Snow Day

Update Weather in Dunedin

24 hours later. Photo taken 11.15am

  

It was sunny then, you can see my footprints when I collected the daily newspaper earlier.  It was delivered but there is no school, buses are not running and they have advised only essential travel.

The following were taken at 12.40pm

But now 10 minutes later the sun is out again. I may go for a walk.

Road from city to airport was closed this morning but now open but that does not mean the road up the hill to me is open.  However all flights were cancelled until 12 when I last looked but cannot access the site at the moment.

Oh Oh, started to snow again, perhaps I will not walk just yet.

Weather in Dunedin

For several days the forecast has been that the mother of all storms would start Saturday night and continue to Tuesday.

My plans

1. Tickets for the Southern Sinfonia Saturday night.
2. Church Sunday morning. Last for 2 weeks due to my trip to Australia
3. Movie Club Sunday afternoon
4. Regular afternoon walking group Monday
5. Tickets to NZ Symphony Monday night
6. Regular walking group Tuesday
7. Shuttle booked for 8am Wednesday to airport to catch plane 9.45am for Auckland         
    then onto Sydney.

Saturday

The forecast was for snow to commence that evening. As I brought in more firewood, put shovel and yard broom handy and completed some landscaping/planting that I did not want to leave for 2 weeks,  I wondered whether I should risk the journey down the hill to the Town Hall for the concert.   Neighbour said the meteorologists are always spreading doom and gloom and he takes no notice.

At 5pm the snow forecast for the evening was removed from website so at 7pm I headed for the Town Hall and enjoyed the concert. When I came out it had been raining and the temperature was below 4’C but no snow or ice and I drove home safely.

Sunday

7am There had been a dusting of snow overnight  but sky was mainly clear.
8am Begins to snow,  then clears and sun comes out
9.15am Prepare clothes to wear to church
9.20am Heavy snow, put off getting changed
9.40am Usual time to depart still snowing so decide not to go
10.00am Service must be starting,  sun out,  snow melting.
10.30 Regretting decision not to go.
11.00 Service probably nearly finished, snowing again quite heavily.
11.30 Sun out, road probably clear.
12.00 Snowing again but not heavy at the moment. However think I will miss the movies  at 1pm. The problem is will I be able to drive up the hill after 3pm.

The snow is pretty but there is a downside. Photo taken at 11.15 Sunday

Snow in Dunedin

I moved here 18 months ago and chose to live in one of the higher suburbs above 300 metres. I was very disappointed last year when there was no snowfall before I left for my overseas trip in early August. There was a light fall the week after I left but 2010 had less snow than anyone could remember.

Ten days ago there was a fall for about an hour and I was very excited and took photos.

There was another fall two days later but during the night and it melted fairly quickly.
However today there has been quite heavy snow all day and I have made a movie (with appropriate dramatic music).



Since making the movie, there has been even more snow although I managed to go for a short walk in a break.

I am landscaping the front garden and  purchased plants last week. I laid them out yesterday but need to think more before actually planting them in the ground.

I know those who live in the Northern hemisphere will not be impressed but I grew up in the "Land of sunburnt plains"and have always dreamed of living where it snowed.

Dunedin today

A view in the local paper today taken in one of the suburbs where I hope to live. In fact this is one of the lower suburbs near the church I hope to attend. Snow fell in the sea level suburbs and the city.

New Zealand Part 2 -Manapouri & Doubtful Sound

After 4 nights in Dunedin, we drove south towards Fiordland and the little town of Manapouri. To the left is a photo looking over Lake Manapouri from our Motel.
However it commenced to rain so after lunch in the tavern next to the Motel we went to the wharf to book a tour of Doubtful Sound. The only way to reach Doubtful Sound is to take a tour which is very expensive. I had 2 possible days and, with the weather forecast being poor for the Wednesday, I chose Thursday which proved to be one of the best decisions I have made. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading before driving the 20 km to the bigger town of Te Anau for dinner and the supermarket. It continued to rain.
Wednesday morning I looked out the window and saw a few patches of white and told my sister it was snow. She replied, no it is frost, but then the snow came pouring down. We drove back to Te Anau and walked beside the lake in the snow then decided to drive towards Milford Sound. I have been there 4 times and stayed overnight after driving in 2 years ago but my sister has never been in this area of NZ. The warnings were for snow chains but we decided to take the risk .
Although the photo indicates otherwise, we actually drank our coffee sitting in the car.

We continued to the Cascades and the Divide but as it began to snow quite heavily, I thought it would be best to turn back after looking at the view down into the Holyford valley. Here we met some Keas. I had an altercation with Keas on my previous trip when I stopped to wait for the lights at the Homer Tunnel (one way) and foolishly left my door open. The Keas attacked the rubber on the brand new Avis car. This time I was more careful and kept the door closed. They have no fear.













As the snow kept falling, we returned to Te Anau for lunch and then back to Manapouri and our hotel for an afternoon watching the US Presidential results on TV.
At 5.30pm the station stopped coverage in the middle of McCain's concession speech, much to my sister's disgust. We saw Obama's acceptance speech during the evening news.
Disappointing my sister did not see Milford Sound but hopefully I can drive her there in my own car when she visits me after I have relocated. I was glad to see on TV that snow was covering the suburbs in Dunedin where I hope to live. This was the heaviest snowfall of the year and the heaviest November fall for 30 years.

However Thursday dawned bright and sunny and we had glorious weather to travel to Doubtful Sound. This begins with a launch trip across Lake Manapouri on the right.



