West Coast (Te Tai Poutini) Summer

Ah, it's a lovely summer in New Zealand this year. We are in the midst of 10 days of settled and fine weather (read: very little wind and lots of sun), which is virtually unheard of for the West Coast (the fine part) and Wellington (the settled part). Richard and I are enjoying our respective locales....

I took advantage of a lull in an on-call day to go to the Hokitika Driftwood and Sand competition.

This is an annual event where the participants create sculptures with only material they find on the beach. 

The sampling was small but impressive nonetheless....

I finished off the beautiful day with a visit to the Hokitika Gorge before the pager went off again....

Mid-summer getaway

No summits on this trip, but heaps of fun tramping. We started in the Tararuas, going from the Pines along the Waingawa River (Barra Track) to Mitre flats, the last bit in the dark. We had the hut to ourselves (well, other than a determined mouse). After a recovery night in Martinborough, we took the incredibly dramatic Haurangi Road to the old track along the East Branch of the Turanganui River to Mt Ross (pictured). We also discovered the dramatic Waiohine Gorge, and plan to return for more exploration.

Mitre Peak

mercurial breeze

wounded knee

descent

empty bag, full hearts