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
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.
Rob Johnston & Ros Cole-Baker, supported by husband HughWalking NZ for Kidneys | Prevention – Support – Research
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.
An anxious wait for snow is never easy… When and how much white stuff will we have the pleasure of shredding? That day finally came on Friday when Treble Cone opened her gates and the crowd went wild!
Smiles for miles as we lapped up line after line of fresh pockets both in the Home and Saddle basin. Chris Rogers and Janina Kuzma scored first chair, probably because their kit was freshly tuned by The Wax Room. As it should be…
The coverage in the saddle was much more than expected, with only a few patches of tussock to keep challenged as you reached the quad lift. Avalanche debris looked soft from afar, but far from soft… It claimed a few unsuspecting shredders including myself. An involuntary front-flip/rag doll will always provide some entertainment for the onlookers. Wind picked up in the afternoon, however it was ideal because the tracks were filed in for the next day skiers and riders to enjoy. See www.360queenstown-wanaka.com for daily information on where to ride.
Even though it was a delayed opening, there was still plenty of terrain and snow to get the legs burning again. Time to get make stretching routine a habit again and dust off the foam roller!
Big thanks to Lachlan at Clean Line Producitons for the shots from Saturday. Lachlan’s film is showing at the out the Mountain Film Festival tonight. It follows a story of Colin Boyd on his path to compete in the World Freeride Tour.
A capacity audience left The Rippon Hall on Saturday buzzing with ideas after the first ever TEDxWanaka. The event, which took place on a perfect winter solstice, could mark a turning point for many in more ways than one after an enlightening programme of seven speakers plus entertainment and local food and wine.
This will be a great story to follow as a great shred buddy of mine Colin Boyd prepares for the World Freeride Tour. Check out his summary of the NZ season while he trains at Treble Cone & Cardrona during the 2013 season here in NZ. Documented in style by Lachlan Humphreys, they paint a unique picture their journey together.
Gigatown is a 12 month competition run by Chours New Zealand to decide who will be the first town in the Southern hemisphere to access a one gigabit per second (1Gbps) internet connection. That means 100x faster internet than what we are currently using. For all of us here in Wanaka, and for those who would like to live here, this would be a huge step to help our community develop further and encourage future investment, business development and greater opportunities.
That feeling you get when the pressure is on… deep in the belly and mind. My deep breathes attempt to calm the roller coaster of nerves. As I visualize the course below, flashes of red and blue flags fade away as the mist rolls in over Treble Cone. The NLP skills were coming in handy in both competition and in instructor training.
A celebration of friends, snowboarding and enjoying the mountains… The Treble Cone Banked Slalom was once again a day to look forward to. Athletes from all over the world including Bulgaria, Canada and France competed in the most infamous banked slalom in New Zealand.
Rob Fagan managed fastest male and Carle Brenneman fastest female. My second run put me in second place overall just a second and a half behind the Olympic Athlete Rob Fagan himself. As he came 5th in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in Boarder Cross, I felt pretty good with my efforts!
A nice early way to celebrate turning 31 which happens to be today!
Thanks to Carl at Neversummer & Candygrind for the continued support to myself and the other team riders. Without his support, events like these would never run. Events like these help remind us how awesome the sport can be, as it is as much a gathering of friends as it is a competition.
Here is a really cool edit made from the day from the guys down at Colab Wanaka.
And to finish the day… An epic wake surfing session with Mark, Colin, Lachlan, Rosie, Sofia and friends! Official video
A much anticipated event to link the two ski mountains in Queenstown took place over the weekend…
Individuals and teams of two to five people race by ski/ snowboard, mountain bike, kayak, foot and road bike from the top of the Remarkables Ski Area to Coronet Peak. Team RISKY BISCUITS entered during the last week of registration with an select few semi-pro athletes from Wanaka & Hawea. With the help of an amazing support crew we had an amazing time racing.
The courses encompasses snow covered mountains, steep gravelled and tarmac ski field access roads, State Highways and tarmac rural roads, public reserve, public walking / cycling tracks, and Lakes Wakatipu and Hayes.
The Race
Stage 1: Ski/Board 2km – Colin Boyd
High on the Remarkables Ski Area. A mass start – run down to skis. Actual start determined by snow cover
Stage 2: Mtn Bike 17km – Richie Johnston
Down Remarkables road to Frankton Beach
Stage 3: Paddle 7km – Bob McLachlan
Frankton Beach to Queenstown Bay
Stage 4: Run 9km – Emily Wilson
From Queenstown Beach, through town and out to Coronet Alpine Hotel
Stage 5: Bike 9km – Mark Williams
From Coronet Alpine Hotel to the finish at the Coronet Peak Ski Area base
Approximately 73 teams entered. We came 4th over all – even with a mixed-team which we were quite proud about! We won the mixed teams category which was awesome. A fantastic result that kept us buzzed well into the evening. A huge Thanks goes out to parents, friends and the fun excited supporters along the way that kept the day run smoothly. Looking forward to next year already!
Photo: GPS Results of the DH Bike ride: GPS results from my leg
Richie Johnston 