Adventure Wellington
This is a weekend trip up to Mangakino (Mango). We normally do most of our wake boarding on Lake Maratai (at Mangakino), and on Lake Ohakuri where a soak in the thermal water at Paradise is almost obligatory. And, if you want to do some more exploring there's Lake Atiamuri and Lake Whakamaru too.
So what's a gourmet trip?
This trip is a tradition that lapsed for a few years, which we've decided to revive. When the days get shorter and the water colder we need to both fortify ourselves for a big day on the water, wake boarding. We do this with an extravagant cooked breakfast, and then reward ourselves with some extra creature comforts at the end of the day i.e. a gourmet dinner... and wine etc.
The gourmet dinner is really a pot-luck dinner where you contribute your favorite signature dish, but with a little bit of planning to ensure we don't end up with six desserts and nothing else! (although that might suit some people just fine).But don't panic, you don't have to be a master chef contestant, if you don't have a signature dish I can roster you onto brekkie cooking duties :-)
For the cooked brekkies the organisers do a grocery shop for the whole crew and we just roster the cooking/cleaning duties. Warning! this brekkie will not get a heart foundation tick!
What is Wake boarding?
Wake boarding is to Water Skiing how Snowboarding is to Snow Skiing.
We find it much easier to teach wake boarding than water skiing, and people just seem to have more fun, you can learn beginner tricks or just carve around - and its cooler!
This weekend trip is fine for absolute beginners and you will get plenty of opportunities to practice your new skills. We will provide you with instruction to get you up and riding and grinning from ear-to-ear.
You might also have a crack at wake skating and wake surfing!
IMPORTANT:
Please note: you must be confident in the water even if unable to swim. You will get spray in your face, maybe get a ducking, and even swallow the odd bit of water. If you are not comfortable in these conditions please consider if this is the right event for you.
Low boat speeds between 18-21 mph are used for wake boarding. At this speed most spills will not hurt (other than your pride).
This event is not suitable if you are pregnant or have bone or connective tissue injury.
If you want to be prepared beforehand some background reading can be found here - Beginners - getting up that first time!
Difficulty Rating:
depending on the conditions on the day, this can be demanding.
About the Organiser and the other crew
My name is Terry O'Sullivan, I've run a few beginner wake boarding events for Adventure Wellington, run a meetup group for local wake boarders, and every now and again organise wake boarding trips to more hospitable waters. You will be joining a group of about 15 other people of mixed ages (20 yo's through to 50 yo's), about half are from Wellington, the others are from Hamilton and the Bay of Plenty. This isn't a "go hard or go home" crew, we're relaxed and enjoy social time on and off the water. There are a couple of people who've never tried wake boarding, a couple of young guns, and some old campaigners.
This is not a commercial operation, the boats are all privately owned by enthusiastic wake boarders. Three will be towed from Wellington, the other will come from Cambridge. We aim to have 4-5 people per boat.
How it works
• We stay at the Lake Marati Lodge, works really well for après-wake boarding. There are a mix of double bedrooms (3) and rooms with two single beds (4) and a bunk room (sleeps 6). Linen (bedding and towels) is supplied.
• We car pool as much as possible, we will be towing three boats and prefer to cram as many people in as possible to keep fuel costs to a minimum. The drive towing a boat is 6.5 hours, so if we leave after work on Friday we'll expect to get there around midnight. If you can take Friday off get in touch as there is usually someone who would like to head up earlier.
• The organisers do the grocery shopping (brekkie mostly) for the whole crew rather than everyone bringing their own stuff. And everyone mucks in with the cooking/cleaning up etc.
• For your signature gourmet dish you should propose one or two dishes to the organiser (to avoid all desserts) so a menu can be prepared - often some negotiation among the crew involved. Not everyone has to provide a dish as we will have other dishes like salads as well. Once decided, you buy the ingredients yourself and let the organiser (Terry) know the costs so they can be included in the divvy up at the end of the trip.
• Crew bring their own alcohol and usually some snacks/nibbles to share.
• A deposit to cover accommodation, food (brekkies), and something towards gas means the organisers and boat owners aren't too much in the red.
Trip Cost
Costs are collated and divvied up following the trip (complex spreadsheet) with the object of being fair and reasonable to all. The biggest cost item is for fuel for both the boats and the trucks that tow them. We won't know the final cost until the boat owners provide their fuel receipts after the trip, and those doing gourmet dishes provide their cost of ingredients.
