Farm Track Late Autumn

I had to go to Christchurch for my flu shot, and stopped at the usual place for lunch. Looks like I missed the best of the autumn colours, but it’s still pretty. I was surprised to see the gorse in flower. The dot in the centre is a hawk, one of several I saw. There is a little snow on the tops.

This was taken from the southern lip of the Waimakariri Gorge where it broadens as it crosses the Canterbury Plains. A quarter turn right from this scene I looked out over the river, which is in flood. A week of nor’westers means a lot of rain in the headwaters. Usually from here I see only a thin strand of water, but today the river was huge. (See the extra shot). Although it was at least a kilometre away I could hear the roar. On the other side of the gorge, about four or five kilometres away, a pivotal irrigator is creating a deluge of its own.