Contrary to what it seems like from the photos posted on the fb page, we didn’t spend the entire trip mountaineering. Here are some of the other activities we did during the bad weather/days off listed in order of abundance.
Sleeping
A great way of waiting for the bad weather to pass if hut bound or way of making a car journey productive (assuming you’re not the driver!). The ability to sleep anywhere and everywhere is a value skill for mountaineering!
Eating
Food is the source of energy that gets you up the mountain; it can also be an important morale boost in the mountains. The calorie deficit achieved after a long day of mountaineering also makes eating very enjoyable!
Fergburger in Queenstown and Red Star Burger in Wanaka were our go-tos, would recommend!
Climbing
We managed to fit in a few days of climbing here and there – it was fun to climb something other than the classic Blue Mountains sandstone! The highlight was Wye creek near Queenstown, quality routes and quality views.
Faffing
No mountaineering trip (at the beginner level at least!) would be complete without copious faffing. Examples include deciding what to climb, where to eat, what gear to take, taking forever to pack.
Driving
The longest journey was between Fiordland and Christchurch, 9 hours according to google maps. Fortunately, the roads in NZ are quite nice to drive!
Food shopping
Given the remote nature of the mountains that we were climbing, we had to bulk buy food in advance. Turns out food shopping can be quite draining…
Swimming
There are heaps of beautiful lakes around the south island – perfect for a refreshing dip.
Core
A trip abroad is no excuse to slack on core. We invited our instructors to join in during the course, but they weren’t interested 🙁
Cinema-going
If you find yourself in Wanaka, a trip to Cinema Paradiso is recommended. They have an interval in the movie during which you can buy their freshly baked cookies! Apparently the cinema in Christchurch is meant to be good as well.
