A snowy morning

To overseas visitors used to snowfall in deciduous forests, it might seem odd to see snow on and around trees that haven’t lost their leaves. New Zealand’s southern beech (Nothofagus) species are evergreen, so this is what our forests look like when it snows. This photo was taken on the track up to the Arthur Hut in the Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand’s second largest national park. The trees are mountain beech and the mossy forest floor growth survives the winter months just fine, thriving once again when spring arrives. One way into the park is just a 45 minute drive from downtown Motueka, up the Graham Valley Road, which ends with a steep, unsealed drive up to the Flora carpark. From the carpark, you can walk up the Flora Saddle to a junction, where one track goes up (towards the Arthur Hut) and one goes down (towards the Flora Hut). This photo was taken on the track going up to the Arthur Hut on a morning in late June.