If you’ve ever wondered what travelling full-time as a family might be like – meet Jade Leopard. The 14-year-old travels permanently with parents Mike and Soph, sister Riley (13) and brother Toby (10). Jade is also our youngest editorial contributor, with a permanent column to share her adventures.
Kia ora. We’ve recently returned to the South Island in our fourth year of full-time caravaning. I’m loving the lifestyle of exploring our beautiful country. We’ve been enjoying winter in Otago and chasing snow adventures!
Winter is icy on my nose and fingers, I can see every breath, the snow crunches, the ice cracks under my feet. I turn my face to the sky and catch a snowflake in my mouth, it instantly melts. This is what we’ve been waiting for!
Our family hung around Mackenzie country for a few weeks, waiting for the weather to change. This is our fourth South Island winter and from experience we know that Mackenzie and Central Otago have the best winter conditions. This year, there were a few other families around, all waiting for the same thing. Dad kept a close eye on the weather forecast, but to start with every time a snow dump was predicted it turned into nothing, leaving us all disappointed.
However, after a few weeks of the weather testing our patience, a large snow dump was predicted for Tekapō and everyone was keen to experience this. We arrived in Tekapō along with a bunch of other families also looking forward to the snow.
Overnight there were a few small snow flurries that kept us awake with excitement. But nothing settled and we woke to drizzle. We stared out the window every few minutes, waiting for the snow. However, once we decided to go for a walk along the lakeside, thick snowflakes fell and settled on the grass around us. As we walked, all the kids were trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. Our hair and clothes went white as the temperature dropped and snow began to settle. When we returned to the caravan, we came back to a thin layer of snow on the ground, and dark skies suggested more was coming!
After the next snowfall and over the following days we had heaps of snowball fights. We also built snowmen and went on snow hiking adventures in the forest. While it wasn’t the 20cm snow predicted, we did get about 8cm. It wasn’t a heap, but was plenty enough to have fun in.
Snow tubing, ice skating and hot pools
An amazing family activity to do in Tekapō is a trip to Tekapō Springs. Of the many things they offer, we were able to experience snow tubing, ice skating and hot pools. We visited mid-week, so it wasn’t too busy and we had plenty of space to ourselves.
The first stop was the ice skating rink. We grabbed a pair of skates before wobbling out onto the ice. Before we’d moved onto the road, we lived in the North Island, where ice skating was very novel. So, without much experience, we weren’t very good. It took a couple of laps around the rink before we could confidently skate across without holding onto the rails. There were plenty of falls, but it was still enjoyable. We spent lots of time at the rink getting the hang of skating, each lap more exciting as our technique improved.
Next on the list was snow tubing – sliding down a snowy track in a large rubber tube. After the instructor told us how the activity worked, we grabbed our tubes and headed to the top on a magic carpet that slowly takes you to the beginning of the track. On the way up we had a view of Lake Tekapō, but the carpet moved slowly and our fingers, toes and faces began to freeze. It was all totally worth it though for the excitement of the speedy trip down. You can choose to go lying on your stomach, spinning around, or attaching tubes with another person. My siblings and I even went triple, sending us flying down the hill. It was so much fun! We had an hour-long session on the tubes, which was plenty of time to have heaps of rides. I especially enjoyed doing ‘superman’ on my stomach because it felt the fastest.
With our clothes already wet from playing in the snow at camp, it was extra cold sliding down the ice in low temperatures. So, everyone was excited to get into the hot pools. The steamy water thawed my frozen limbs. We had a nice long relaxing time soaking in the hot water as the sun went down.
Hoar frost
Another winter scene we wanted to experience this year was a hoar frost. This spectacular form of ice needs perfect conditions. After the snow, the weather forecast showed potential for this to happen in Twizel. The snow around had made temperatures cold enough and a thick fog was predicted to settle in the area. We left Tekapō hopeful of taking pictures of icy trees and frozen plants.\
If you don’t know what hoar frost is, it’s when the fog freezes. It needs very specific weather including cold temperatures, fog and no wind. The cold temperatures cause moisture from the fog to freeze on all surfaces: trees, fences, the ground and everything in between. As long as the sun keeps away, the fog continues to freeze day after day until there is some disruption in the weather. Since fog is essential in making hoar frost, it limits vision which can be dangerous on the roads. Sadly, we saw many rolled vehicles and accidents along the roadside.
