Chief of Ugliness

Weta @ Hukawai Glacier Centre, Franz Josef. Feb 2009. Ajr

I photographed this weta at Hukawai Glacier Centre in Franz Josef, South Westland a couple of weeks ago. It's bigger than it looks. It's actually a giant 'plastic-sort-of'creation that adorns one of their interior walls. Mind you, real wetas can also be giant (but we're talking inches here, not feet). We have over 70 species of weta endemic to New Zealand - none of them pretty; all of them sporting horrible spiky legs and nasty mandibles, which are their main defence mechanisms. They're one of my pet fears; I loathe them.

Thrills and Chills

Hukawai Glacier Centre, Franz Josef. Feb 2009. Ajr

There’s a thrill a minute in this country and one of the newest is the 10-metre high, ice-climbing chamber at Hukawai Glacier Centre at Franz Josef in South Westland. It’s the only one in the Southern Hemisphere apparently – not that that will tempt ME into polishing up my ice pick any time soon! But I did like the idea of looking into the fully glazed ice chamber and being able to take photographs. Shame about the lack of ice climbers. Perhaps another time! www.hukawai.co.nz