Shelter from the storm - New Zealand

I have been two and a half weeks in New Zealand and my time is drawing to a close. The weather has been simply wild and has reinforced to me yet again, we humans are but intruders on Nature’s landscape. With a flick of her tail, we are crippled by floods, high winds and high tides. The weather has certainly prevented me from a trip to the Mount Cook region, but at least it gave me some unplanned time to go through my slide collection which I have recently converted to digital copy.

I have posted a few historic photos of my younger days in the New Zealand outdoors, and a few from overseas expeditions. As I post this and the wind swirls outside, I think of the words of Bob Dylan's song, "Come in she said, I will give you shelter from the storm."

My favourite photo above was taken in 1991, when two teachers (Bruce White and Bruce Barnes)and myself from Westland High took a group of High School students up three 8,000 foot peaks at the head of the Franz Josef Glacier. This photo was taken on the summit of Mt. Mildred with the Franz Josef neve, Mt.De la Beche and Minarets, together with other peaks of the Southern Alps, in the background.




In 1990 Chris Bonnington was invited to New Zealand as a 'Living Treasure'and a group of us took him climbing at the head of the Fox Glacier. (L to R)Colin Monteath, Mike Browne, Dave Bamford, Chris Bonnington, John Nankervis and Ed Cotter.



Bob McKerrow on the summit of Malte Brun, Dec 1967.



(L to R) Keith McIvor, Bob McKerrow, Jan Sarnquist and Jim Cowie after a successful first ascent of a variation on the Notch Route, Mt. Talbot. Photo taken near Homer Hut near the Homer tunnel 1969.



With my daughter Tania at Almer Hut, Franz Josef Glacier, Winter 1991


Teaching Tania to move safely on the Franz Josef Glacier, 1991



Jim Cowie, myself, Rod McLeod on the summit of Mt. Malte Brun. Mount Cook Aoraki is behind Jim’s left shoulder. Dec. 1967.



Taken after a double crossing of Cook Strait with Adrian Kingi in February 1988. We paddled from Makara near Wellington, to the entrance of Tory Channel in the South Island and returned to Mana Island and then into Plimmerton. Later that year I did a ten hour solo crossing from Raumati in the North Island to Cape Jackson in the South Island



I lived at Franz Josef from 1990 to 92 and this was an outing with my five daughters up the valley with the mighty Franz Josef Glacier behind,



The last guided glacier trip by Rangi Tinarau, the famous Franz Josef guide. Ther THC lost the concession in 1991 as they sold the Hotel. Rangi is in the blue shirt crouching to the left of centre in the front.


Bob McKerrow leading out along the ridge of La Aguja with Ken McNatty roped to him. Paul Green took the photo. Paul did the lead to the unclimbed summit between the snow and rock on the left side of the Needle. 1968 NZ Andean Expedition to Peru

The highest road in the world. The Khardung La in Leh, India. 2001.


During the winter of 1970, when I wintered over at Vanda Station, Antarctica.


With one of the lead dogs on the 1986 Steger International North Pole expedition. Taken on the Arctic Ocean.