Solid ice - at last

DAY 20

A clear cold night brought a cloudless dawn today. We are off to work. We found that the ice on the tarns was thick enough to work with, so we quickly set about extracting a large sheet and carving it to shape to be placed in the centre of the tarn.

By then It was getting warm so we worked very fast before the ice melted. Just as I was carrying the sculpture into place it broke in half. We quickly fashioned a similar but smaller shape from the largest remaining piece and quickly installed it in the shallow tarn.

I had to cut a path through the ice and wade in to the middle of the tarn to get the camera angle I wanted. Although the sun was getting higher now the image worked and I made the photograph. The sculpture collapsed shortly after.

The fine weather was what we needed for completing the rock sphere and it was good to place the capstone and view its final spherical shape. 

DAY 21

Another fine day and we had Whare Kea visitors arriving for lunch by helicopter from the lodge. We all dined on the terrace and then some joined us in walking up to the sculpture on the bluff where Philippa and I stayed to put finishing touches to it.

The day ended with a glorious sunset the clouds deep red beyond Mt Aspiring. 

Philippa photographing Ice Circle

Rock Sphere