Ohakune’s a very unique town. In Winter its population sky rockets 10 fold on weekends, and once a year it’s 100 fold.  That happened last weekend. I didn’t see much snow, but the arctic air told me that it was about.
 
Meanwhile back in Auckland, the talk of the town was the sold-out Deep Hard & Funky dance party at Vector Arena on Saturday. I lost count of the number of people calling and texting wanting tickets; some I could help, most I could not. A few other things occurred last week for me; power cuts, Panasonic Toughbooks, lingerie and cabin fever to name a few.

To see what I mean, read on…

I’m not sure if it’s where I live but I suffered a spate of power cuts last week. The biggest was a 12 hour bastard on Tuesday night. A real bummer as I’d organised a dinner party. They all turned up and were greeted by scores of candles, extra chilled sauvignon, takeaways and rugs. A fun night indeed ensued, board games leading the way followed by a splitting headache when dawn came and I saw the pigsty left behind.

The Kids Can charity organisation has been the flavour of 2008 for many event organisers. The most recent fundraiser was Fantasia, a lingerie fashion show along the lines of the famous Victoria’s Secret. For $200 you could sit at a table next to the stage and enjoy all the hospitality you could consume, otherwise it was up in the balcony for a reasonable $45. The event was internationally worthy, with contemporary cuts, colours and blow-waves. The majority of the models must have been flown in, as unfortunately you don’t see jaw-dropping ladies like that strutting around. The after party at Opium was busy, but not packed, just right really. The who’s who were there, but nobody stood out beacon-like.

I stayed in Thursday. I wanted to get to know my brand new Toughbook laptop a little. It’s a gem: you can drop it, spill booze on the keys, even twist the screen a full 180 degrees. It does lots of other nerdy things but those were the main qualities that appealed to me. Following this wee 1-on1 session I filled the living room with nice friends, drank a gorgeous bottle of Crawford Farm pinot noir, discussed the differences between Magnum and Topsy ice-creams, devoured full strength popcorn and watched the inspirational movie Charlie Wilson’s War.

With a full 8 hours sleep under my belt Sam, Carla and I set sail with Dan at the helm Ohakune bound for the annual Mardi Gras. The 4 hour drive flew by, without even the mention of a game of Eye Spy. Uniting with the earlier arriving posse at the rented cabin around 4.30pm we set to bagsing beds and stocking the fridge. Buzz and Singstar were plugged in, as was general tomfoolery. The final car load rolled up, and the real games began.

I somehow ended up nodding off on a broken fold-up sofa in the living room at 3am. This would have been acceptable except that the first person rose at 5.20am (as she’d flaked out at 8 the previous night). Not being the best sleeper even in the most ideal setting, I stoked up the fire and set to work putting the place back to the way it was when we arrived.

The morning dragged on. I lasted until 11.30am before I changed from iced water to iced vodka and tonic, I was on holiday so where’s the harm. 2 hours later I was in a person’s house, with 20 guys and 2 girls, all whom I had never met before. We were all on the sauce, so soon mingled and started showing-off.

Following our noses I splintered off with some fresh friends and bounced about some other houses in the Kune village, staying no longer than 30 minutes and never letting our breath alcohol level dip below 1000ml. My trendy Auckland get-up was no match for the bone-chilling temperatures, this was one time I would have forgone Gucci and Prada for a woollen jersey and some long-johns.

There was a NYE atmosphere, only dampened slightly by the weather. A 15 minute fireworks display started the carnival and the cordoned off streets came alive with youngsters of all denominations. I opted to stay indoors like an old man and view the revellers from the Powderkeg balcony. It was here that the infectious grooves of Manual Bundy, Cian and Submariner (aka the Turnaround crew) where spinning, so this was the best place for me. The Turnaround party stayed half full from start to finish. I found it odd not knowing many people, but this meant it was the perfect opportunity to really cut loose.

I awoke on Sunday, with eyes like a rehab patient, to the news that Ohakune was cut off from civilisation due to a blizzard. I felt cabin fever welling within; there must be a way out. I thought of friends with helicopters or ski-bikes who owed me favours, wondering if rescuing me was asking too much.

Thankfully, after another few games of Buzz and a silly Tommy-Lee movie, the powers that be cleared a path, and we were freed from Kune. Dan drove like a trooper all the way back while I dozed in the back, periodically waking wondering where in the world I was. When I saw the golden arches in Huntly I felt at home, so nipped in to readjust and acclimatise.