Winter has arrived.

Pukawa missed the storm that bought the heavy snow to the South Island, once again living up to the reputation of having it's own micro climate.  Yesterday morning however we woke to see the Kaimanawa Range covered in snow as was Mt Pihunga, a true indicator that snow had fallen on the Desert Road.  At lunch time today the Desert Road was closed but seldom are both sides of the mountain closed so travellers can always travel via National Park should the Desert Road be closed. There was such a strange sky early this morning a "shepherd's warning" sky, the morning remained quite nice but by mid-day the southerly had arrived and it is now windy which has dropped the temperature to eight degrees.