Laud (17) and friend Michael Durham (16), both of Auckland, are in town for the Skate Down Under New Zealand competition at the Dunedin Ice Stadium.
New Zealand figure skaters are part of a 17-strong competition which includes skaters from Australia and two from Hong Kong, established to provide Australasian skaters with more competitive opportunities closer to home.
Laud leaves New Zealand tomorrow night to travel to Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps, for an ISU junior grand prix event.
Durham is not jet-setting quite so quickly, but heads to Japan next month for the Nagoya TV Cup.
Laud and Durham come from vastly different backgrounds in skating.
Laud reckons she first laced up a pair of skates when she was 2.
''My brother started skating and I thought, 'I want to do that','' Laud said.
''I enjoy it, and nowadays I don't know what life is without it.''
Durham, on the other hand, did not discover the sport until he was 12.
''I went along to my sister's friend's birthday party one year.
"My parents put me into lessons and it progressed from there,'' he said.
''I wasn't expecting to take it so seriously. It was just a bit of fun and then I started getting jumps and I thought I'd better take this more seriously.''
Laud and Durham are near the top of their respective categories, although Laud's flight to France will see her realise her dream goal in the sport.
''My life dream in skating was only to get into a JGP [Junior Grand Prix] so I actually completed that dream this year and fly out on Sunday,'' she said.
Durham hopes to qualify for a world championship event in the next four years, but he has some more tangible targets to achieve on the ice.
''A triple axel - that would be a good goal - and to be the first person in New Zealand to land a quad [a jump with four revolutions].''
Durham has plans to get an apprenticeship with the goal to become a mechanic, while Laud has her sights set on studying physiotherapy and sports science.
Aspiring skaters are welcome at a free ''have-a-go'' session at the stadium from 4pm to 6pm today, New Zealand Ice Figure Skating Association president Jeanette King said.
