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The Epic Journey of Human Trailers Date: 05-21-2007
Author: Justin Sweeney
Photos: Josh Letchworth
View Human Trailers Teaser here.
View Human Trailers Photo Album here.
Human Trailers is a romantic comedy starring 10 handsome men, 1 luxury SUV, 2 Waverunners, a 12 seater Ford transit van, a large trailer, 2 winches and a large inflatable whale. Set throughout the beautiful waterways of New Zealand from Auckland to Queenstown, a journey was traveled that will be talked about by those involved, and many envious souls who could only dream of living such a life fraught with adventure for many moons to come.
The project was the brain child of one of wakeskating's true shining lights, Ivan Mennim, and his witty, yet sometimes emotional side kick Justin Sweeney. A plan was hatched to take the world’s best wakeskaters on a tour of New Zealand, from the urban sprawl of Auckland to the scenic beauty of Queenstown, with an open schedule to let adventure take its course in between.
Our adventure began with the arrival of Aaron Reed from Clermont, Florida, and one of the world’s premier exponents in the world of wakeskating--a tall dark and handsome type also. With valuable input on previous wakeskate adventures, his early arrival was put to work teaming up with Justin to prepare rails that would accompany us the length of the country.
Aaron Reed, levitated waterdance...
The following day would see the arrival of Jim Leatherman, accomplished man of the wake and DVS team manager; Thomas Horrell, pioneer of the wakeskate industry and one of the sport's most progressive ambassadors; Brian Grubb, Red Bull athlete and probably the world's most decorated rider in the world; Josh McWilliams, fuel TV filmer and all around great guy; and Josh Letchworth, arguably the world's top wake photographer, stealer of souls, and again pretty much one of the best guys you could spend two weeks with while living out of a suitcase.
With the gang almost complete, our first stop was the Millennium Institute of Sport, one of New Zealand’s biggest indoor pools and the home of training for New Zealand and indeed some of the world's top athletes. We had secured the use of their pool for the evening, and staked our claim at around 9.30 p.m. Then we began to assemble a rail right there in the pool, with a high speed winch set up at one end to pull riders through the pool and hit the rail. This is where we met our trip mascot and constant companion “Shamoo,” a large inflatable whale. With everyone enjoying themselves in such a unique environment, some great riding took place.
Be aware though that people don’t usually travel at 35 km's an hour in a swimming pool, and what seems like a big pool at swimming pace quickly becomes a concrete wall approaching at rapid pace. Unfortunately, Aaron was attacked by the concrete pool edge, putting an end to his night's riding. Still with our enthusiasm high, the riding pressed on until Thomas pretty much sealed the deal with an amazing display on the rail. With 3 a.m. fast approaching, our heros called it a night and with a long Journey ahead, we headed for some much needed sleep.
Thomas getting fancy with his front board on familiar water in Orakei Korako.
The following evening saw the arrival of Danny Hampson, one of the most consistent and progressive riders. He would best be described as being “pretty much a beefcake.” With our band complete, we left right from the airport and headed for Taupo.
With our arrival well into the next morning, this would set the standard for a brutal travel schedule not to be attempted by those who are weak of heart! Up at the crack of 10 we headed to Orakei Korako, the spiritual home of Red Bull New Zealand’s wakeskate projects and site of battles past Step Up and Adrift, for a day of boat riding. A big thank you as always to Craig, Nick, Beau and Pip at Orakei for the use of their boat, for feeding us, and for their continued support of Red Bull and wake sports! A perfect day on the lake produced great riding from everyone, with some amazing video and photos, and few personal firsts on tricks from some of the riders. With darkness looming and Wellington calling, we hit the road and headed south.
With heavily loaded vehicles and trailers it was a long trip. Not seeing our destination till early the next morning, a short stay was had in Wellington before heading out on the first ferry of the morning. It served as a chance for our international guests to see some beautiful scenery, and our warrior spirited drivers to catch some well deserved rest. With our arrival in Picton, a demand for fish and chips was made by our guests which we happily obliged, and had ourselves quite a picnic right on the roadside. With our bellies full and some vital supplies replenished, we took to the road again and headed south.
Although the efforts of our drivers were valiant, even the strongest of road warriors must succumb to sleep. And after a visit to see some seals, Kaikoura was chosen as a place of rest. Or so we thought! While our drivers slept, our crafty band of men set up the winch on a nearby water way and when our drivers awoke, they were proud to see our crew tearing up the natural terrain. It was decided that as a reward for the hard miles traveled so far, a sea food feast in Kaikoura for everyone was in order! The road never stops calling and after dinner we headed back to our mistress the road. We again arrived early the next morning in Christchruch. With road weary legs, a late evening stroll was just what we needed, and we headed in search of late night food and beverage.
Danny Hampson schralps gravel with an estuary landslide.
Our eagle eyed team spied what would become the highlight of our time in Christchurch the following day: a two tiered step down water fountain that fed into the Avon River. With our crew fairly road beaten, not everyone was up for the early morning attack; just a three man crack team headed in to infiltrate the fountain. Although our planned 7 a.m. start time was pushed out to a much more broad daylight 9.30 a.m., due to ourselves being a little too eager to hit the snooze button.
Still with some persuasive charm and a little confusion we gained permission of sorts from one of the custodial staff. We hit the fountain for around an hour drawing quite a crowd from tourists, local business people and the staff at the Christchurch town hall.
