Is it possible that we are actually half way through May? It seems like just yesterday that we were surfing in boardies (well, some of us) and enjoying surf sessions that started at 8:30pm and finished well after 10pm.
Now we are only a month away from the shortest day – just five weeks from the habitual garlic-planting. It's one of my favourite times of the year as we await the monster swells that are whipped up off the south coast and when surf conditions can change from hour to hour. It's a time of wild southerly changes, tortured storm clouds, and, my favourite, the snow.
Like most people living here, I turn into a little kid again with every falling snowflake. If we are lucky enough to get a large dump then we can ski in our own backyard, or take the easy four-hour drive to the base station of any of the five closest skifields in Central Otago for some real mountain runs.
I'm really looking forward to some snowy surfs this season – with the quality of the wetsuits available today it is possible to be quite comfortable in the water all year. I even learnt about some cool new technology from a Kiwi wetsuit manufacturer this week and discovered how neoprene isn't all created equal. Click here to find out more about this new technology. I know I won't be the only one vying for a peak or two on those wintery days. I think the best bit will be coming home to a blazing fire, glass of pinot noir and front window-seat view of the falling snow.
I'd go so far as to say that Dunedin, with a blanket of snow would have to be one of the prettiest cities in the world. For sure, it causes havoc to motorists in the hill suburbs, but it forces us all to slow down, take in the moment and appreciate nature's stunning intrusion into our daily lives. That's got to be a good thing.
It's a lot like surfing actually. You can't dominate the ocean, but you can learn to have a relationship with it and, in achieving that, experience some of the greatest moments of your life.
On the subject of wild rides, there's a south swell building to 4m towards the end of the week – lots of souwest wind coming also, which is supposed to ease off by the weekend and leave us with some quality surf. Enjoy!
See you at the beach ...
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