Eleanor, me, Jess, and Brandon ready to hit the slopes.

Skiing at the Remarkables and Queenstown One Last Time: 10/12–10/13

Abby Keelin
Nov 6 · 5 min read

A last minute decision to ski the Remarks for closing day and then spend the evening in Queenstown. Plus a birthday surprise earlier that week for Zachary!

Route from Dunedin to the Remarks, near Queenstown.

A Successful Birthday Celebration: 10/8

It was Zach’s 21st in NZ! So of course, we had to celebrate! He had been eyeing up this film camera at an op shop in Dunedin, so El, Brandon and I put together some cash for about 2/3 of it for him and surprised him. We are broke study abroad students and definitely couldn’t afford the full thing, but the gift was still enough to make him tear up.

Right after we gifted him with the camera for surprise #1.

We took him out for dinner and drinks at a local brewery nearby, and while we were there we had all of his church friends gather at a nearby flat. We then got in the car and told him we were going to the beach, but instead, Brandon threw a bag over his head to blindfold him and we drove him to the flat for the surprise. It was funny because Brandon kept acting like he was carrying him down to the beach, and Zach kept yelling “Just don’t throw me in the ocean! PLEASE dont throw me in the ocean!”. We then pulled the bag off his head and set him safely down in the living room where all of his friends were waiting to surprise him. We got him. A really good, happy night and we were all glad we could celebrate him.

The Weekend: 10/12–10/13

It was Saturday afternoon and I was at a street fair in Dunedin with Eleanor and Jess, when Brandon texted us saying his weekend plans fell through and would we please PLEASE join him skiing at the Remarks tomorrow. I had not yet skied in New Zealand, and I figured this would be my last chance to see Queenstown again before I left, and so I was in with no hesitation. Eleanor and Jess took some convincing, but needless to say, an hour later we were all piled in the Raum and bound for Queenstown and very excited.

View of the Remarkables from Queenstown lake front.

We stayed the night at a hostel called “Base X” in downtown Queenstown. Do not recommend, it was a very chaotic environment. I payed 12 USD for that night of sleep, and I think I only slept about 3 of the 7 hours I was laying there in that noisy and overly heated room. So I payed 4 bucks an hour for 3 very sh*tty hours of sleep. I remember waking up at 3 AM and laying there until 4 AM, before I just decided to get up and start my day and wait for everyone else to get up at 7 AM. Not exactly an ideal situation, but what can you do.

The rest of them finally joined me in the lobby a bit later, we left for a cafe and ate some meat pies for breakfast, got some rentals, and piled on the bus to head up the moutain. It had been a hot minute since I had last had skis on my feet, and I was surprised at how much I had missed it.

Fun times. The impulsive last minute decision to go was so worth it.

Eleanor had never skied before, and so I spent most of the morning teaching her how on the green runs before we met up with Jess and Brandon on their snowboards over at the terrain park. After that, Jess, Brandon and I did a couple blues and blacks before we all called it a day. We skied the full time, from 9–4, and we were wiped.

We boarded the bus to head back to downtown Queenstown, and once there we stopped at Fergburger, a CLASSIC, and got some drinks and burgers. Afterwards, we got some gelato and walked along the lake front until around 7:30 PM when we decided it was best if we started the 4 hour drive back to Dunners for the night.

The view from the bus ride down.

That drive may be windy and have narrow roads and take forever, but I don’t know if I could ever get sick of it. It’s beautiful, and by now I know it so so well. It has brought me to so many cool places and amazing experiences. This time as we headed back, it was bittersweet. We all knew this was one of the last times we would all be driving it, and driving it together.

Some Fergburger :)

We got back late, and then headed to bed to get ready for the first week of tests ahead. Finals season here we come!!

Abby Keelin

Written by

Student at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN majoring in Biology.

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