Saturday 31st May

We are heading off and going over the Arthur ‘s Pass to the West Coast. Left the family at 10 am our first sighting of snow on the Southern Alps was at Darfield. We made heaps of stops taking photo’s along the way, had lunch at Lake Pearson. We had just finished eating and packing everything away when I noticed the big storm clouds rolling in over the Alps from the West Coast, I knew from old that we better get moving, so we did just that. Got to Broken River and the road was closed for maintenance so we took photo’s from up the tops. Just before Greymouth we turned off and headed for Hokitika where there was a family member having a 70th birthday. I had a Koru to pick up in at the Greenstone Center which I had made for me. We got to my family place at 4.15 pm. Caught up, chatting taking photos, the party went well and heaps of great stories were told of the good old hunting days from which we all did for many years, so many laughs and I think the heads on the deer get better every year. Such a good laugh.

 Taken from Darfield, so majestic are these Southern Alps.

 This is the Broken River area, some of the filming was done here for the Lord of the Rings I have been told.