A dose of ordinariness is probably a good thing now and then.

Sadly, “ordinary” at present seems to be grey, wet and cold. Such a day yesterday led me to the upper end of Whiteman’s valley where it merges with the Mangaroa Valley. The Mangaroa river snakes its way across the valley floor and in so doing creates some places that are very pleasant to be in, though probably better in summer.

In this area there are a lot of old trees, and some that may be dead. Or perhaps it is just that they are deciduous and it is winter.

The further up the valley I went the murkier the weather became. I have a weakness for those receding shades of grey but the cloud on the hills was a bit too abrupt and cut things off quite sharply.

Rejoining the main Highway at the Plateau road, I parked and followed the trail down to the shingle river bed where the Mangaroa and the Hutt Rivers came together. There are more spectacular confluences but this is the one I had.
That’s it for today.