South Island Robin

These little fellas have become one of my favourite native birds. Many people don't get to see them. For one thing you need to be in the South Island and then you need to be somewhere alpine/sub alpine.

I could have showed you a shot of the upper East Hawdon valley with the bivvy just visible, or one of vistas I took from high up in one of cirque basins above the bivvy (a reccy for another trip).

These guys are super inquisitive. This one would come just inside the door of the bivvy, or investigate your walking poles and boots parked outside. They are friendly and curious and a joy to watch and interact with.

Cuter large

After descending the valley for an hour we had a change of minds and plan. We both enjoyed the solitude so much we decided to head back up to the bivvy and spend another night there.

JT felt pooped and stayed close to the bivvy. I took a bit of gear (including emergency locator beacon, map and compass) and explored the upper slopes for future trips. We agreed on where I would and wouldn't go so there was no unnecessary risk. Good decision making is the basis of safety. It was tough going but well worth the effort. I'll be back :-)

Pre-dinner snacks with miso soup, an italian inspired homemade dehydrated dinner followed by a florentine and whiskey yet. It's hard to complain.

While the sky above us seemed clear and the wind dropped away, it felt warm and that generally means bad weather approaching. We were glad we were in the bivvy and not the tent. How true that proved to be.

Yesterday heading up the East Hawdon valley