During the first trip to the valley in mid summer, the snow was high on the mountains, melted back to a summer retreat. The sky was clear with no clouds and the negatives turned out a little thin. During the process of trying to intensify them for an optimum print, they met with an accident and there was the sudden need for a trip all the way back up to the valley. Now it was winter there had been good falls of snow and another storm was on the way. I soon found the same locations and re-shot the images. During the time between shoots one board on the pallet on the left had been broken, as if the mountains had pounced one night and snapped it.

The image shows from left to right:

The road heading up the valley with Mt Aspiring obscured by cloud. The dark beech forest growing right up into the snow. The river flows invisibly between these black trees and the grass plain. On the far right is the road heading down the valley towards Wanaka.

Prelude New Zealand  1943  CP 16

No dream, no old enchantment chains this land,
ice and snow and dripping forest know one spell alone deeper than spell of snow.

The shale bound peaks breath fire: their glittering fogs 
like serpents motionless, their lids of snow.

Rain cloud on purple ranges light reflected 
stainless from crumbling glacier, dazzling snow....

Sky's purity: the altar cloth of snow
on deathly summits laid.