The Neon PomPom
663 Coleridge Road
Rakaia Gorge, New Zealand 7572
Website:
Email: info@neonpompom.co.nz
Phone: +64 (0) 3 318 6575
Facebook Page: The Neon PomPom
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On our trip to the Canterbury Club Fields of New Zealand, our crew stayed at The Neon PomPom for over a week, and we all fell in love with the place.
The Neon PomPom is a beautiful, comfortable, modern chalet…
…with a name that was picked to make sure you get that there is nothing stuffy about the place. Need more proof?
And while the accommodations are excellent, Simon Guild and Tom Dunbar make the experience.
Simon and Tom grew up skiing the Canterbury club fields, they know their way around, and they are phenomenal hosts. They are well connected on New Zealand’s South Island, and they can take care of all the logistics of your trip—from picking you up at the airport in Christchurch, to helping you choose skis from an excellent selection of rentals at Gnomes Alpine Sports, to making good calls on which club fields are skiing best, or which you’re most likely to enjoy based on your abilities.
Tom is a soft-spoken former FWT comp skier, who is happy to go ski hard with you and guide you over knife ridges to get you to Mount Olympus’ rowdiest terrain, or dial it back and give you some pointers on how to ski off-piste, if ungroomed slopes are newer to you.
Tom is also one of the founding members of Team Useless, something you’ll certainly want to ask him about.
Simon Guild is Tom’s brother-in-law. He’s a far better skier than he admits, and he’s a very smart, charming, and good guy.
We guarantee that you’re going to enjoy hanging out and skiing with them, and we spent about half of our time together badgering them to come ski Taos with us this winter.
So in addition to meeting a couple of great guys, at The Neon PomPom, you can experience as much of Canterbury as you like, and either (a) have a NZ-winter vacation with a bit of skiing, or (b) keep things focused on the skiing and hammer the club fields day in and day out. It’s totally up to you, and Simon will work with you to customize an itinerary that will ensure that you get the most out of your time in New Zealand.
They can arrange everything from heli skiing, fly fishing, mountain biking, speed boat trips, and day trips to their absolutely spectacular, 10,000 acre family farm.
Want to Ski?
The club fields are unique and amazing (see our trip reports). Heli skiing options abound, and Simon can also arrange ski plane glacier hutt trips for high-elevation guided or unguided backcountry powder skiing.
Want to Fish?
You’ll have access to on-property river and lake fishing (October-December), just ten minutes from The Neon PomPom. There is also backcountry hike-in fishing to excellent spring creeks and river fishing (October-April), and good ocean fishing and diving is a 2-3 hour drive away (year-round). Want something more exotic? Heli fishing is relatively affordable, options abound, and Simon can link you up with local guides (year-round for ocean, October-April for inland).
Want to Surf?
Surfing day trips are easily arranged. Heli-accessed surfing is, too, upon client request.
Want to Unwind?
We highly recommend spending at least an afternoon at the magnificent 3-generation old, 10,000 acre farm that’s just a short drive from The Neon PomPom.
The farm is home to 6000 sheep and 4000 deer, and you may even get to meet Mimi, Tom’s pet deer.
Especially if you don’t have the time to do a bunch of research on this trip, then seriously: Save yourself the trouble and let these locals handle it. Just talk to them beforehand or once you’re in Canterbury about what you’d like to see and do.
And even if you do have time to do a bunch of research, your research isn’t going to produce a better experience than they can show you. In fact, they literally guarantee it.
The Good Time Guarantee
The Neon PomPom guarantees that they’ll provide:
“The most enjoyable, stress-free New Zealand ski holiday you’ve ever had…or it’s on us. It’s a pretty audacious claim to make, but at the Neon PomPom we are so confident in what we offer that if we fall short of your expectations, we will refund the costs of your trip while in our care. It’s that simple.”
So you don’t even have to take our word for it. The Neon PomPom has you covered.
Bottom Line
You might be able to take a trip to the Canterbury region of New Zealand for a little less money, but you simply can’t do it more conveniently, and we don’t believe that you can orchestrate a better experience of Canterbury on your own.
Email Simon regarding prices and availability, and keep in mind that their daily rates include all of the following: lodging, fuel, transportation to and from the airport and the club fields, tickets to the club fields, your own personal guides to the club fields, beer and wine (!), outstanding meals at the chalet with a private chef (Bridget is fantastic), and two great local hosts who will make sure that you’re not going to waste your time in New Zealand trying to figure out where to go and what to do.
When you factor all that in—and when you then calculate the cost of piecing that all together yourself—The Neon PomPom isn’t just an outstanding lodge, it’s an excellent value, too.
So check out The Neon PomPom, tell them we sent you, and
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