Winter sunrise, Lindis Pass, South Canterbury

Lindis Pass marks the geographic boundary between Canterbury and Otago and, like most South Island alpine passes, it is frequently snow-covered in winter. State Highway 8 winds its way through here and it is sometimes closed by heavy snowfalls, though rarely for very long at a stretch.

This midwinter photograph was taken a couple of days after a southerly had brought a fresh dump of snow to the region. The road had been closed here at the pass, but shortly after it reopened I was able to get up here for the night and so be ready for a sunrise photograph the next morning. It was a cold night — cold enough for my water bottles to freeze as I slept — but the clear conditions meant that I was well-placed to see some nice early morning light on this snowy landscape the next day.

This view was gained by climbing a short steep slope above the road, from where I was able to take this sunrise photograph of these snow-covered tussock slopes stretching off to the west.