What's the Weather like at your place?

[Alicat]

It's hot in the Hutt now.

[nitpicker1]

Currently 0710hrs in Wollongong where the morning is cool, not a cloud to be seen in any direction, the birds are singing and all appears well with the world,

☃⛷
When ya get tired of Woollongong you can pop over to Tassie for a bit of skiing

http://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/dynamic/tasmania

Oooops, it seems to have gone now! I was watching Sky news so looked for the forecast map and it showed snow on it.  Maybe I'll do a search on Sky News

Nemmind

[guest49]

Nah.  Back to ChCh Friday night.
Chilly breeze here today - fine though.  No rain yesterday

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Dusk from my backyard yesterday evening....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The weather this evening in Te Anau on the edge of Fiordland National Park, as viewed from the balcony outside my motel room....



Off to Milford Sound tomorrow.

[nitpicker1]

The weather this evening in Te Anau on the edge of Fiordland National Park, as viewed from the balcony outside my motel room....



Off to Milford Sound tomorrow.

yep, that's the motel my #2 daughter managed; I hope you got plenty of groceries in case you can't get back out of Milford when you expect to:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/nz/milford-sound/250356/hourly-weather-forecast/250356

How did you like the Manuka Gorge ?

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Gorge? What gorge? SH90 is one of the mildest roads I've ever driven over. Apart from that one windy bit over a hill, lots of high-speed stretches of road and not a single cop to be seen anywhere.

The lady in the lotto shop in Tapanui got completely bamboozled when I asked her for a $12 power-dip with the same numbers for Saturday (today), next Wednesday and the following Saturday. She managed to jam the whole system up while trying to work out how to do it. I guess they are simple folks who aren't used to us northerners wanting complicated lotto tickets. In the end I gave up and headed on to Lumsden and bought a lotto ticket there instead.



A double rainbow on Lake Te Anau this morning....

[nitpicker1]

Re

"A double rainbow on Lake Te Anau this morning..."




That's the hologram that the industry superimposes on balcony views at Lakeside especially for dum North Islander visitors !

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Getting to Milford Sound yesterday was a bit of a mission. Fiordland is being hit by a huge storm at the moment and a large tree ended up down over highway 94 yesterday just before Lake Gunn. It took road maintenance gangs about two hours to get there and cut-up and remove the tree. I managed to gradually inch my way up the queue as people got sick of waiting and did a u-turn and headed back towards Te Anau. Every time I saw a car going the other way, I knew there was a gap way up ahead where they had been waiting, so each time I put the hazard lights on and drove up the road a bit further until I found the gap. Eventually I managed to get to a gap only eight from the front of the queue and ahead of all the buses and camper vans. So once things started moving when the tree was cleared, I was able to put the boot down and go for it. By the upper Hollyford Valley, the rain was getting to epic levels and the water cascading down the mountainsides was absolutely spectacular, but I didn't want to stop and end up with a hundred or so camper vans passing me, so I kept going. Through the Homer Tunnel and Cleddau Canyon was an amazing spectacle, although it was raining so hard you could only see about twenty metres ahead. I kept going until I got to The Milford Lodge where I checked in and discovered I had the pick of the chalets (position-wise). After taking a few photographs of the inside of the chalet, I drove back up the Cleddau Valley into the canyon, then back through the Homer Tunnel to take some photographs.


Here is the interior of the chalet … these river-view chalets are very expensive, but the setting is spectacular. The Cleddau River is literally only five-to-six-metres from the deck, and it is in full-on flood at the moment. Milford Sound received 350mm of rain yesterday afternoon and overnight.














Back up on the Hollyford side of the Homer Tunnel. I was using a Canon 550D crop-frame camera body with a 10-22mm wide-angle zoom lens, with most photos taken at an actual 10mmm focal length, so these images from here on are litterally showing more than the human eye can see, which gives an idea of the sheer size of some of the mountain faces in some images....




After driving down to the Lower Hollyford Road turnoff, I did a u-turn and drove back up the valley towards the tunnel.

Here is the upper Hollyford River in full-on flood....




Monkey Creek....




Back in Cleddau Canyon after returning through the Homer Tunnel. These mountain faces are thousands of feet high (as captured with the wide-angle lens)....








The Donne River....




Looking up the Cleddau River from the deck outside my chalet early this morning during a brief let-up in the rain....




I've been out on a long (3-hour) boat cruise on the fjord today, right in the middle of this epic storm, and although you cannot see the mountain tops, I've never seen Milford Sound looking so spectacular with all the HUGE waterfalls everywhere. It's going to take me a while to work my way through the photographs (as well as drying out the two camera bodies and four lenses I used), but I'll post some photographs when I get a chance. Internet connectivity is very marginal at Milford Sound at the moment due to the huge storm. The only internet coverage here comes via satellite and the heavy rain affects it really badly. The forecast is for another 300-400mm of rain over the next 24 hours, so the storm is nowhere near over.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Departing the cruise boat terminal at Milford Sound at lunchtime, Mitre Peak briefly revealed itself....




