Waimakariri

Best seen large

The Waimakariri River, the Torlesse Range, and the nor'west arch. The Waimak is a braided river. At this point I could see three main streams. They are most obvious on the right-hand side of the photo. Between them many strands meander. Here is a shot I took from the air a couple of years ago.

The rocks in the foreground don't belong here. They are the wrong colour for this part of the river. They have been placed there for flood protection.

This was a rather wild and lonely place. One could get lost in a maze of rough tracks among high stopbanks (dykes) and tall trees. Nobody else was there. It should have been peaceful, with the sound of water, but it was not. There was a continual popping and banging of shooting nearby, and a small helicopter was clattering about, landing momentarily and taking off again. Twice it made a low pass over my head. It felt like I was in a thriller movie.