In the Lee Valley after the ascent of peak 2068m the central tower behind . Having seen this peak, the highpoint of a small subrange in the Raglans from the summit of another peak 2 years ago it was a treat to go up there this year via Hellfire creek and the Lee valley.

Spring and the defiance of "La Nina"

I must admit in taking a perverse delight in watching the the experts get it wrong again and the lovely ordered structure we as humans wish to impose on the world and universe we live in (for our own peace of mind) descend to the chaos and unpredictability which seem much closer to it’s true state.

With a large Pacific La Nina weather cycle supposed to have bought warm dry conditions especially to the West coast of the South Island this spring we have had is the exact opposite - a continual cycle of westerly storms bring a cool wet spring to us here. Credit where credits due though, I give it to the experts through the ages whether they be magicians , philosophers, high priests or indeed the scientist and technocrats of the modern age their propaganda abilities are amazing having been able to convince most that black is white and white is black and we all hang on their every forecast and prediction. Lets hope the La Nina predictions are a bit closer to the mark in summer!!

The perverse delight aside the bad spring weather hasn’t helped me much. I’ve hoped to pull some small personal victories out of the rather dismal year but planned trips to the greater Alps down south just haven’t eventuated and I’ve been confined to doing a few smaller trips to the the local ranges up north. Admittedly the weather hasn’t been the only problem - the same chaos that pervades the universe has it’s own delight at ensuring that our minute lives are just as chaotic and trying to plan accordingly is often just stabbing in the dark.

Below are a few pictures which could be called 2020 , spring reflections.

videos of these trips can now be found on You Tube - search - Tumble Home Visions

On the upper sections of Hellfire creek heading to Peak 2068m

descending into the Lee afterwards

Descending peak 2068m

Lake Sylvester

Lake Sylvester - good camping spot with kids

Carl and Leo look out towards Mount Snowden

Heading into the Seward Kaikoura range from the beach.

Dawn over the Pacific whilst climbing Mount Te Ao Whekere on the Seaward Kaikoura range.

Jack on Te Ao Whekere

On the Summit of Te Ao Whekere , the entire Inland Kaikoura range stretch’s behind me.

campsite , Te Ao Whekere

Te Ao Whekere

Mount Cupola

Summit Cupola

Human Halo shadow on top of Mount Cupola

Jack

Jack on the summit.

Ben on the summit.

Descending.

View down and across whilst climbing Cupola.

Cupola hut view towards Mount Hopeless.

The Travers valley.

Kaikoura with the ranges behind rearing 2600m out of the sea. The earthquake 4 years ago lifted much of the seabed 2 meters or more exposing what lies beneath.

Leo finding a seal.

Isabelle exploring the up lifted seabed.

Seal and Pup.

West Coast scene.

West Coast Flora.

Tapuaenuku is an impressive view from the coast.

Mountains and sea . Te Ao Whekere rises above the Pacific..

As with most times have been rather quiet with my own projects due of course to the ongoing situation both here and around the world.

My major achievement of the winter months down south was finishing my video on the Balti’s. which can be found on my you tube channel -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ruDLzMGfCg

The winter has been long for someone like myself used to getting away for at least a small part of it but the weather has been mild pleasant and dry. This has lead to a lack of heavy snow falls in the local mountains but I have been too busy at work to get out anyway so hasn’t effected me to much although others especially those of the skiing fraternity are not so lucky.

Contrasts between mountains and sea - from the ridgeline of the Seaward Kaikoura’s.

Mountains - The Inland Kaikoura’s - Mitre, Alarm. Tapuaenuku

Sea - the Kaikoura peninsular juts out into the Pacific ocean with Christchurch far in the distance.

Jack and Forrest with Mountains and sea stretching to the horizon..

Camping

Carl - below Mount Dorothy in the Nelson lakes.

Jack and Forrest set up camp at 1900m on the Seward Kaikoura’s.

Winter beach camp with the kids and a fire.

