Ben Ohau, Clay Cliffs, and Rock Painting

As per our standard operating procedure, we picked a fairly remote track up a tall hill or mountain. Mt Ben Ohau is located amidst several man-made lakes.  Connected by canals (several of which have salmon farms), these lakes are used for hydroelectric power.




About half way up and the view is pretty good.  We have been exploiting the impact of geography on the weather to stay clear of the rains.  Looking west you can see the tattered remnants of a storm system as it clears the dividing ranges, having long since dropped with rain payload. 
 





Three quarters of the way up and the view is just about perfect. Even at this height and distance, the drone of unmuffled jet boats breaks the near silence. 


Right at the limit of the camera’s 40x zoom, you can see a blue smudge.  I was not looking forward to the walk back down.




The top half of the track is visible as a slight line on the hillside.


If you look closely you might see a 4x4 track switchbacking its way up the mountains across the lake. 






The following day we visited some 30-meter tall cliffs.  Made entirely of a siltstone conglomerate, they are only slightly harder than common clay.  The resulting canyons and formations are quite striking.
 





















A bit further east and south we detoured to look at some Maori rock art.  Not much survives long on the soft rock and wet environment, but these are at least several hundred years old.