A deposit of $130 is required to cover accommodation, groceries. To pay, click here for the Webshop - Closing date 28th May 2014!!
Estimated costs - this gets complicated, as explained above there is a post-trip divvy up (spreadsheet) of actual costs.
The cost items are (per head):
- Accommodation $75
- Food, estimate $30-$35 (cover sat & sun brekkie, and dinner)
- Boat gas estimate $50-80 (full day sat, 2/3 day sun)
- Surcharge boat towing gas - non Welly crew $20-$30
- Car pool estimate (Welly crew only) $90-$110
- Use of gear (wake boards and life jackets) - free!
Total estimated cost for the weekend is $245-$300 (last trip in April $270)
Other items you need to budget for:
- Booze and snacks - supply yourselves
- Lunches, hopefully your big brekkie will give you calories enough to last most of the day. If you think you might get peckish you should bring some nibbles to take on the boat. Hot drink in a thermos is a good idea but up to you how organised you want to be.
- If its open, the Bus Stop cafe on the lakefront at Mangakino is good for coffees, hot chocolates, hot chips (just in case the brekkie wasn't enough) etc.
Lunch is usually just grabbed on the go, depends a bit on how energetic the crews are but sometimes if you stop for lunch its hard to get started again and it eats (pun intended) into the day.
- Friday night dinner sort yourselves out. The Welly crew will be in transit so we usually grab something on the way, the kebab place at Bulls is a favorite!
Boat gas divvy up
Boat owners let me know after the trip how much gas they used in their boats for the weekend. I then prorate this over the number of riders, I don't time your rides but if you only rode on Saturday i.e. were too stuffed to ride again, or had to leave early, then I'll scale back your share of the boat gas costs.
I also don't adjust your costs for what boat you rode behind - you're encouraged to swap between boats rather than park your backside in one boat for the weekend!
Returning to Wellington
We usually head back late on Sunday arvo so you can expect to get back to Wellington round 11pm.
What to bring: Gear List
Wet suit - we may be having an indian summer but unless you're thick skinned you'll feel more comfortable in a wet suit. If you don't have your own wet suit you can hire them from dive shops and Fergs also have a limited number available. Your hosts have a few old and not very good condition wet suits that can be borrowed - very limited sizes.
Warm clothing to wear on the boat, something like a loose jacket you can put over wet suit/life jacket so you don't get too chilled after your ride. You may not look glamorous but if you stay warm its easier to have several rides.
Togs and Towel(s)
Camera your fellow Adventure Fans can record your exploits. Probably not a good idea to bring an expensive one as its very hard to avoid some exposure to water.
Please bring a small gym bag or backpack to keep your gear together. Anything that shouldn't get wet should be put in a water proof bag/dry bag.
RSVP:
Once you have RSVP'ed please answer the prompted questions as this lets the organisers know what extra gear to bring i.e. life jacket/buoyancy vests, wake boards etc. And if you have a special signature dish!
Cancellation Policy
This meetup will not be postponed to an alternative date or cancelled due to weather conditions (unless it is a really really bad storm where it would be unsafe). We ride in the mist, and rain but draw the line at riding in thunder storms.
The event will be confirmed by 9 pm the evening before on the event comments and via email.
There are no minimum numbers for this event.
In the unlikely event that the event has to be cancelled the organiser will endeavor to get a refund on some of the accommodation costs and pass these on. Any unexpected deposit money to cover groceries, gas$$$ will be refunded.
If you change your mind and cannot attend this event the organiser will endeavor to fill you place and refund your deposit. If your place cannot be filled refer to the above paragraph.
Any question ask on here or contact me on 021 506046
Cheers Terry
DISCLAIMER
Whilst every possible assistance will be offered, Adventure Wellington Trust, the Trustees, Event Organisers/hosts and members cannot be held responsible for any accident, injuries or losses sustained leading up to, during, or after an event.
NO SHOW POLICY
If you no show or cancel after 7 pm the night before this event you will have a 'no show' recorded against your name. No shows can lead to you having to leave the group. Please read our Group Rules.
Waikato - New Zealand
Friday, June 6 at 5:30 PM
Attending: 2
Details: http://www.meetup.com/adventurewellington/events/171832532/