Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Opinion: Will is part of the problem on the slope

By Will Johnston
Bay of Plenty Times·
16 Aug, 2018 08:11 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

What a view.

What a view.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

I'm sure we've all heard that before. Maybe from a person collecting for charity, our friends or family, a protest, or even a judge.

"Like, I'm sorry your honour, I HAD to check how many people viewed my
Insta story of my heavily filtered breakfast, while I drove over the speed limit through a school zone!"

That could legit be a true story though, if Tauranga's shocking phone use while driving stats are anything to go by.

Anyway, over the weekend I was part of the problem up a mountain. I went to Mt Ruapehu, Whakapapa ski field, on Saturday for a little day trip to slide down a volcano on a plank. I love my snowboarding, for the same reason I like golf ... when I'm doing either of those things there is literally nothing else on my mind for a majority of the time, apart from the task at hand.

For those like me, who find it hard sometimes to disconnect from life for a bit, it's super important that you find these things that switch off an over-active brain. Ok, sometimes I replace my thoughts with pure aggression and self-loathing on the golf course when I've just driven two balls off the tee straight into the water, but still, at least I'm focused on just one thing!

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

So I get to Whakapapa to find that there are no less than 5800 people on just that side of the mountain alone on a bluebird Saturday.

Annoying.

But I'm part of the problem, I'm one of them ... if you haven't been to the mountain for a while you should go. It's three hours, facilities have been upgraded to cater for the non-skiers really well ... oh and the snow is SO GOOD there right now.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As much as I blame the "sightseers" for clogging up the mountain ... seriously, half of the people up there had no skis or boards in sight, they were just taking selfies on chairlifts.

But hey, they've got as much right to be there as I do. I tried to park my disdain for Aucklanders in boat shoes in the snow and just cruise past them with my headphones in ... but they got me in the end. So I took a selfie of my snowboard and boots, just so I'd fit in.

I clearly prefer the saying "if you can't beat 'em join 'em".

- Will Johnston is host of The Hits 95FM Day Show. Live and local from 9am-3pm, every weekday in the Bay of Plenty.

Discover more

When did farmers stop being heroes?

17 Aug 04:00 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

live
Bay of Plenty Times

Ham radio distress post was hoax, 50 people evacuated, wild weather clean-up begins

11 Jul 09:42 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Ham radio distress post was hoax, 50 people evacuated, wild weather clean-up begins
live

Ham radio distress post was hoax, 50 people evacuated, wild weather clean-up begins

11 Jul 09:42 PM

The North Island is expected to get off to a wet start this morning, with lingering rain.

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP