Ski Weekend at Mt Raupehu

For his birthday Lucas wished for a ski weekend and he got it.  Mt Raupehu is a major destination for Kiwi's living in the North island.  We had an awesome time and got it some great time on the slopes.

When we approached the mountain I was in awe at just how huge it was.  Mount Ruapehu is actually a volcano.  Not only is it a volcano, it is one of the worlds most active volcanos - yes, this means there are plenty of signs at the ski resort warning of earthquake and avalanches due to volcano activity.

The ski resort was beautiful and unlike skiing I've done in the past.  Since we were on the side of a volcano, there were no large wide valleys and slopes to ski on, the areas were narrow and people were packed in.

Parking Lot of Mt Raupehu Ski Area

So Many Warm Layers

Small crater lake

Moving Carpet Ski Lift

Kick Ass Snowboarder

Amazing Skier Thanks to My Dad

Feet so tired

View of Mt Raupehu from Ohakune



Why Are Hotel Trashcans So Small? This one is the smallest I've ever seen

The Taihape Boot!

Walking around - Pictures from the last couple weeks

 

First time watching rugby at a pub - we were practically the only ones there

Bakery near our house serves my favorite - Croque Monsieur

A Mexican taco stand - it was delicious!

Te Aro Alley Way

Petone - Somes Island in the distance

Afogado Coffee - Espresso, ice cream, Amaretto

We Went Bowling

Performance Street Art

Juggling Guy

On the way to Te Papa

Te Papa Carving

Zealandia!!!

This is going to be a must stop for anyone coming to visit us and I'm looking forward to coming more than once my self.

In a nutshell, Zealandia is a bird and wildlife sanctuary.  Its been designed to transform the land back to what New Zealand would have been like without outside interference.  All non-native plants and animals have been removed and fence surrounding the property does its best at keeping them out in the future as well.  Its an amazing escape from the city and you can hardly imagine that just a couple miles away the big(ish) city of Wellington is nearby. 

There is also an amazing café - further cementing the fact that New Zealanders know how to make coffee.

http://www.visitzealandia.com/

 

Kilbernie Pool - Harbor City Masters!

I've officially starting swimming with a Masters team here in Wellington and its been a lot of fun so far.  Workouts are three times a week, for 60mins, and the yardage ranges from 1500-2200yrds - this is awesome.  Enough to get me hungry but not too much that I'm tired and hating my body by the end. On Wednesday nights there is even a little meet-up at a bar close by after workouts.  I'm going to have to implement this when I start coaching in the states.

Lucas took a few pictures from my last work and here they are

Sweet Potato Bake

Sweet potatoes are big in New Zealand and they are called Kumara.  I saw this recipe while flipping through a magazine a coffee shop and seemed too easy and yummy not to try.  On the whole it was very delicious, cheap, and filling but a little bland (it must be bland if I'm saying that).   One awesome thing about it - you can eat this at any time of day.  For dinner we paired it with some pork chops, for breakfast I topped it with a poached egg, and for lunch...I just ate it straight!

Next time I try this recipe I'm going to add a little ricotta, cumin, some more garlic, and 1 egg to the spinach.  I'm also going to add a little less cream since the ricotta will make up for that.  

Ingredients:

• 300ml single cream
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 250g bag of frozen spinach  
• butter for greasing
• 850g of sweet potatoes (cut into slices)
• 25g grated hard cheese - cheddar, parmesan, etc

My add ins:

• 1 egg
• 8oz of ricotta cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic (for a total of 4 cloves)
• 1tsp of cumin to the cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 973F. 
2. Put the cream, garlic, cumin, herb sprigs into a small saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer.  Turn off heat and allow to rest.
3. Thaw and drain the excess water out of the spinach. Season with salt, pepper, 8oz ricotta and freshly grated nutmeg
4. Grease an oven proof pan and spread sweet potato slices across the bottom.
5. Top with a layer of spinach mixture, then remaining potato slices.
6. Top with cream mixture and sprinkle with a cheese.
7. Bake for 40-55mins until golden and tender.