The Rubicon Peak

Here is the Rubicon Peak of Mount Torlesse, still sporting a stripe of snow from last week. This is about as close as you can get to it and still see its distinctive shape.

Today I went to a place I have not been before, to the end of a road I've passed several times. It led to the Waimakariri riverbed upstream from the Gorge bridge. There is a broad expanse of scrubby shingle between the high bluffs. Close to the end of the road a small river was hastily babbling its way to join the Waimakariri on the far side of the riverbed.

It seemed very close to the mountains. The only sound, other than the river, was a single airliner heading off to Australia. There were no birds, and although there were farms nearby I saw nobody. I felt so relaxed and happy in the sunshine, totally engrossed in taking photos.

There were plenty of sandflies, however. I could hardly see my ankles for them and was soon smeared with blood. Worse still, after a while the sound of the river had its predictable effect, and out there in the open, surrounded by farms on hillsides, the only place to go was home.


Butterflies While on the riverbed I was amazed to see two copper butterflies (Lycaena salustius). I rarely see one, let alone two. They were some distance below me so I couldn't get close, and in my excitement I forgot to change the aperture setting. Still, I was thrilled to capture them. They are a little over half the size of yesterday's yellow admiral.

The mountain looks good in large, but because of the heat haze it lacks fine definition.