Most of New Zealand has just come through a huge storm that dumped several metres of snow over much of the South Island, flooded various parts of the country, and hammered Wellington with severe gales. Here in the valley we escaped the worst — we had a bit of rain, nothing remarkable in the way of wind, and the temperature, while hardly summery, dropped only to what seems reasonable for midwinter. The Ruahine behind my place had what appeared to be a dusting of snow high up when the weather cleared today, so I headed up No. 1 Line. Near the top of the track the remaining snow seemed determined to test my reaction time as I slipped and slithered frequently; fortunately, I never hit the ground.
This is the view looking back towards the Manawatu from the lookout.
[23 June 2013, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 14 mm, ISO 200, 1/40 at f22]
All content © 2013 Pete McGregor
That's a dramatic view. Sorry to hear of the savage weather. We don't hear much news of New Zealand over here, being much preoccupied with northerly winds and the sort of mid-summer temperatures that keep us in gloves and scarves. Happy solstice - at least you're on the better side of it now!
ReplyDeleteI take it you were riding your bicycle up there? I've had myself some pretty dramatic spills on the ice in my years of bicycling! One time I ended up underneath a police car after sliding 15 meters! The policeman who got out was a wry, understated sort of fellow. Just stood there smirking there at me.
ReplyDeleteWeird to think of snow at this time of year as the humidity rolls in and sweat is the soup du jour. And it's rainy season. Give it a few more weeks and I'll be posting while wearing a SCUBA diving suit with internal air conditioners. ;-)
That's GCFU for you.
ReplyDeleteGlobal Climatological F Up.
What an absolutely stunning view. We get very little snow here - so the romance and the beauty suck me in every time.
ReplyDeleteRR, although the coldest weather usually arrives from now on, the thought that the days are lengthening is definitely comforting. Commiserations on your lousy summer — may you have a long, sunny late summer and autumn.
ReplyDeleteMiguel, no, from the end of the road it's a steep, 20 to 30 minute climb followed by another quarter of an hour or so of less steep climbing. All of it's on foot on a rough track through the bush (forest, then scrub, all damaged by possums and deer but still wonderful).
Sweat is the soup du jour — ewww! Humidity like that is so uncomfortable and enervating.
Zhoen, agreed, and the current NZ Government's attitude towards doing anything about it is shameful.
EC, it's vanishing fast, but it looked truly beautiful this morning — the very top of the range frosted with white under a perfect blue sky.
Kia Ora Pete,
ReplyDeleteI find myself looking for my hat and gloves when seeing this. Some may find it stark, even bleak, I think it is Ataahua. The snow adds to the remoteness. Glad to read you beared the cold. You are always welcome around our fire e hoa.
Robb
Kia ora e hoa. I returned there this afternoon in better weather, brewed tea, looked at the far side of the valley through binoculars, wrote in the little notebook until my hands grew too cold to hold the pen. Saw no deer, heard no karearea, but I know they're there, and that was enough.
ReplyDelete