New Zealand is one of the greatest destinations for winter sports. It boasts a huge number of developed ski fields, in both its South and North Islands. Skiers and snowboarders will be delighted at the country, with its variable climate to enjoy an extended winter season.
The season starts in June and goes on till October in South Island whereas in North Island it starts in late June to mid November.
Wanaka and Queenstown are the most popular spots for snowsports lovers. At Queenstown, there are Coronet Peak and the Remarkables skifields while in Wanaka there are Cardona, Snow Park and Treble Cone.
I decided to go for snowboarding at Coronet Peak, Queenstown. I had never tried this before, but now I can tell you that you should try snowboarding at least once in your lifetime. I was too excited about snowboarding, wanted to feel the thrill of chilling slides. I had done skiing before this, so I was pretty much confident about myself.
I saw some people, doing snowboarding and I thought it was easy; but it was just not. In skiing, you can't jump, but in snowboarding you can jump; yeah, but for this you should do some practice before. I signed up for snowboarding and rented snowboarding gear for myself, then the guide started giving me few tips and lessons for snowboarding.
Then he, the guide took me to the top of mountain, and then I was going to taste snowboarding experience. I got off the ski, and immediately fell down. Everyone was laughing at me; I can't tell you how embarrassing that was. Then I stood up, took one deep breath closed my eyes, and tried once again. Again I fell down; now and then I realized this was going to be very difficult.
For one more time, I stood up and I decided to give it a last try. Then I jumped on a snowboard and I was sliding on ice.. It was too cold, chilling... and finally I landed successfully... It was great!! It was unbelievable that I landed successfully, without falling down. I was too happy.. It was a fabulous as well as freezing experience...
Kumbhmela in Haridwar
My next most spiritual destination was the Kumbhmela held in Haridwar. While reading books, I had also read about the
Karni Mata temple
On my journey towards spiritual India, I also experienced one of the weird temples of India.
Vipassana center, Dhammagiri
After visiting the religious places of India, I thought of visiting the meditation center of Maharashtra where I would be relaxed and get peace of mind.