I had decided to go to Snow Farm NZ during my trip.
It was a very snowy day and there were clouds and fog everywhere.
When I reached the entrance of Snow Farm, I saw that the weather was really bad. There were a few cars parked nearby. But I was told that skiing had been cancelled that day.
My Snow Walk Experience in Snow Farm NZ Cardrona
Instead of skiing, I could go for a snow walk on Snow Farm. There were thick gloves for sale to protect tourists from the cold.
I found a pair of purple and white snowshoes to wear.
As you can see in the picture above, Snow Farm had a shop where you could rent all kinds of skiing equipment. Skis and ski poles were hanging from the racks in neat rows.
Some of the ski boots and equipment could even be rented, in case people didn’t to want bring these by themselves.
There were thick coats as well so that tourists would be prepared for the weather.
One corner of the shop was covered by photographs and posters of skiing and other adventure sports.
There was a machine outside clearing the snow.
I first went to take a look at the trail map of the area. It was very foggy and I didn’t want to get lost. The map showed all the pathways nearby.
I was excited to start my snow walk.
I started walking along one of the paths. There was brown grass growing everywhere, even under the snow.
I had to walk slowly and carefully. I didn’t want to slip and fall.
There were signs on the way so that tourists would not get lost. It showed the way to the huts.
Thankfully, as you can see in the pictures above, there was a road that I could walk along. A fence on one side stopped people from straying away from the road (And speaking of fence, you can also read my post about Bradrona or the Cardrona Bra Fence.). That was good because of the fog. I wouldn’t get lost.
The hill gently sloped down from the road. I had to be careful not to get too close to the edge. The other side was mostly grassy. It had not been covered by snow yet.
I found a fence with the words ‘River Run’ painted on it. That was the name of this area.
The road here was covered in snow.
Another fence had the name ‘Merino Muster’. I was very interested in the names of the places as I walked about.
I found a warning sign a little further on. It said that the ski trails of Snow Farm NZ were open between June and October. Anyone who wanted to ski needed a valid ski pass and the ski trails were only open between 9am and 4pm.
Ahead of that, there was a strange hill with huge rocks on top of it. There was even a bench at the bottom of the hill so people who were tired could sit down and rest.
I walked up to the table and bench and sat down for a minute.
There wasn’t anyone nearby. It was a strange feeling being surrounded by clouds and fog. It almost felt like I was in some kind of movie.
When I started walking again, I could see some buildings ahead of me.
A sign showed the way to River Run and again warned everyone that trails closed at 4pm.
I had taken a trail map with me so that I could map my route. I didn’t want to get lost while walking around the snowy area.
The snow had cracked in some places. It almost looked icy.
I reached a river that was running through the grass. It went over rocks and stones and made a pretty sound. There was some snow around the river and I was sure the water would be very cold.
My waterproof jacket made sure that I didn’t get wet.
After admiring the river for a little, I continued on my way.
There were small hills around me. But I couldn’t admire the view because of the clouds.
By the time I neared my destination, my snowshoes were covered in snow and ice (I left it halfway).
A pair of fences led the way to the nearby buildings. I followed them carefully. I was quite tired from my snow walk and I was happy that I had almost reached the entrance point.
There were long, low buildings in the distance. Lots of wires were strung up over my head and I could see a set of numbers from 1 to 10 placed on tall poles.
Finally, I reached the hut that I was supposed to get to. It was a wooden hut (fully made of wood just like Cardrona Hotel). It looked like it had been made of old fences and signs. Names and warnings were painted all over. I could see ‘Hanging Valley’, ‘Up Hill Skiers’ and ‘No Entry’. It was an interesting experience.
