Southern Snow

Another interruption to the time line- I’m sure I’ll catch up soon. We’ll be with the family in Winton this week and I’ll have a few extra days when everyone is at work or school…..well that’s the plan anyway.

We moved from Cromwell to Arrowtown three days ago- back to the holiday park we stayed at when we were last in town for the autumn festival. It was nice to have power again, especially for the electric blankets and also free use of the powerful hot showers- they had taped off the coin slots for the off season. It wasn’t so nice to have neighbours- very close neighbours, when they stepped out their door it was onto our door mat! Way too close for comfort, luckily they were there for just the one night.

How is this for a backdrop to a shopping centre- pretty impressive don’t you think. It’s no wonder they’re called The Remarkables.

It’s been reasonably cold although nowhere near as cold as it was at Tekapo & Twizel, there was snow on the surrounding mountains, but again, not as much as I expected. Although the Crown Range got an extra coating overnight.

We left Arrowtown this morning heading for the NZMCA Park in Lumsden, just a short road trip away from the family in Winton. It became obvious as we travelled south that snow has fallen down this way alot more than it has around the Queenstown/Lakes District.

The Remarkables with blue sky this time, and a little more overnight snow. With such sharp peaks and steep valleys, I wonder if they ever get totally white.

Devils Staircase, Lake Wakatipu

It was a huge surprise to see how much snow had fallen around Garston, Athol and on the Slate Range, the last time we came through here, it was early autumn and we drove down the range on the Nevis Road after finishing the Nokomai 4WD rally.

I had to get another shot of the woolshed and Castle Hill, looking very different to the last time as well.

June 2015

April 2014

We stopped opposite the Garston Hotel- we had dinner here after the rally. Today there were very few vehicles passing through.

Garston- a winter wonderland.

I can die happy now, I’ve managed to shoot two churches with snow!

The Round the Mountains cycle trail has now been completed; they were doing the ground work for these two bridges over the Mataura River the last time we passed by. Great looking bridges too, there is a third one further on past Athol.

A passing shot of our favourite Vege Shed, now closed for winter and look at Mid Dome, totally covered in snow.

Approaching Mid Dome, we drove into Nokomai Station near the base, no wonder the station manager told us the high country is only farmed during the summer months.