Daily Photo – Orari, The Canterbury Plains & The Southern Alps

After Rakaia the scenery changed to vast areas of agricultural land, made up of an expansive network of patchwork fields, intensive dairy and sheep farming, and dramatic views of the Southern Alps. I was entering the Canterbury Plains, famous for the prevailing north-westerly winds that have slowly shaped trees and structures over decades. Everywhere I looked I was surrounded by flat pastures stretching towards distant tree lines under a heavy, overcast sky. I was separated from the busy highway by a simple wooden fence running along the edge of the grassy roadside.

Just when I thought the landscape was about to change, there were more expansive, flat farm fields bordered by wire fences. In the distance, farm buildings, lines of tall trees, more farm buildings and various other structures were dotted along the horizon. Every so often a dense line of tall trees, planted to act as windbreakers, bordered the fields, standing out against the thick layer of grey cloud hanging overhead.

Running parallel to this patchwork network of farmland was the Main South Line, keeping me company out of the passenger window and separating the agricultural plains from the Southern Alps, which sat silent and ominous on the edge of the horizon.