Cruising out of the harbour and past Bowen Falls....






The northeast face of Mitre Peak covered with waterfalls....




Water, water … everywhere....






Looking into the fjord from opposite Dale Point … dark, brooding, mysterious....




Stirling Falls....






Back to Bowen Falls and the boat harbour....








There was a lot of very wet people alighting from the boat. The skipper managed to poke the bow, or the stern, or often both, beneath most of the major waterfalls during the cruise. On some occasions he literally gently nudged the rock wall of the fjord with the bow of the boat while drenching everybody on the outside decks, including those people standing beneath the weather canopies. All good fun though!

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Looking down-river outside the chalet at Milford Sound yesterday morning (Monday)....




Up at the head of Cleddau Canyon, most of the waterfalls had disappeared as the rain had eased....










Most of the waterfalls had disappeared from the glacial cirque at the head of the Hollyford Valley too, although the glacier up the top of the granite face between Mount Talbot (2105-metres) and Mount McPherson (1931-metres) was hidden in the clouds....




At the end of Lower Hollyford Road, the Humboldt Falls was really pumping, but there was so much water cascading over the falls that it was mostly obscured by spray....






Back to Te Anau today. Off on the all-day cruise on Doubtful Sound tomorrow (Wednesday).

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Milford Sound this morning with the Pembroke Glacier visible on the southern flank of Mount Pembroke. To the left is Mitre Peak....














Meanwhile, construction is underway at Milford Sound on a couple of sets for Ridley Scott's upcoming movie, “Alien: Covenant” (a sequel to Prometheus). Talk about a small world sometimes. There was a couple of security guards at the northern tip of the foreshore walk to try and stop tourists from taking photographs of the sets which are being built. However, I recognised one of them and after chatting to her, I discovered she lives just around the corner from me. I asked her what the movie was, but she didn't know. However, not long after, I ran into a Glacier Helicopters pilot I know and he told me he has been hired to fly one of the camera crews during the movie sequences which will be shot at Milford Sound and it was he who told me what the movie is. Here is a couple of photos of the sets under construction (yeah, I had to be sneaky and take them while the security guards weren't looking my way). The one out in the water is apparently a spaceship landing pad....






The Chasm is a deep canyon carved out by the Cleddau River with spectacular rapids....












Waiting at the western portal for opposing traffic coming through the Homer Tunnel....




At the eastern portal of the Homer Tunnel....






The glacier between Mount Talbot (2105-metres) and Mount McPherson (1931-metres) at the head of the upper Hollyford Valley was visible today....




The Eglinton Valley with the Earl Mountains and Disappearing Peaks visible....








I'm back in Te Anau now … off to Doubtful Sound tomorrow.

[Alicat]

Spectacular photos KTJ

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The view from Wilmot Pass this morning looking down into Deep Cove at the head of Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park....









This huge fjord (which also contains a number of branch arms) penetrates 40 kilometres inland through the mountains from the Tasman Sea.


Departing from the floating jetty at Deep Cove (which is 461 metres deep), then a couple of photographs looking back towards Wilmot Pass from Deep Cove followed by a view towards the pass from several kilometres further down the fjord....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Sailing down Doubtful Sound, heading for the Tasman Sea via the northern entrance to the fjord, Te Awaatu Channel. The first photograph is looking into the Hall Arm of Doubtful Sound...












The Tasman Sea is reached after passing through Te Awaatu Channel on the northern side of Bauza Island. Note the fur seals on the rocks of Shelter Islands....








And so we left the Tasman Sea and re-entered the fjord via the southern entrance, Patea Passage, on the southern side of Bauza Island, passing Utah Island in the passage, then passing First Arm just past Marcaciones Point at the eastern end of Bauza Island....






After bypassing First Arm, the boat entered Crooked Arm and cruised about two-thirds of the way into the arm. After a careful close encounter with a 1,000-foot-high mountain wall rising straight out of the fjord, we headed past Turn Point into Te Poupouotu, then the skipper shut down the engines and the boat's generators and we drifted in total silence for a few minutes. We then turned around and cruised slowly out of Crooked Arm, passing a classic hanging valley on the way back into the main passage of Doubtful Sound fjord....


















Cruising back towards Deep Cove, we passed a number of hanging valleys....










Before arriving at Deep Cove, we entered Hall Arm and travelled about a kilometre we could get a clear view of Mount Danae at the head of the arm, then the boat backtracked and returned to Deep Cove jetty....












On the road back over the Wilmot Pass to Lake Manapouri, a couple of photo stops at the Stella Burn Falls and the Lyvia River....








It's amazing what you can sometimes see on Lake Manapouri....








