and I) found some fun lines nestled beneath the Southern Alps snaking through the rain-forest. Even on the isolated west coast there are still some die-hard bikers that are passionate enough to create some fun trails.
A 4km loop track is accessed only 3 minutes drive north of Frans Josef township. What looks like an old mining pit, you can ride up beside it and the trail starts from there.
Aside from the rain & sand flies, there is so much potential for amazing riding there. I hope DOC turns more walking trails into bike trails… Bring on Summer!
Demos | SBINZ demonstrations
A clear visual picture will always help a learning process. It definitely helps when the delivery is clean, simple and gives the student a solid understanding of the task. It was a privilege to not only present these tasks, but to do them on a world-class mountain like Treble Cone. The following video was a project the SBINZ team and I worked on during a couple of days during the NZ season of 2014.
Great work by http://www.360newzealand.com and the SBINZ Trainer crew. Cheers boys!
Please excuse the out-takes at the end… they insisted on including them!
Countdown to Interski, Argentina
To represent SBINZ and travel with such an awesome team gets me stoked. Especially when the next trip will be to Argentina 2015 during September! Earlier in 2014, myself and 5 other fortunate souls were chosen to represent the hard work that the SBINZ team have put in over the years.
Every four years the world of snow-sports instruction sends a team to the Interski conference. Up to 35 nations will showcase their development in skiing, snowboarding and telemark. It is an exciting time for us because we will showcase to the world the teaching theory, riding style and our unique outlook on snowboarding and it’s instruction.
For me, it will be the most unique learning environment I have ever been in. The opportunity to discover new tactics and technical information is literally world-class. With over 10 years in the instruction world I have had the pleasure of meeting many inspiring instructors, athletes and management that have all taught me something unique. In Argentina, we will have the chance to further out skills and bring home to our New Zealand instructors a fresh insight on how we can better the sport.
Bring part of Interski will also be a massive celebration for snowboarding and the people that make it what it is! The count-down has started and we are stoked to be part of it. Stay tuned on the New Zealand blog over the next year and follow the path we take with NZSIA. If you are intersted in sponsorship opportunities please get in touch with me.
3 years and counting! | Kidney donation success
It has been 3 years since my Dad received his new Kidney! A day worth celebrating because it represents so much to my family and I.
A couple of times a year my Dad will make the trip to Dunedin to have a checkup with the Nephrologist. Going by car each time seems a little bring, so this time both Mum and Dad decided to load their bikes to the car… Mum cycled the entire way from Wanaka totaling over 300km in 3 days! Dad has ridden much of that trip before riding as far as Middlemarch which is still an impressive 240km.
All too often people will take health for granted. It is a constant urge to maintain fitness, a balanced diet and well-being that keeps us all healthy. When we pay attention to what our body truly needs we move closer to an intrinsic balance. Move every day, eat & drink well and trust in your bodies ability to deliver. Dad and I are doing great.
It seems my family believe in this idea of a healthy lifestyle. The more km we clock up on our bikes the better we feel. Choose to take the bike more and the car less this Summer. Move more, sit less and keep your Kidneys healthy!
Richie Johnston 