Then you transfer to coaches to drive over the Divide. We had a wonderful trip as although the skies were largely blue, the snow from the day before was covering the trees. Finally there is a cruise on Doubtful Sound and we went right to the entrance but did not go out as there was quite a swell running.






A short movie shows the Sound and some of the commentary.


We toured the underground power station on the way back. The road we had travelled was really built for the power station not the tourists that now take advantage of it. It is the most expensive to build piece of road in New Zealand.

On the Friday we drove back to Dunedin but first went south to the city of Invercargill and even further to the port of Bluff. Here I was able to stand at the most southerly point of the South Island (Smaller Stewart Island lies further south) I have a photo of my standing at the most northerly point of the North Island back in 2004.

This is the furthest south that I have ever been. Just last May I reached the furthest north I have ever been at the Arctic Circle in Finland.

I am back

Flew back into Sydney last night. Have spent today trying to catch up with blogs. I did go shopping as I had emptied the refrigerator before leaving. Have still more to read.
Thanks for the messages, we did have a wonderful time.

Watched the American results in the motel room as snow was falling outside (this was in the last month of spring in NZ). They had the heaviest snow fall of the year and snow also fell in the suburbs where I intend to purchase my new home. I was, of course, ecstatic with Obama's election. Was disappointed to hear the result on Prop 8 in California.

Watched the NZ elections on Saturday night (well saw the newsbreaks) and was disappointed the conservatives won. Interesting that in a debate pre-election both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader (now Prime Minister elect) stated they were agnostic and did not believe in a God. That would not go down well in the USA.

Must do washing and housework tomorrow and the garden has run amok in just 10 days but hope to provide some more details and pics of my trip soon.

Sunday Musings

It is nearly 4pm, the official temperature at Katoomba (about 400 metres higher at 1,015 metres or 3,000 feet) is 1.4'C so probably about 4'C here. Snow forecast up there and down to 600 metres which is here but I will believe it when I see it. Have lived here nearly 27 years and only seen snow on ground twice, once, fairly heavy, on July 4, 1984, the other time there was just a patch remaining in the shade of the house when I arrived home.
We have just had a heavy shower of rain and yes the forums are saying there was snow up at Katoomba.(grrr) It has always frustrated me that it is nearly as cold here but I miss all the fun. One of the many reasons I am looking forward to moving to Dunedin, NZ is that it sometimes snows down to sea level and I am looking at homes about 250 metres asl. However the vicar of the local church has just blogged
It was a very cold day. The water left from yesterday's rain was frozen and Dunedin streets were treacherous. Given that going out this morning meant that bones were guaranteed to be chilled and risked being broken, many opted to stay home and watch the Olympics instead. We had 8 people in church at 8am and about 90 at 10 am, well down on our usual muster.

Our service at St James was the smallest number I can remember on a Sunday but the whole city was rather quiet except for near the front of the church where 70,000 were gathering for the annual city to surf (14km) run. It makes it almost impossible to drive to church due to road closures so that combined with the cold weather would have kept numbers down. Father John commented that while so many were running (walking) to the sea, the gospel was on Jesus walking on the sea.

I enjoyed listening to his sermon and coming home to read the sermons by Madpriest, Doorman-Priest and Sister Judith Schenck on The Three-Legged Stool (4 different countries). Each had a different slant. Isn't it wonderful that the Anglican church round the world has the same readings except for most churches here in Sydney which pay no heed to the Church lectionary. One lady told us yesterday at the AGM for Anglicans Together that she had to explain to her Rector (recent Moore College graduate) what Lent meant?????

I have made 2 train journeys down to the city this weekend as the AGM was held in our church hall. Luckily, as a Senior citizen, the government allows me to travel all over Sydney and surrounding areas (I am 80km away) for just $2.50 per day.
I was pleased to hear they will soon be updating the Anglicans Together website which has been static for 2 years. I was disappointed to hear the annual dinner will be on October 31, the day I fly to Dunedin (not permanently yet).

While waiting on the platform for the train home, I heard a crash and a yell. At first I thought someone had fallen down the stairs but when I went to look, a young man was lying on the ground obviously in an epileptic fit. What shocked me was that everyone (mainly young people) was just looking and I had to run past about 20 people to reach him. A man did come the other way and had his phone out so I asked him to call the ambulance which I think he was about to do. A lady arrived soon afterwards and then the station staff began to arrive although the first looked hopeless but another arrived and ran for medical kit when I pointed out he was bleeding although not badly. Railway police then arrived and so did my train so I left but it does shake one up a bit. As a retired teacher I have some idea what to do but my first aid certificate is well outdated now. I just could not stand and look while there was no-one trying to help.

It is our annual cleanup this weekend. (The local council collects any junk we put out)
I am a terrible hoarder and have a huge area under my house (enclosed) to store junk. I cannot take it to NZ so it must go.
It is amazing what scavengers will collect. My sister stored a set of suitcases which I think she used for her honeymoon in 1961. You know the type, so heavy and rigid, it would take up half one's air allowance by itself. The hinges were all rusty. She said to throw them and they were scavenged in 10 minutes. Two old record players also went.
I have hundreds of plastic pots from when I was developing my garden, always intending to propagate, out they must go.

Tomorrow is my weekly bush walk with seniors. They are starting in my local area so I will not have to even spend $2.50 for a train, although they will be finishing at the next town up the line so it will be a 3km walk back home making about 12km in all with some steep climbs. Perhaps if there has been a decent snow dump up the mountain I may change my plans.