Morning in Twizel

Arno has organised a ride for us back to Christchurch with a friend of his this afternoon, so we don't need to catch the bus. It is a lovely morning, fine, calm, almost warm - perfect for boating!

Arno is a keen foil rider (I'm not sure if that is the right name) anyway instead of water skiing he rides a chair, that is mounted on something like a mini surf board, itself on a 1.5m stand with a hydrofoil at the bottom. It looks ridiculous. He calls it the death chair and says it is great fun to ride.

We wait a little for another friend to arrive, drive to lake Benmore, get in the boat and are on the water. Arno and Nicky made launching the boat look so easy - well done guys.

Out on the lake Arno straps himself to the chair, drops into the water, the towline runs out... He's up. It's a lot like waterskiing, but with an added vertical element. He can even pop out of the water, jumping clear by a metre or more. Another trick is to skim the hydrofoil along the surface. This seems to be harder and he falls off.

It's beautiful out here, the lake and snow covered mountains. Aoraki stands out. Majestic. We can see why Twizel has become a popular town, handy to four lakes, stunning views on a good day. It's a complete change from when I was young and Twizel was almost a joke.

Tim and Deidre arrive and drive us back to Airport Gateway Motel, thanks again for taking us.

It feels a bit like coming home, we have been here so often. We have another week working, then will bus back to Twizel where we resume our ride.