Snow Explorers

Fergbaker was the last pie stop before heading off to the airport. Some skiers we met on the trip recommended the Pork Belly with Apple Sauce. I would usually steer clear of a sweet flavours, but this did not taste like that at all. Maybe it's the mustard? I am not going to pretend I know what they did but this combo was amazing. More succulent than beef with the belly fat melting into the sauce. Oh man.. Having withdrawals as I am typing this.

Connoisseurs of outdoor sports are going to gasm when they walk into this shop. So much great gear for playing in the mountains from hiking, climbing to skiing with an emphasis on backcountry. Books and mags for inspiration. Sadly no snowboards. The Small Planet Queenstown branded merch looks pretty good too. There is also a workshop in the back to get your skis tuned.

Father son day with the youngest at Remarkables. Blue skies and groomers. On our last run we stopped by the Ice Bar on the Centurion trail. Sucked up the sales tax on drinks for this awesome view.

Katsu curry - crumbed schnitzel and curry sauce on rice. Didn't quite taste like what you get in Japan, but the kiddo liked it.

You can choose to have breakfast and dinner included during your stay. Tonight's 3 course dinner give you a choice of rib eye roast or Aoraki king salmon. The beef was superbly tasty, we wolfed this down fast before calling it a night.

Fairlie Bakehouse was our second pie stop and is located between Ohau and Queenstown. Was very popular with a constant line of customers. The Salmon & Bacon and Beef Mince pies were both very good and got two thumbs up from the kids.

They named this pie the Ultimate Steak & Mushroom and I am definitely not one to go past the pie to end all pies. It lived up to its name with big chunks of steak and crunchy pastry that was topped with a hint of melted cheese.

These two almost had to make their own way down the International by themselves because they missed the turn off to Back Paddock. Bad move as it was foggy as hell and they had never been on that run. Thankfully older sister's wisdom prevailed and they turned round and hiked back up.

Chicken Tenders, chips and mince pie from the Sky High Cafe. Pretty average resort food. Kids gotta eat.

Mt Hutt's impressive Nor'West Express chairlift. This 8 seat beast gets you the top in 2 minutes and shifts over 1500 people an hour. Nice comfy cushions too.

On the first leg of our road trip we stopped for a break at the World Famous Sheffield Pies. Decided on the Venison & Whiskey relish, Chicken & Bacon and traditional mince. All were delicious with light flaky pastry and generous amounts of meat. You can eat in with cutlery and plates and they had complimentary bbq sauce on each table. They make a damn good coffee too.

Solomon skier Tenra Katsuno teams up with videographer Tatsu on Sasurai, a video with New Zealand's resorts as their playground. Check out the incredible tricks and lines taken in sub optimum snow conditions. They will open up your mind as to what is possible in bounds.

Oborozuki is a delightful sushi restaurant offering omakase (degustation) which changes daily based on the freshest local ingredients of the day. Located in the enchanting Harete region of the city, Oborozuki is as tiny as its neighbouring bars and restaurants so go early if you want to be guaranteed a seat. We took our two children and while there is no kids menu per se, the chef was very accomodating in preparing them a meal that was kid friendly yet did not compromise on quality or flavour. There was no English menu but we got by fine with Google Translate. The chef and his assistant were incredibly welcoming and friendly, and we had one of the best meals of our Japanese trip. Highly recommend.

My kids still rave about this meal at Ramen NOBu in Kamui resort. Pork soup (tonjiru) with the most delicious rice balls in the world. Comfort food at its best! Will return to Kamui just for this!

The variety of food on offer at the breakfast buffet was great. My go to salad, bacon, sausages, pasta and curry rice. The bacon in particular was chunky and delicious.

The Rhythm and Beans cafe on the second floor of Rhythm Hirafu. Start your evening here with Espresso Martinis, loaded hot chocolates and chais.

Two nights in a row at Daishin. That's how good it was. On the last night of my trip it was imperative I ended with ramen. A friend recommended the Dan Dan ramen with raw cheese. This was very good! I easily finished the noodles and slurped up all the soup.

Managed to book a session with the Powder Company to demo a Gentemstick. They set me up with a Rocket fish High Performance. Dang. this thing looked soooo beautiful. Shiny black top sheet like a hand shaped surfboard. I was a bit nervous about putting any scratches on it. There was fresh pow at Annupuri, but crazy warm conditions 2 days ago meant there was a sheet of ice beneath just waiting to throw you off. Even in these conditions the Rocket Fish felt great. It turned on a dime and made it fun to go slow, hunting for banks and leaning into turns before hitting the lip like you would on a wave. Really need to try this board on a powder day.

