On Monday, August 15th, Emari and I camped up at a spot called Meatworks, really exposed to the wind, rainy and cold which eventually turned to sleet. A her request we parked on slightly higher ground as we were not sure where the high tide line would be. I woke many times which has not been uncommon, frequent driving nightmares have woken me, perhaps these roads have contributed to a mild form of PTSD? It was around 6:00am when I decided to get out of bed. it was cold, I could see my breath and I peeled back the side curtains of the camper van to see a blanket of snow and Meatworks looking uninvitingly angry.
Damn it was cold and damp, so glad we had all our snowboard gear and we were layered up. I fired up the range to boil water for coffee, put out bowls for cereal, a banana, two spoons and two coffee mugs. Tried to fire up the heat but it seemed to only run for short intervals. We ate and headed just north to check Mangamaunuw which was sheltered from the wind, probably waist high, maybe some bigger sets, the tide was dropping and supposedly the swell was forecast to increase. I knew with only a 4/3, 3 mil gloves, 5 mil booties and a cap if I was going to sure today with 20-30mph winds blowing it was only going to be for one session until I was cold. It is an amazing set up and it was one of the spots I wanted to catch.
Emari and I decided to kill some time in Kaikoura, so we headed their, parked the car and bundled up for our stroll. We went into an I-info place to get some information on a Milford Sound and while their we found out the road to Christchurch was closed, we later found out most of the mountain passes and most of the ski resorts were closed as well. Weather reports seem to indicate blizzard conditions in the mountain areas and gale warnings along the coast through Tuesday.....we were not going anywhere. Lucky for us Kaikoura is a really cool town. The lady at I-info, whom I'm guessing is in her 40's told us she had not seen snow in this area since her early childhood. We booked a Milford Sound trip for this Sunday, in addition Emari booked us on the sickest zip-line trip, six lines, fastest speeds could reach 50mph and we take a gondola ride up to where the tour starts.......didn't she know I was afraid of heights, for Christ sake you know we're married and you'd think she knows these things? Zip-line tour this Saturday out of Queenstown. We killed some time at a cafe and ended up chatting with an older couple from England who were looking at missing their flight out of Christchurch scheduled for tomorrow unless the weather cleared.
The incoming tide did not seem to make a difference in the surf, still waist to maybe chest high but really soft and crumbly, winds ripping side-offshore, periods of rain, sleet and snow. We scouted out some places to camp up, it was going to be another cold blistery night. We settled for this spot just north of Mangamauna on highway 1 with a hill-side blocking the ripping SW wind, still right across the street from the ocean with sporadic traffic and once in a while the train has gone by. We cuddled up in bed, many layers with hats on heads and we read. Fuck it was cold and you could see your own breath, this has become our indicator that it is cold. We could not keep the heat going for more than a few minutes, both too cheap to cough up $30NZ for a powered up camper van site.
Bundled up we both started to prepare dinner when Emari realized that the flame on the range has not been as strong and suggested the propane tank be changed. She is one smart cookie. I swapped out the tank, this rig carries two, so we should always have a full one and wouldn't you know range fired up on high and with a fresh propane tank we now had heat blowing in the camper van. We had a wonderful meal, it had warmed up, no longer could you see your breath, but two hours later the heat kicked off and it was back to trouble shooting. The camper van houses at least two possibly three batteries and I realized the indicator was reading low. We now had an additional problem, full propane tank but not enough battery to keep the heat flowing. I started up the truck, lights got bright and the heat fired up. Then I got to thinking about the warning....."turn propane tank off while engine is running"......Fuck!!!
I went out in the dark, it was very scary and turned off the propane. We decided to run the engine for a while to get the batteries recharged. Pretty certain the extreme cold weather drains these batteries quicker. Plan is to kill the engine, turn on the propane and heat but it is unlikely that this will get us through the night. Sleeping attire...first layer, smart wool socks, sweater type layer, hats and even possibly light gloves. We will then pile under a sheet with a double comforter and possibly a sleeping bag...we will spoon provided Emari is on the outside, eliminating the possibility of pressing her cold nose anywhere near me.
With a little luck I'll get to surf the high tide in the morning, fingers crossed the road to Christchurch will be open and possibly Arthur's Pass so we can get up to Temple Basin with hopes of three days of riding and looking good for powder. We are then off to Queenstown for our Zip-line tour and then Milford Sound. I am really disappointed our fucking Go Pro is not working! We will then get three days of riding at Cardrona, next Thursday our 5 day Summit to Sea begins, with all the recent snow, it could be unreal, either way it will be unreal. Thinking of all my riding friends from VT.....Tim, Kyle, Jay, Justin and Gin, Dave and Jen......Ginz007 and baby carrots wish you were all here.
Bundle the fuck up baby, it's COLD!!!
AJ
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