After looking around approximately half of the houses in the Ashburton district, 95% which were major renovation projects with excessive price tags or just plain old dumps, we settled (or more accurately Amy fell in love) on a 4 year old townhouse. It was a little over budget but despite my best efforts to swing the favour towards an older house on a section (plot) twice the size double 
glazing won out in the end! And so it was that after a little to-ing and fro-ing a price was agreed, I had a little lie down in a darkened room, and we signed on the dotted line. All that was left to do was arrange insurance, sort out the mortgage, get a builders report (there have been some earthquakes after all!) and check all the paperwork
was kosher. Everything is now falling into place and all being well we move out of our small, cold unit on 16th September...exciting!
In between house hunting, there was still plenty of time for some fun as we returned to Little Mount Peal on Sunday morning. The forcast was for snow flurries early on that would clear by lunch.
This was spot on and the sun came out as we cleared the bush line however it became clear as we neared the top that although the summit did not appear snow covered, the track had turned into an ice flow. The last 50m of the 1000m climb was slightly hair raising to say the least but we soon made the comfort of the shelter to have a reviving brew! Slightly more relaxing was another jaunt up Mount Alford, a mere 600m or so. We walked up a little later in the day and were treated to some fantastic light as the sun lowered and we looked towards Mount Hutt.
The other big news is that snow has arrived in Ashburton. We missed out a month ago on the snow that blanketed the whole of the south island but this time the whole of NZ has been affected and after yesterdays dusting we woke up to half a foot of the white stuff. As this is the first snow in town for 6 years, which the locals still speak of in whispers due to all the power cuts that resulted, Amy and I had a little walk to the river before work to enjoy the spectacle and take a few pics. Things come to a standstill here just as much as back in the UK. Yesterday 
half of town was closed and school canceled so I imagine we may be the only ones "working" in the whole of Ashburton. The major benefit is the fact that the ski fields may actually have a few pistes open after what has been a terrible start to the season. I went up to Mt Hutt for the day with friends and while the main pistes were open due to the snow makers working overtime, off-piste there was not even a sprinkling to cover the rocky terrain.
As it has taken me so long to post this, we did make it up the hill and I can attest that it was the
best days skiing we have had to date at My Hutt although we took things a little more easy that some of the bigger days last year, managing only 12 runs and 5589 vertical metres. The sun was out, the powder was there, all the lifts were working and the potato wedges were tasty! All skied out, we went up to the Ashburton lakes for a sandwich and short walk on the Sunday. We had intended to walk up the appropriately named Mt Sunday but dared go no further than Lake Clearwater as the roads were getting more and more covered in deep snow.
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