Mt Misery at the southern end of Lake Rotoroa in the Nelson Lakes National Park has been on the to do list for quite sometime. Being a short but steep climb to get to Mt Misery Hut we thought that it would be great trip for the kids 6 and 8, although some misery was anticipated on the uphill. With an elevation gain of about 1100m, and the with the added weight of the kids gear to lug up as well it was going to be a slow but steady trip, however the luxury of a cosy little hut above bush line was very inviting.
For those of you that have done the Te Araroa Trail, biked, hunted or backcountry skied near Camp Stream in the Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park near Lake Tekapo you will recognise the very iconic Camp Stream Hut. Now this one is pretty cool, built in 1898 it was an old musterers hut back in the day, burnt down and was re-built with iron from the original hut. Now it is lovingly...
Having previously visited Camp Stream Hut in the Te Kahui Kaupeka Conservation Park in Autumn after a long warm summer just ending, I was keen to pop up and over and check the area out in a cooler climate. Round Hill had just closed for season, the rivers were high with snowmelt and there were still patches of snow hugging the hollows on the hills so the area looked quite different. The ski-field road was an unrelenting grind made easier by biking up, I love riding along the plateau and taking in the wonderful surrounding views, especially as the last light leaves. Also there’s nothing quite as good...
After recently travelling through the breathtaking Arthurs pass I was quite surprised to suddenly leave the 40cm of fresh snow blanketing the landscape as we dropped down the Otira Gorge to a flooded countryside. The peaks held little snow, waterfalls cascaded down bluffs and the Otira River spread across the riverbed with a very strong flow (not something I’d attempt to cross). This brought back memories of a contrasting time during summer with my friend Dulkara...
As our visit south drew to an end and with snow forecast we decided to stay in Arthurs Pass on the way home and see what the area looked like coated in white. After a wait we were greeted with fat, wet, heavy snowflakes which made it feel like a winter wonderland and got everyone very excited (us being from the warm tropics of Nelson)...
Here is my latest painting "Lady Emily at the Cass" progressing nicely, showing recent detail work going into the mountains. Lady Emily Hut is found upon the mountainside inthe Cass Valley inthe Glenmore Stationon the western side of LakeTekapo and has been purpose built forski touring and hunters. Itis a wonderful placetoexplore, with gentle basins...
Cooks Beach (Pukaki) is a sheltered white sandy beach withPōhutukawa trees and “bunny tail” sand tussocks waving gently in the breeze. The three-kilometre long beach is on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand and is protected from the open ocean so does not get the big surf found on other beaches along the coastline. This makes Cooks Beach a...
The views from Sefton Bivouac, the oldest hut in the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park are spectacular. The bivvy is perched on a ledge with panoramic views down the Hooker Valley and across to the Sealy Range with the cold crumbing ice cliffs of Te Waewae Glacier sitting right behind. The main shadowed range in this painting is the majestic Kirikirikatata/Mt Cook Range that...
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...
We've had a few still and beautiful bluebird days over the last month. On one of these days a quick overnighter up to the summit of Mt Owen the highest peak in the Kahurangi National Park at 1875m was called for. After a cold start at Courthouse Flat we warmed up quickly with the first unrelenting uphill up the ridge, and were rewarded with lovely mountain views to the north. From here in we were rewarded with very lush varied fauna that constantly changed as we gained elevation and unusual rock formations...
A beautiful winter week spent working on this summer scene from Cook’s Beach in the Coromandel, imagining the warmth of the sand. Getting a little carried away with the tiny details again…
I haven’t created a coastal artwork for quite some time but this particular scene from Cooks Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula has been quite nice to work on. Featured in this painting are some of big old pōhutukawa trees that grow in the area. After having a interesting time working on the pōhutukawa in the Breaker Bay painting I have...