The Day is a mobile tuning station in Niseko. The truck is usually parked at the base of Hirafu and you can get a hot wax for only 2500 Yen.

Nice lounge area where you can have meals, snacks and drinks from the nearby Lawson or Max Valu.

The waxing station at Torifito. There was a SWIX table with vise grips and a waxing stand . I didn't see an iron or tools around. So you probably need to bring your own.

Venison burger with meat sauce. This was so good I can’t believe we only tried this food truck on the last day. Messy but yummy! Went down well with a can of Sapporo Classic.

This was the best Sapporo miso ramen I had on the trip. Nothing over the top, just amazing balanced flavours. Loved the log cabin look. Great service with English menus. Even though Daishin is outside the main Niseko area, in Kutchan, the tables filled up fast with locals and tourists, some who were happily slurping away in their snow gear.

Tried the Gyu Gyu restaurant on premises. This was the Hana platter with Rusutsu pork, beef flank, beef hormone, sausages and free flow bowls of rice. Very tasty. Washed it all down with some sake and now ready to retire to the capsule.

Spiderman is heading to Hakuba Valley to have some ski. Come let’s join and have some fun !

The basement area / dry room and ski storage room. Its a free for all and first come first served, but finding some space for your gear shouldn't be a problem.

The lounge area. There is a microwave, hot water and vending machine. Place gets packed around dinner time.

There is a Lawsons a short walk away where you can grab bentos and snacks. This is a Hamburg steak with spaghetti and rice. With an added slice of Lawson fried chicken.

The capsules are definitely on the smaller side and are stacked in columns of two and next to each other. Bring your ear plugs.

The Rusutsu Grand Cabin is located at Kimobetsu about a 20 mins drive to the ski resort. The capsule hotel is a budget friendly way to ski Rusutsu which is notorious for super high accommodation prices. The hotel has a free shuttle to and from the resort each day.

There weren't any beer vending machines at the Lodge when I was there. But if you ask the front desk, they may or may not know how you can procure some biru.

The magical singing tree. Like Studio Ghibli on LSD.

Steamboat cafe at Isola was our favourite lunch spot. The Hamburg curry was one of the best I have had on resort. Went down well with Rusutsu Love beer.

For dinner, Raphael is the only restaurant around Moiwa. The other option is to hike it to Moku No Sho onsen hotel (about 10-15mins) and see what they have in their kombini / souvenir shop. Usually yakisoba buns and bento boxes. This is a chicken katsu and tempura bento with Niseko Sake.

Quick snack. Love how in Japan there is great fried chicken and beer everywhere.

Yaki Imo (sweet potato) van at Moiwa's carpark. When you got to replenish those calories.

Annupuri Nook’s King Katsu Spaghetti. We had this over 10 years ago and have been dreaming about it since. Pile on the free Parmesan cheese.

Powder Company located in Annupuri resort is a base for powder surfers, carvers and backcountry boarders. They have the complete range of Gentemstick models which you can demo. Very helpful when answering questions. You can try out a board before plonking down some serious money. They run guided tours and carving classes and you can even pick up some energy bars and cans of Sapporo Classic 🍺!

Such a cool little hotel. Just across the road from Moiwa ski resort.

The margherita pizza from Restaurant Raphael which is in the same building as Lodge Moiwa.

Nice modern capsule. Enough space to sit up and get changed. A roller privacy shutter to keep the noise down. There is a lockable compartment under each capsule with enough space to store your luggage and board bags.

It was a good day and an awesome intro to Moiwa.

There is a little pop up shop by Mojane selling goggles, gloves and accessories.

Restaurant Moiwa's gyu don. The second floor restaurant has window seating and a view of the main slope.

The rental center at Moiwa had standard Head skis and Burton snowboards. Didn't really see any powder specific gear there.

Breakfast set at one of the shops in the Donburi Yokocho at Hakodate Morning markets. Salmon roe, crab meat, fried salmon belly and miso soup for 1000 yen. Why can't we have this in Aus.

Chthulhu rising!! Ika odori don may be too much if you are squeamish. But this was the freshest squid I've ever tasted and it wasn't slimy at all. Each bite was crunchy and full of flavour. If you are going to try one thing in Hakodate this is it.

The live fish in the aquarium was definitely not as exciting as the seafood on display.