Lengthening shadows and the first winter snows

It seems to me to have been a short autumn. All-the-more-so as after deciding on Sat. afternoon stroll at the nearby Snow Farm on the Pisa Range, I found there was a bit more snow around than I'd anticipated. It was quite a bonus really as along with the long shadows of the day, the presence of the white stuff adds light and contrast to an already stunning landscape.

A rare self portrait...


Meadow Hut in the upper reaches of the Roaring Meg...


I quite liked the two eyes in this rock...


The upper reaches of the Roaring Meg - Snow Farm Lodge water supply pump on the left...

Spring ski touring at the Snow Farm

A few photos below of one of the classic ski tours at the Snow Farm we did on Wed. If the snow is good quality it's one of those trips where you hardly notice the mileage, but in spring it's more of a mission - in fact the snow was icy and trippy initially then slushy, then started freezing again. All quite technical on skis akin to match sticks.

Meadow Hut - it used to be called Meadow Warming Hut, but these days we're either faster, warmer, or the climate really is warmer..


Same hut, and photographed from a different perspective, but in summer...


Well into the tour...


Late lunch with Vicky and Robyn at Bob Lee Hut...


This view is one I really like. The distinctive cloud base started forming at about noon and by 5 pm was pretty much gone. The middle foreground is the Criffel Range - the scene of the highest altitude old gold workings in NZ [lack of water except in spring would have hampered work on this old peneplain]. On the extreme left is Lake Wanaka, and Lake Hawea is just right of mid center...


Looking in the opposite direction toward Mt Pisa...


The trip back alongside the Roaring Meg - an area I so love especially at this time of year...


On closing what amazing stories are coming out of Christchurch. The community spirit makes me proud to be a New Zealander!

The good weather and cross country skiing

For about 5 weeks now we've had settled weather. While great up on the mountains above the cloud it's been pretty dreary in Wanaka town. So there's been quite an incentive to ski tour and of course this leads to the making of landscape photos.

Skidoo tracks near Bob Lee Hut...


The trail to Meadow Hut...


And today the first bad weather showed it's advance guard in the form of these lenticular clouds over the Pisa Range...


We're not far away now from the inaugural Winter Games NZ to be held 21 -30 August 2009, and these are going to huge for the Snow Farm ...more >>

Dog Sledding

I've been up cross country skiing a bit this week, but left it quite late each day. Anything to escape the cloud and see the sun as it's been miserable in Wanaka town itself for weeks now, where as up on the mountains the landscape has been bathed in sun most days.

On one of my regular "beats" a friend of mine was doing a photo shoot with prominent New Zealand dog sledding enthusiasts, so on Thurs. evening I popped into Meadow Hut for a brew and catch up. It was hard to tear myself away from the fire though and get back on the skis for 5 Km back to Lodge...




Once again descending the access road I was struck by the tonal values of the landscape in terms of photography, so stopped to make this quick photograph of the Branch Creek catchment in the Cardrona Valley...


This week I'd like to draw your attention to the wonderful selection of winter photos on James McGregor's Met VUW web site