Danger, rockfall!

After feeling off colour for most of the day, it was typical that I only really felt better as soon as the sun was about to set. So, deciding to stave off cabin fever I jumped in the car and drove to the end of the road to the old quarry at Ataahua, just by the rail trail alongside Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora.

I've blipped down here before from the other side of this outcrop, so tonight I decided to rebel against DOC and climb up the bluff once more, taking my chances as I have taken some great shots up here previously, both at sunset and sunrise. About halfway up I had second thoughts, but carried on regardless. The sunset promised to be a good one, so I thought I'd worry about the cracked rockfaces on the way down...

Unfortunately, the cloud low on the south-west horizon meant that sunset wasn't that great after all, so I made my way gingerly down from the top and took this image of the moody sky and salutary warning from The Man.

I'm not sure what has caused the sudden cracking on this outcrop as I have climbed it and walked around it plenty of times since the quakes, which haven't seemed to have had much impact here on this part of the lake shore. Perhaps it's winter frosting, perhaps it is earthquakes. One for the geologists and petrologists I reckon....