Linda Hall: The best $5m the Government’s given out this term

Mt Ruapehu is absolutely magnificent and I'm glad skiers have been able to enjoy it this winter. Photo / Bevan Conley

OPINION:

Spending money has been something this government has loved doing.

Some of it, to me, seems like a complete waste of time, especially money spent on consultants that seemingly never makes an iota of difference.

However, when it was announced that Mt Ruapehu would get a loan of $5 million so this year’s snow season would go ahead, I thought it was a brilliant use of money.

Tourist destinations in New Zealand have been slammed in the past few years so the announcement that funding would go to the liquidators of Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), saving jobs and ensuring the region would benefit from a busy snow season was to me the right decision.

I haven’t been to the mount since I was 14 years old. I went with my Mum, Dad and younger brother and the two things I remember about the trip were Dad falling over several times as he had the wrong footwear on and my cool floral flared pants.

Someone said to me “You have flower power” - I thought I was pretty neat.

We never skied, but we did go on a ski lift.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go back. I was really excited.

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today. Photo / Warren Buckland.

So it seems were thousands of others who all descended on Happy Valley on Saturday morning.

We stayed Friday night in Taupō and were on the road at 7am. It was a beautiful drive around the shores of Lake Taupō which was beautifully calm. By the time we were driving the windy road up to the skifield carpark there was a stream of cars in front of us and behind us. The day couldn’t have been better. The sky was blue and the mountain was spectacular in its whiteness.

The two children with us were dreaming about how they were going to fly down Happy Valley and maybe do some flips (we all laughed at that).

The reality for these first-time skiers was a little different.

After a huge uphill walk, we made it to the click-and-collect area. That was the easy part. When we took the lift down to Happy Valley we groaned as we saw how long the queue was to get the hired gear. More than an hour later we were ready to hit the snowfield.

And boy oh boy did they hit the snowfield. Sideways, almost face first and sideways again.

There was frustration, but by crikey by the time we left almost five hours later they were both riding the ski lift to the top of Happy Valley and skiing down. Oh to be young with that much energy.

Their determination was awesome to watch.

There were so many young people skiing and snowboarding. One little fellow can’t have been much older than five and he was just having a ball going up and down the valley. There were parents running beside their kids or holding their hands. I heard a man say “We are going to fall but that’s ok”. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the child fell. He simply helped him up and off they went.

No fussing, just up and on with it.

One of the best things about the day was seeing so many people outdoors with their heads up, having fun or learning a new skill, sharing time with their friends and family and having fun in a stunning place.

New Zealand is beautiful, so thanks Chippy for saving our snow.

• Linda Hall is a Hastings-based assistant editor for Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 30 years of experience in newsrooms. She writes regularly on arts and entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality, and pens a column.