Off to Wanaka in the morning.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The weather in Wanaka right now....



It was fine & sunny when I arrived here about 2pm but there was a thunderstorm over in the direction of Luggate about 2:45pm, although Wanaka town only received a bit of light rain from the edge of the storm.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

I drove from Wanaka over the Haast Pass to Jackson Bay this morning, to have lunch at The Craypot. They serve up the yummiest seafood imaginable. After lunch, I returned to Wanaka. It was a beautiful sunny day all the way across the mountains to Haast, then down to Jackson Bay, although there was some clouds across the mountains at times.


Here are some photographs taken from the end of Jackson Bay wharf, looking around the bay....












These photographs show the bay and wharf from the shoreline....






And here is The Craypot — it was originally a pie-cart in Timaru, then in Cromwell before being moved to Jackson Bay....








Not long after departing from Jackson Bay heading back to Wanaka, this is looking towards the Olivine Wilderness Area from the bridge across the Arawhata River....

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

It was partly cloudy in Wanaka this morning, but nice and mild. I stopped on the way over to Queenstown at Cadronna for breakfast, here....




At Queenstown (well, Frankton actually, as I didn't go into the rat-race of Queenstown itself), it was rather chilly and drizzly at the airport.

Wellington is a gorgeous day, blue skies & sunshine with the temperature well into the 20s. From the aeroplane, you could see it is the same in Wairarapa where I am headed.

Only a train ride to go and I'll be home.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

The weather is okay in the North Island today....provided you are at FL370 (37,000 feet above mean sea level).

At both Wellington and Auckland though (and presumably everywhere in between), it is crap, although it is starting to clear in Dorkland!

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

(click on the picture to read the news story)

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

from The Dominion Post....

Near freezing night for Wellington

Motorists are warned to take caution as wintry
conditions hit the Rimutaka Hill Road.

By TOM HUNT | 11:11AM - Monday, 23 May 2016


Snow falls on the Rimutaka Hill Road at about 7pm on Sunday night. The first snow
on the hill in 2016. — Photograph: Metservice Webcam.

TEMPERATURES dropped to near-freezing as Wellington shivered through winter's first attack of the year.

On a night the Rimutaka Hill between Wellington and Wairarapa got a dusting of snow, the temperature in Wainuiomata dropped to 2 degrees Celcius early on Sunday, while Lower Hutt dropped to 3C and Wellington to 5C, MetService forecaster Karl Loots said.

Wellington was already warming up before dawn and was expected to have a high on Monday  of 13°C, and a warming — if sometimes wet — week ahead.


It is the first time snow has fallen on Rimutaka Hill in 2016.
 — Photograph: Seamus Boyer/Fairfax NZ.

NZTA was a warning for winter driving conditions on the State Highway 2 Rimutaka Hill Road.

Rain is forecast for Wellington later on Monday.


The first real snowfall of 2016 blankets the Tararua Range behind Masterton's
Wellington Free Ambulance station, at the northern end of Chapel Street.
 — Photograph: Caleb Harris/Fairfax NZ.

Masterton, meanwhile, awoke to a crisp, sunny morning after the first real snowfall of 2016 dusted the Tararua Ranges and foothills near the town.

__________________________________________________________________________

Related stories:

 • Rain, cold winds, snow reminder winter is coming — some warming on horizon

 • Second chopper rescue attempt fails, 36 remain trapped in four-wheel-drive trip in Central Otago

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/80263934

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Brrrrrrrrr.....it was below freezing when I started work at 4:00am today.

The first snow of the year on the ranges and foothills in Wairarapa this morning....

[nitpicker1]

We've had several days worth of cold and rain

Bitovabich ain't it!  Nemmind this too will pass - perhaps!
But there's another one brewing in Aussie lined up for delivery in a couple of days.

I want to go back to bed



Btw re
Brrrrrrrrr.....it was below freezing when I started work at 4:00am today

That pic from a dash cam on a car

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

That pic from a dash cam on a car

Nope....I was standing in the middle of the road.

I drove to that road after finishing work, because it has such a clear view of the Tararua Ranges from that spot. Normally, I'd just grab a shot out the side of the locomotive as I pass over the crossing, but I didn't have my camera at work today, so I went home and got it first after I knocked off for the day.

I wasn't worried about getting bowled while taking the photos as there are only 40-50 vehicle movements a day along that road. I know that, because KiwiRail are under huge pressure to install level crossing alarms, but they refuse to spend the money in spite of the fact there has been several level crossing collisions there, because of the low number of vehicle movements (they've had those traffic-counting meters on that road several times). I've had two collisions with motor vehicles on that level crossing (the last one 3½ years ago was a “fatal”), yet if people obeyed the STOP signs, collisions wouldn't happen.
 

[nitpicker1]

Re mess #1373

Ok

at least if your car was on the track when one of the 40 or 50 came along you would have your camera with you.