Both Aaron and Brian got numerous tricks in the can but the cold, shallow, and rocky landing took its toll and we began to draw some unwanted attention from the authorities. Like all good gamblers, you got to know when to fold 'em, so we packed up the winch and left pretty happy with ourselves.
Reunited with the rest of the familia we ate breakfast and headed south with Queenstown so close we could taste it. Although almost every leg of this trip seemed a slow one and we arrived under the cover of darkness, everyone was pretty excited to have reached our home for the trip. Claims were staked on beds and couches, and everyone celebrated knowing that for some of the crew our road time was done!
Does your scene look like this?
Ivan has the type of vision that most would be jealous of. Rather than see reasons not to do something, he is definitely the type to say, “Sure, why not?!” and make it happen. He had hatched a plan to fly everyone, including a WaveRunner and Shamoo in helicopters up to Lake Unknown. It's a mystical lake up in the mountains and almost untouched by human hands. Although the weather would prove to be our biggest adversary in doing so! With low cloud looming we headed to St Bathans, a sluice gold mining lake from the turn of the century. This is a truly amazing spot and if you have not been there, it should be high on your list of places to visit next time you are in Queenstown. It is about a two and a half hour drive from QT and has white chalk cliffs on every side.
We built a rail on one of the shallow beaches, and everyone got to work riding and filming. The riding could only be described as “hot.” After a hard days work we headed to the only semblance of civilization, the “Vulcan hotel,” for some cold beer and witty banter with the locals. Chuck's model helicopter, which he had been using to film and shoot photos from, was the hot topic of conversation until we were challenged to a local tradition: squeezing through a joining section of sluice pipe which is mounted in the rafter above the bar. Some of the crew stepped up to challenge and promptly climbed up on to the bar. The pipe is pretty small and from my experience a little claustrophobic. But being the determined athletes we are we made it through. With his slight yet athletic build, Thomas may have set some sort of un-confirmed speed record with his un-matched agility. We headed back to Queenstown tired but content on a great days riding.
Unfortunately, the next day our team of warriors was met with bad weather--the kind of day that induces cabin fever. Eager to keep our chi flowing we went in search of dry ground to go skateboarding. We found a spot at the local school and some of the riders showed that their talent is not limited to water. Although the day was a write off for filming it was a great day for everyone to regroup and relax for a day. We went to sleep with our fingers crossed for sunny skies--the kind you can fly helicopters in!!
Again we awoke to low clouds but with the wind and rain gone, it was quickly decided that another hit at St Bathans would be the order of the day. And it proved to be a great idea! Everyone killed it and although his time on the water had been scarce, inspired by the riding and the surroundings, Ivan took to the lake and showed he has some pretty serious skills when it come to water dancing. Is there anything he can’t do? Since we were now practically locals at the Vulcan hotel – we had, after all been through “the pipe,” we decided on some well deserved steaks for everyone. Everyone agreed that Danny was the real standout for the day, with a world first switch front board 270 shove out on the rail under his belt for the day, it was safe to say it was a special day!
With our window for helicopters now closed and Aaron and Brian flying out the next day, we called in some favors and planned to head to Lake Wanaka for one last ride behind the boat. We awoke to promising looking conditions and headed out early to Wanaka. The conditions were not quite as good as they were earlier, but we hit the water like true professionals do. Aaron rode first. His ride was short but oh was it sweet. Watching Aaron ride is a fine balance between inspiration and a soul crushing reality check that you will never be that good--no, never! Then Brian took to the water and really turned it up to 11! Are you serious? This guy is amazing! And to top off his ride he did his first wake to wake three shove with no grab. Trust me, it was a tender moment. With a manly round of hugs and high fives we headed back to the shore to bid farewell to Aaron and Brian as they headed back to Florida to continue the adventure that is life. The rest of us headed back out into the lake to continue to ride and film, but sometimes Mother Nature just says no! Despite the best efforts of our guide and a really positive attitude from the crew, all we got was a resounding NO from the lake! We headed back to the dock knowing that we gave it a hundred and ten percent and that is all any champion can give it! Not to be deterred, we decided to do battle with Lake Wakatipu, a beauty of a lake but with a less than inviting water temperature. Ha, we laugh in the face of cold water! By the time we got there, there was only the last rays of sunshine poking over the hills and it left our ride short and cold.
Danny sessioning the flat rail while the Red Bull paparazzi gets the shot from the remote controlled chopper.
The next day was our last day, and with everyone feeling pretty content that we had great footage, and not to mention battle scarred bodies, we would have one last hit at Wakatipu and call it a day. With a beautiful clear day it was decided that interviews would be the order of the day. A little riding did take place, and it was short lived, though we did learn a little about the laws of the lake from the firm but fair harbor master. The rules are there for your benefit and safety and for those around you! We left the lake that day feeling pretty happy that we had what we needed and it had been a great trip.
The following day most of the crew departed Queenstown airport and headed for the warm spring waters of the Northern hemisphere, leaving just four road beaten warriors for the long trek home. Over the course of the next four days they battled Mother Nature’s treacherous conditions and arrived safely back in Auckland. Plans of riding on the way home were continually squashed as the wind was relentless in its onslaught.
The last two weary travelers departed for their homelands leaving just our two heros Ivan and Justin to sleep in their own beds with content smiles.
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