Cold crept into the car as we drove up Mt Ruapehu, birds singing somewhere above us.
The hut was quite new, Mum was explaining, but I wasn’t listening much. Looking up in wonder at the white mountains, I daydreamed about my nice cosy sleeping bag and the heater in the lodge. But as we arrived, I realised how amazingly well furnished and cosy it was, and couldn’t wait to get inside and explore.
The next day, Laila and Ivan, who were also staying in the lodge, invited my brother Akio and me to go up the mountain. But it was a disappointment. “The ski lifts are closing,” the woman said, “it’s too cold.”
Trudging down the steep mountainside in silence, we made our way to the Happy Valley ski hill.
Suddenly, we yelled, “SNOW!” Sprinting and almost tripping up we stumbled down the slopes, ready for an adventure!
