SOBRA

South of Balloch Rules Apply?

No matter how hard I try to adjust, Scottish guys are just shite in the in the heat. The German's heat stroke in Borneo makes a lot of sense now I've lived in KL for 6 months. The high temperatures are one thing, but the constant high humidity makes the slightest physical effort, a full scale workout.

Air New Zealand have been sending us engines for the past 7 months. We're on trial, as they gather data on our performance. They plan to make a decision on where they will send 12 engines per year for the next 3 years. I really want the work. They are exactly the type of customers we need at GE Engine Services Malaysia.
With the 7th engine just completed, they invited me down to Christchurch for a discussion on the situation so far.

It's a place I've always wanted to visit, for three good reasons.

- First of all, I've never met a Kiwi I didn't like. Their great folk, with a canny similarity to the Scots.
- Secondly, the place is full of Campervans.
- Thirdly, Like Scotland, they have been blessed with Mountains. Very Big Mountains.

Some carefully planning allowed me to mix business with pleasure - or Engineering with Mountaineering, as the NOBRA boys would say.

As the 737 from Auckland touched down in Christchurch, the pilot announced an outside temperature of 7 degrees.
When I left KL, the big thermometer on the Federal highway registered 37 degrees!
My clothing was the warmest gear I had in KL, however it was clearly insufficient for the street, never mind the mountains. I decided a climbing shop was required. I could feel a wee purchase coming on.

As I walked outside to grab the Shuttlebus to my hotel, I was struck by a strange feeling. I looked at the people around me, all with jackets and hats, some with Red hair, most with skin as pale as mine, and as the bus pulled away from the carpark, I smiled. This feels just like home.

The hotel receptionist was a climber. What luck. He pulled out a wee map of the town, and marked down 4 good climbing shops. It may be hard for some people to understand, however the German knows exactly want I mean. I almost ran to the first shop, excited at the prospect of some new gear, and the chance to get some local mountain knowledge from the guys in the shop.

Next morning, accompanied by Ben Waters, the GE Sales Director, we headed back towards the airport, for the meeting with ANZ.
It went well on both Thursday and Friday, with an early finish at 3:00pm, allowing me time to visit the Antarctica center.
Since becoming interested in the adventurer Ernest Shackleton, I'm now fascinated with the Antarctic and it's history. Many countries use Christchurch as their base during explorations, and the center provides as much information on the Continent as you could ever want to know. I loved it, and learned heaps. Karyn doesn't know it yet, but some day she's going on the coldest holiday of her life!

One of he ANZ guys has a keen interest in the outdoors, and kindly offered to take me up Arthur's pass on the Saturday. It’s the highest village in NZ, located right in the Heart of the Southern Alps. Graham McCabe's a great guy, who lived in Northern Ireland for years, so he understands the Celtic patter.
He picked me up from the Hotel, and before long we were driving through Lord of the Rings country. The glacier landscape was amazing, with some serious looking mountains in the distance.
As the distance became nearer, I was doing the same fast scanning wee Joe laughs at when we drive through Glen Coe.
But this wasn't the West Highlands, this was the Southern Alps. These mountains were double the height of Bidean!

We stopped at the Department of Conservation office and bought the guidebook and a map. We then moved up the road to Arthur's Pass village, where we found a Café, had some Tea, and checked the map for a suitable route.
The DoC officer had told us Otira Valley was a good place to go 'tramping' as the Kiwi's call it. It leads to a bridge over the melt water, and then up into a corrie when the big routes onto Mt. Rolleston start.

The walk was excellent and before long we were in the snowline. Up ahead we could see avalanche debris. A number of avalanches had dispatched from several different directions. As we reached the wall of snow, we were amazing by the shear scale of the mountains around. I grabbed some photos, before we moved over the debris, to a better vantage point. I think Graham was enjoying it as much as I was. It was just like the European Alps, with Glaciers, and 2000ft faces all around.

We found our way back down to the end of the first avalanche, and decided that was good enough for the day, since we never intended going to a summit. We were just out for a day in the hills, without any serious mountaineering, although the seed in ma heed, is well and truly planted.
Back at the car, Graham introduced me to Moro bars, as we headed down the west side of the pass towards the new viaduct. The road was previously very dangerous, due to regular landslides.
The government funded a major engineering project, building to a new viaduct, and an open-faced tunnel, complete with overhead stone shoot. It really was an amazing sight.

We then went to Deaths corner for a view down the valley. When we arrived, Graham explained the guy ahead of us was in big trouble. A Kea mountain parrot was on the roof of his car, destroying the trim around the rain gutter. He was trying to chase it away with no luck. They are very aggressive, attacking without warning. They are also protected, so you can’t respond with a stick, although you may want too. I thought it looked like an extra from Lord of the Rings. Parrots in the mountains?

Graham told the guy his best option was to jump in the car and just drive the car fast. It would get the message and fly off. He followed the advice, however we quickly realized it was time for us to bugger off too, since the bird was making it way towards Graham’s car. Probably even more pissed off.!
We left the car park in a hurry, heading back to the Café as the weather started to deteriorate.

By early evening, we were back in Christchurch. I was happy as hell. My first trip into the mountains since arriving in Malaysia, and it had been a cracker.

So my advice to NOBRA is this;
Start saving for an airline ticket (make sure it’s on Air New Zealand for Christ sake!)Hire a campervan and go climbing and “trampin” about in these spectacular mountains.

Oh aye, and don’t forget a gid jacket!

Thanks again to Graham. You’re now the first Southern Hemisphere NOBRA member.
Cheers,
Alan 21st Aug 04