central otago

i went down to wanaka on my own in the weekend & although it was sad to say goodbye to my family & of course i was happy to see them again, i really did savor every quiet moment, being able to do things at my own leisure was rather lovely.
i found this old rusty tin on my long walk around lake wanaka, i've got a thing for rust, it draws me to it. the crab apple trees down there were bright red & the branches were bending almost to breaking point with the weight of the fruit.
the lake was frozen over, it is called lake diamond & dad had a wonderful story about when he was growing up on west wanaka station, how they would come down at night to ice skate on diamond lake & there would be burning tires on the ice so they could see. imagine how gorgeous that must have looked & been, never mind the environmental impact. one evening i went for a walk along the clutha river & decided that it is my river, in maori 'ko clutha taku awa'. i feel a deep connection to the river & it felt calming to walk beside it, admiring it's clarity & colour & the weight of all that water.