Nor the Moon by Day

Observing sunrise is the mountains is a special experience. The mornings are cool and, if you are lucky, the sky is clear. Often the mountain tops show signs of the rising sun even before it appears. This was the case on our second morning in the Aoraki Mt Cook National Park.  At least 30 minutes before the sun rose above the Liebig Range on the eastern side of the Tasman Valley its golden yellow light could be seen creeping down the eastern face of Mt Sefton and over the upper reaches of the Mueller Glacier.  Further up the Hooker Valley Aoraki Mt Cook was getting its first light of the day while the moon still hung high in the sky from the night before (I know that’s not technically correct, but that is how it looked).  Finally the the sun peeked over the Liebig Range and the Hooker Valley slowly filled with light: shadows softened and colours emerged.

Heading a play on the words of Psalm 121:6 – “The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.”

Sunrise – Mt Sefton and the Mueller Glacier

Moon at Sunrise – Aoraki Mt Cook

Sunrise, Liebig Range, Aoraki Mt Cook National Park