Lately I have been working the painting of Sefton Bivvy, its been on the go for over a year - I posted the early progress when I started it - now I’ve started to make a bit more progress on the details. Here are the updated progress photos. Sefton Bivouac is perched on a ledge, exposed to the changing elements with panoramic views of the Hooker Valley and Mount Cook Village below. The route starts with a scenic walk up Stocking Stream and gradually gets steeper as it progresses. There are numerous cairns to guide you to the trail that accesses the spur. A steep climb up a narrow single-track takes you eventually up a rocky spur with opportunities to fall off the mountain. Twice I scrambled up here in two days, as the first day was clagged in and I could see no more than 5-10m. Once you get to the plateau at 1650m Mt Sefton and Footstool tower behind the bright orange bivvy. Sefton Bivouac is over 100 years old and is the oldest building in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park with extraordinary glacier views. The most exciting feature is the speedily shrinking Te Waewae Glacier within touching distance if you walk a little further. Such a gift to be able to experience this treasure that may soon be a distant memory.
St Arnaud Range is very easily accessed from below, in fact so much so that I took my kid’s along the range recently to explore one of the places I find most beautiful. Here is the route that we took along the range and down Powder Valley. Also some...
Not much sleep was had sausaged between two kids that flung their arms into my head all night long and with a full moon lighting up the tent, but I emerged well rested and to a most spectacular and still morning. A few of us wandered around exploring the plateau while others stayed cocooned inside while the first fingers of sun...
After many seemingly endless weeks painting in the studio and in the middle of the school holidays before the first winter snow, the perfect weather window approached. Boots, packs and gear were scattered throughout the house half packed and ready to go, however I was still only half committed. The looming dread of listening to the kids 7 & 8 fight, whinge and moan while I carried over a third of my body weight up 1100 vertical meters...