Summer Snow

Broke out of our usual pattern when we are up in Central Otago and took a road trip to Makarora for lunch. Mother remembers the road to Makarora as being quite scary and spent a lot of the trip there remembering near misses et al.

Back in the 1930's and 40's my mother and her family had a cabin near the shores of lake Wanaka at Makarora. It was a simple cabin with running water in the stream nearby and toilet facilities rigged over the stream where a waterfall regularly flushed any effluent away into the lake. Not permissible these days! Must admit those days sound idylic with no traffic other then horse and the rare truck negotiating the unsealed track.

We enjoyed our lunch at Country Cafe sharing the fascilities with a bus load of tourists - always interesting. Stopped for some photos - of which this is one - and just as I mused about how wonderful it would be to have a crib/batch/holiday cabin here the sandflies started biting and I quickly retracted my dream and we scampered back to the car and back to Hawea Flat for a rest before this evenings party and the old family farm.

A celebration of the completion of the earthquake proofing and renovations that had to be done on the old homestead which is a national trust registered building now it is over 100 years old. The family and hired workmen have done a fabulous job. The old house looks the same and yet feels rejuvenated. Lovely evening had in good company and with good food and wine to fill in the gaps.

do not know the name of this mountain but if anyone out there knows please inform me