Our favorite spot when expecting a hoar frost is Lake Wardell. There is a good variety of trees to capture photos of, and the lake often freezes due to its shallow depth. When we pulled in, it was wet but very foggy. The small lake had nearly fully frozen over, a little too thin to walk on though. We knew that patience was key.
We woke up to frosty trees, not quite as thick as we hoped for but still a pretty sight. We took heaps of pictures of the frost clinging to the trees or the creepy fog rolling in. That afternoon, the sun came out for a brief moment, but this was more than enough, and we listened to the sad sound of the frost falling from the trees.
Everyone was disappointed watching the hoar frost disappear, but the fog rolled back in that night, and we all felt a little more hopeful. In the morning the trees were white with frost, and the lake was thicker than ever! Us kids were most excited about getting on the ice.
We know that walking on ice can be quite dangerous. However, Lake Wardell is very shallow and with a few quick tests we knew it was safe to go on. There is no space in our caravan for ice skates, so we had to make do with gumboots (still plenty of fun). Our favourite thing is to play very unprofessional ice hockey. We made two goals, found some suitable sticks and one of the other campers made us a wooden puck. We also made up our own rules, and were entertained for hours.
Dad’s favourite thing to do in a hoar frost is a drive to see all his favourite sights. We took pictures at Loch Cameron, Kellands Pond, the drive out to Lake Middleton and anywhere else that Dad sees a cool tree. On a usual day this drive is three times shorter due to less photo stops! The scenery in this area is always beautiful, but this form of frost changes the whole landscape.
Snow wars and tobogganing
Next, we headed over the Lindis Pass into Central Otago but had to wait until the road was cleared of snow and ice. The snow was piled high on both sides and still falling; it was incredible. Some of our friends were parked at the St Bathans Domain and told us there was heaps of snow and plenty of room to park. We pulled into camp late and had trouble parking the caravan level in the deep, soft snow. After a lot of manoeuvring, we managed to park and were prepared with supplies to be there for a while if necessary.
The next day a snowy blanket fell over the campground covering our caravan and everything in between. Two other families arrived and with many kids around we all got together to make a huge snow shelter. The parents declared a snow war against us, so we used the day to prepare. Plenty of snowballs and huge walls were built to defend our base. That afternoon, the adults advanced. The war lasted over an hour before the adult team surrendered and we had our victory!
After a long day in the snow, the families walked down to Vulcan Hotel. It was relaxing to all be grouped up at the small pub in St Bathans, eating a few shared bowls of hot chips and drying our gumboots and gloves by the fire. Snow was still falling and it was nice having a warm dry space to hang out together. We definitely made the most of having the pub so close by with several more visits during our time there. We walked along the road or waded through snow on the walking track beside the lake.
The next day’s activity was a drive to Ōturehua where we found plenty of snow. Overnight we had fog, which had frozen and created hoar frost! There was full sun at St Bathans, but in little valleys the fog stayed, turning the trees white. This made for many photos and stunning views. When we popped back out of the fog, there were beautiful snowy mountains and blue skies in all directions.
After the second snow dump at St Bathans, the skies cleared giving us freezing temperatures all day and night. Each morning, we layered up in thermals and jackets to keep warm and waterproof. We found a perfect tobogganing hill and made a couple of tracks for our boogie boards. The frozen tracks were extra fast and slippery. The ponds had frozen solid, and with daytime highs of -2°C, they weren’t going to melt anytime soon. One of the ice-skating ponds was so thick they could do curling!
Overall, our wait for winter has been worthwhile. We got to admire many winter wonderlands and have many different experiences on frozen lakes, in the snow and taking photos to look back on. Since the season is not yet quite over, we’re keeping an eye on the weather forecasts ready to chase more stunning scenery.
