Firstly, apologies to those who were expecting something from last night. The Wi-fi was not good enough in my hotel and it wouldn’t upload. You can read it now.

Today we were travelling to Christchurch via the Mount Cook National Park. Absolutely beautiful. We climbed up some terminal moraine (see, the O level geography came in useful finally) to look at the Tasman glacier before it disappears from sight. Depressing signs about where it was in 1990 and before that. On the way down, my knee gave way which is a bit worrying when falling over means bouncing down about 100ft of rocks. Luckily the lovely Heu walked down between me and the edge to ensure that, if it happened again, I fell on him, not on the rocks.

The photo below was taken through the bus window. The pink bits you can see on the snow are dust from the Australian fires.

The blue in the photos is real – combination of dust run off the glacier and the blue sky above. It is usually blue, even when the sky is grey. Containing very empty countryside, even excluding the conservation bits. It’s very dry and traditionally has been sheep farming country. More and more farmers are applying to irrigate their land so that they can have cows. please note feral lupins that are blooming all over the place. The church is a little chapel by the lake that has a window behind the altar with a view of the mountains. It is VERY POPULAR for weddings. As you might imagine.

This evening we had our final dinner. Some people are leaving before the crack of dawn tomorrow. I am staying till Sunday so will be around and about Christchurch until then.