Winter Arrives With a Vengeance

Here we were congratulating ourselves on a wonderful winter - hard frosts and then beautifully sunny days -when along comes the snow to blanket parts of the province in the heaviest snowfall since July 17, 1939. The worst-hit areas were the Takaka Hill, Spooners Range, Hope Saddle, and the area between Spooners and Murchison and around Tapawera. So heavy were falls that cars and buses were abandoned and even machinery used to clear the roads was in turn affected by the snow. In short, no fun for the farmers, transport operators, and motorists, but oh what fun the children had! On Saturday and again on the Sunday, hundreds of cars took off for the snow. Over much of the worst-hit areas fine days soon thawed the frozen mess, but frosts in shaded areas turned road surfaces into ice and many were the motorists who found their vehicles slithering helplessly before the tyres struck solid roadway once more. For Transport Department, Automobile Association, and Ministry of Works personnel the snow was a curse. On behalf of all motorists, we extend thanks to all who helped clear the ways in what was arduous, difficult, and often dangerous conditions.

This pic was taken on Spooners Range, just past the summit, shortly after the heavy snowfall.

These photographs, taken in July, 1939, show the extent of the snowfall that year. above was taken overlooking Nelson Haven towards the Wakapuaka-Atawhai hills and that snow on Botanical Hill and to a low level on the Tasman Range and on Nelson hillsides.

In autumn this area close to the entrance to Golden Downs Forest on the other side of Spooners Range is a sea of colour. There was no colour when we took this picture, but it still presented a beautiful sight.

A Newmans bus from Takaka bound for Nelson was snow-bound on the Friday and had to be abandoned until Saturday when Ron James, assistant patrol officer with the Automobile Association, took this pic of the bus being pulled out.

To adults the snow was a curse, but to the children it was just wonderful.

McLennan's grader was a casualty on Takaka Hill when it went over a bank

Cars make the summit of Spooners Range on the Friday

This was by no means the first fall on Takaka Hill this year. The two pics here by John R. Sharp were taken late last month after the first heavy fall. Below, Raewyn, Kaye, Sandra, and Tom Goodall make snowmen while the wherewithal is still there.

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The Nelson Photo News

No 57 : July 24, 1965

Winter Arrives With a Vengeance