Local scenes.

Clouds in the mountains.

Driftwood and gaunt tress on the beach.

Looking to Mount Campbell from the beach at Motueka.

A perch for sea birds!

Mountains.

2076m - in the Raglan ranges provided a nice day out.

Looking up to Mount Magdalene.

on Mount Dorothy

Fast descent of Dorothy.

Ben looking up to the others on the snow fields below 2076m in the Raglans.

Valleys

In the Wiarau River valley.

Looking up the Matakitaki vally , Nelson lakes.

Looking into the Rainbow valley from the Raglan ranges.

Looking out to Golden bay and the Taka river valley at sunset from the Arthur range,

Same scene as above with Riley and Caleb at dusk.

Dawn on Motueka Quay

Five months have past since my last post and a rather eventful time that has been. Unfortunately the said eventfulness and the current situation both here and world wide has meant a serious revision downwards in potential plans and goals - certainly for this year and maybe for years to come. Our remote Pacific location here in New Zealand has once more kept us “safe” if that word can be used without some skepticism attached but has also turned us into basically a prison island with no immediate prospects otherwise. Plans to head once more into Asia have been shelved in the meantime and with the economic situation being what it it is I headed out and got a job in the fields apple picking - which has now turned into apple tree pruning for the winter. It seems at least for this year it will be a catch up year on many things for me and hopefully time to get out into the local mountains a little more seriously. A brief photo resume of the best of the last 5 months below.

Early season snow observed whilst looking through apple tree branch’s in the valley at dawn. I’m on the ladder picking apples. April and May were crisp, dry and clear.

Our group below the North Twin after completing the Twins traverse - this mountaineering route is almost outside the backdoor so to speak and is a great day out.

Clair looking down one of the massive drops that lead to vast underground caverns that constitute the largest cave system known in the Southern Hemisphere underneath the Arthur range where the Twins are located.

Trekking through the Karst country below the Twins - huge crevasses and caves everywhere.

Rope goes out!

Looking for a belay point on the South Twin.

summit of North Twin looking to the South twin

Some good exposure!

In the keyhole.

Local hike with Leo on the Motueka estuary.

Nothing like a camp fire with Carl and boys

On the flanks of Mt Cupola with Mt Hopeless in the back ground.

Mt Hopeless from above Cupola hut. this rugged peak is one of the more spectacular in the Nelson lakes.

Looking up the Traver’s valley in the Nelson lakes.

Another view further downstream - Traver’s valley.

On the flanks of 2169m in the Raglan ranges with Jake

Walking out of Coldwater creek flanked by loose rocky spires on either side.

Climbing up Mt Chittenden - unusually firm rock for this region makes it fun.

Brad negotiates the final rock before the summit of Chittenden

On the ridge with Joel

The ride up the Rainbow - fastest way in and out he Nelson lakes.

Velo mountaineering.

Last river crossing.

Joel rides out.

Long valley walks.

Hiking toward’s a pass - one of the many alpine tarns that dot the local ranges behind - this is in the Raglan ranges.

Jake rues about the loose nature of 2169!! a scary scramble indeed.

Familiar pose with Jake, translating the outside World into paper map form.

one of the Water falls heading up the Hukere stream.

Ben and I scratch our head’s as we try and figure out a route plan for getting into the Tangula mountains on the Tibetan plateau - a trip we have now had to delay so as to give us additional time for head scratching.

With family down at the beach on a stormy day.

With a dearth of mammal and reptilian life in New Zealand , native endemic birds are the prime animals and on most trips in the Kahurangi NP one will meet the naughty Kea’s at some stage.

The Tahake - recently reintroduced to the region is somewhat rarer - there is still much debate on when and how birds such as the Kea and Tahake actually ended up on these islands.

Dawn view on Arthur range - the mountain in the distance is Mount Tarnaki a couple of hundred Km’s away in the North Island. unusually clear conditions left it in plain view in the early morning light.