Sudden Valley, Arthur's Pass, New Zealand

[HamishBrown]

Had a few days up Sudden Valley with the family.  There is a marked track up this valley but it is not well formed and is quite hard going.  However, the alpine area at the top of this valley is well worth the effort and the plants are just wonderful.  We camped for two nights about half way up the valley after the gorge.  On the second day we walked up to the head of the valley.

View from tent site looking up the the head of the valley


Some beautiful plants in the sub-alpine zone.

Celmisia semicordata


Parahebe linifolia


Dolichoglottis scorzoneroides

[HamishBrown]

And in the Alpine Zone

Stellaria roughii, a native chickweed that was common among the scree


Leptinella pyrethrifolia


Ranunculus godleyanus growing among loose scree right in the head of the valley near the snow bank


Viola cunninghamii


View looking back down the valley

[HamishBrown]

On the second day, while the family slept I took a pre-breakfast walk up a side valley and found some more nice plants.

Helichrysum intermedium growing on the side of a outcrop


Leucogenes grandiceps


Myosotis traversii.  I was worried I might go the whole trip with out seeing a Myosotis but was thrilled to find this.

[Lesley Cox]

Where exactly is Sudden Valley Hamish? I don't know the name or that area much at all actually. It looks very good though.

[Tim Ingram]

Beautifully captured photos Hamish! If only our chickweed had such class

[Maggi Young]

Your photos are superb, Hamish! Doing real justice to the great plants.

I wanted to know more about this place and found this : http://backcountry-bibles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/sudden-valley-arthurs-pass-national.html

[Hoy]

Very interesting trip and beautiful pictures!

[HamishBrown]

Thanks for your comments all.

Tim, our native chickweeds are real characters.  Check there is another good example of a native chickweed (Colobanthus canaliculatus) on this post (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11701.msg302589#msg302589).  They form lovely little cushions on rocks and grow in association with many other low growing alpines


edit by maggi to improve link 

[Tim Ingram]

Thanks for that link Hamish, I missed that somehow. Really great to see mountain scenery and plants like that. With Robert's forays in California and all the other journeys into wild places this is the 'Royal Geographical' section of the SRGC website  - gives the alpine gardener a lot to ponder on and dream about Look forward to seeing a lot more (I have quite a professional interest in the Apiaceae which NZ has so many unique examples of).

[Anthony Darby]

Today's earthquake epicentre was not far from Arthur's Pass. I drove through the pass on December 12th. Lovely weather. I must do this again, but not as a tourist.

[Maggi Young]

Today's earthquake epicentre was not far from Arthur's Pass. I drove through the pass on December 12th. Lovely weather. I must do this again, but not as a tourist.

Kim R. was telling me about the tremors last week - do hope that all will be well for all in NZ.

[Anthony Darby]

This was yesterday. I had coffee and a date scone in the Arthur's Pass Store on December 12th. As you can hear, no damage done. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/64684438/major-60-earthquake-west-of-arthurs-pass

[HamishBrown]

Hi Tim.  There was not a lot of apiaceae up Sudden valley but here is a photo of Anisotome filifolia you might enjoy.

[David Lyttle]

Nice photo Hamish; Anisotome filifolia is a particularly difficult thing to photograph. I m impressed.

[Tim Ingram]

Thanks Hamish - nice to see. The Apiaceae is a pretty large (and it has to be said, often weedy) family but the mountain species are very attractive. As I learn more about them more just opens up in front of me, but I would like to gain a clearer idea of the NZ species so will keep looking through these threads. There is an equally fascinating but little known range of genera and species in N. America and here they were important plants for indigenous peoples and not just the moas, as presumably in the past in NZ  (perhaps rabbits now  )