To the Snow!!

So we have our toboggans, our snow jackets, gumboots and snow gloves. Ready for the snow for the first time for the kids, and they are quite excited.

This is the kids on the way to the snow.

Jono with a Knee Rug and his Gloves

Daniel and Sarah with their Gloves

 This is the views going up the mountain.

Overlooking Lake Taupo

The further up the mountain we went, the more the climate changed and the trees and plants with it. They became more stunted, less green, more brown, like with any mountain, there's less air, so the plants have to adapt.

The Changing Vegetation.

 As we were driving up from Taupo side, through a few mountains first with winding roads, and not being sure exactly where the snowfields were, it seemed a long time until we finally saw a small part of a snow capped mountain.

I can see the Snow!!

 Then suddenly we drove around a corner and there it was! Majestic, larger than life, in your face... stunning!

Taken through rain-speckled windscreen

Here's a clearer pic.

A Wonderful Sight!

We spent around 5 hours up on the mountain, and rode a chair lift to the section in Happy Valley for beginners and toboggans. The kids were really amazed by it all, and Daniel even brought a Snowball back with us, which we put in the freezer in the hotel overnight.

The rest of the day I have in video and will put up in the next post... but here's some pics of the kids on the way down the mountain again :)

Jono not quite asleep, not quite awake.

Daniel and Sarah, definitely asleep :)

A wonderful way to see snow for the first time, so glad I took the advice of our friends. Thanks Scott and Anna!! Next time we will check out Snowplanet :)