Returning to Queenstown as a seasoned seasonaire

Entry 1: Before the season started

I’m now back in Queenstown for the round two of instructing for NZSKI living in this beautiful town, this time with my gorgeous boyfriend. Yes, I said it. I am living with a boy! Who would have thought that at 25 I’ve already shacked up with someone I can tolerate for more than 48hours! It really is funny how life creeps up on you.

So we left Nelson and Ryan’s family only a couple of days ago and drove the stunning route here in two legs stopping in Christchurch to visit a couple of great season friends for a well needed catch up. We are now all unpacked and settled in to our lovely modern stylish apartment. We’ve just been doing life together shockingly harmoniously so far! I always thought that I’d move in to a place with a partner and end up having a few arguments, getting annoyed at their habits or their mess but it seems not. In reality it’s just like having your best friend around all the time except its ok to say I want to be by myself sometimes, so yeah pretty chill really! So my piece of advice for anyone out there considering living with their partner is ‘if it seems easy and effortless then its probably going to be plain sailing, but if you’re soon having arguments and tension then you might want to reconsider your plan B.

Entry 2: The beginning of the season

Today was made even more chill because Ryan had his first day of work meaning he had to wake up stupidly early compared to normal, he jumped out of bed like a lightning bolt and excitedly dressed for his snowy day up the hill. In my half-awake state I could have sworn I was turning green with envy, even if he wasn’t going to be snowboarding. While he was at work I set about making a delicious bolognese for us for dinner and on his return was greeted by his huge beaming smile excited to tell me about his day meeting the people on this years team; what we will soon be calling ‘normal life’ I guess?

1 week living in our own apartment together, Ryan working and me trying my best to fill my days with productive, active and fun activities to stop myself from going absolutely mad. It’s not like I’m now a kept woman or anything, not yet at least! But Ryan coming home after a full days work on the mountain doing something I also love to do and telling me all about it with a huge smile on his face is the best moment of my day. You’d think he didn’t miss me at all considering how much he loves his job but the giggles and playfulness when he comes home tells me otherwise.

Entry 3: The season is almost over. Time for an update!

I was really nervous about living with a boyfriend to be honest. I had nothing to worry about, it has been so much fun and just lovely living together. We’ve really made the most of it, from nacho nights and pre drinks to chill movie and board game days it’s been a real sanctuary of friendship and love living here. Before I was talking about Ryan coming home and sharing tales of his day and it soon turned into the both of us driving home from the mountain together sharing our days and plans for the next few days, with more difficult days being blasted away with some loud electronic & D&B tunes. I bet you were thinking these two are bound to have issues with chores and cooking around the apartment… guess again! We’ve been a solid team of 2 from day one! I of course DO NOT clean toilets anymore, I’ve done my fair share of those so Ryan takes care of that and the bins and I’m happy to take care of the hoovering and other things, isn’t that great?!

Aside from our relationship, returning to a ski resort for a second time hasn’t gone as anyone would have expected, mostly due to COVID-19. More chill I’d say; less alcohol, less hangovers, closer friendships, a tighter work team, more work and better lessons.

This season I’m not just an intern so I’ve made some really lovely friends at work.

COVID level 2 has meant everyone has to be seated and served at their table therefore people can’t dance nor are they that willing to drink that much. Instead we’ve spent time slack-lining in the park, long-boarding around town and meeting at each other’s houses for dinner and beers. I also feel like I have developed stronger relationships with the more experienced instructors. I've gained higher qualifications since last season and have lots more experience teaching so I've been getting more lessons at higher levels to teach and subsequently have more confidence in setting good examples for the newbies in the industry next season.

Another aspect of returning to Queenstown again involved having so many things on my to do list! I wanted to explore Cardrona and/or Treble Cone, do some different hikes, try some of the exciting activities such as the luge and the AJ Hacket bungee jump. It’s now nearing the end of the season and I haven’t ticked that many things off, probably because I feel so at home here I don't feel rushed to do anything. I think this is also influenced by the fact I've done so many ski seasons already, I didn't have a mad rush to do everything all at once at the beginning of this season. But I can say I’ve done lots of things that weren't on my list including a hike to mid cables hut for a campout and I've added a whole heap of new things to it! This summer is going to be busy! I never want to leave! On that note, I've been sorting out my visa extension etc recently and talking to my fiends about it and I can proudly say that some of them were surprised to be reminded that I am in fact English! It seems I'm turning into a local quicker than I thought! Sweet as!

To find out the nitty gritty of why I love Queenstown ski seasons so much, check out my next new post “What’s it like to do a winter season in Queenstown New Zealand” in perhaps a slightly more ‘normal’ less COVID affected times.

The Ski Nomad