Just a little car cleaning

A tow car needs good tyres and the rear tyres needed replacing.  So after some on-line research, Firestone tyres were purchased.  Now there were new tyres fitted, perhaps the 4WD could do with a good clean, reasoned Robin.  So out came the bucket of soapy water, and the soft brush, and he got to work.  But you can guarantee that once someone starts washing a car, the rain comes down.  With only half the car done, car washing was put on hold, and the bucket sat for a couple of days behind the back fence, slowly filling to the brim with rain fall.

The rain stopped, but we had a bit of a “cool change” weather-wise.  Heavy frosts came calling several days in a row, so cold that the bucket had a thick layer of ice on top.  A bit too chilly, Robin felt,  to be getting on with the job of washing the car.

Ice topped bucket

The whole country was going through a cold spell, although our part got off quite lightly.  Earlier in the week New Zealand shivered through one of its coldest nights on record when Pukaki, near Mt Cook, recorded the -20C temperature a couple of nights in a row.  Then there was the night the temperatures dropped to minus –21C in the township of Omarama in the Mackenzie Country. That's New Zealand's coldest in 20 years and not far off the country's record low of -25C set in Ranfurly in 1903.  Pipes were bursting all over the place, and without any water, an Omarama cafe couldn't even make a latte.  Now, that’s serious, when you can’t get your coffee fix!

It was certainly cold down in the South Island

Things warmed up in our part of the country, and Robin finally resumed his car washing job.  That’s better, can’t have one half clean and one half dirty, can we?

Back on the job again

No way does this compare to the heavy snow, ice, and the freezing temperatures experienced down south,  but this snow cover on the Tararua Ranges looks lovely in the sunshine.

Local snow cover