Ben Nevis, Otago, New Zealand

[HamishBrown]

Thats right, Ben Nevis, New Zealand.  It is located in the Hector Mountains to the South East of the better known Remarkables Mountain Range beside Lake Wakatipu (Near Queenstown). 

It is not a common place to go botanising but we decided it would be worth a look.  Access is via Ben Nevis station so permission from the lessee is required.  We parked the car at the bottom of the mountain in the Nevis valley and walked to the top, a 7km tramp and 1000m altitude gain to our campsite at 1500m.  Here is a photo of Shota and I on top of the ridge before we dropped into our campsite in the basin below.  The Mountain in the background is Ben Nevis



A beautiful place to visit with some awesome plants
Ranunculus buchananii found growing around crags where browsers could not reach


Ranunculus pachyrrhizus growing in recently exposed snow bank


Caltha obtusa growing on a swampy stream margin


Hectorella caespitosa was common in exposed rocky sites

[jandals]

Awesome Hamish . Pleased you and the family had some fine weather and caught up with some cool plants

[Maggi Young]

Tad frosty to be up the Scottish Ben Nevis today - but doubtless there will be someone out there!
Merry Christmas to all Mountain Rescue Teams!

[Hoy]

Shouldn't mind visiting Ben Nevis, NZ, at this time of the year. Looks great! And the plants are worth a visit too!

Ben Nevis, Scotland, is also worth a visit I presume, but at another time of the year

[HamishBrown]

Having some internet issues out in the country.  Here are the rest of the photos I was going to post.

Myosotis pulvinaris is a lovely cushion plant flowering in exposed rocky sites


Another Myosotis that I am not familiar with.  We found a group of these tiny plants (~5cm across) growing on an exposed rocky ridge.  If anyone can help ID this I would be grateful.  Leaves were hairy on both sides and flower were in twos or fours.   


Hebejeebie densifolia growing in exposed sites


Chionohebe thomsonii forms nice cushions covered in white flowers in exposed rock places


Aciphylla simplex mostly confined to rock ledges

[HamishBrown]

Thanks for the replies.  For those of you coming up Mt Pisa tomorrow we should see most of these, probably not A simplex and R buchananii but other cool plants as well

[Hoy]

Sorry - too long way for me

[HamishBrown]

Sorry Hoy, bit short notice for you.  There is a good crew gathered at Locharburn Station tonight and we are hoping for good weather up the mountain tomorrow. 

[Lesley Cox]

Super pictures Hamish. I envy you, up there.

[David Lyttle]

Hello Hamish,

Had a quick look at your Ben Nevis Myosotis. It looks like Myosotis drucei based on the hair pattern ie very sparse stiff hairs on the leaf surfaces.  I presume the flowers were relatively small compared to those of Myosotis pulvinaris as it it hard to scale them from the photos.   I think you would be safe calling it that until someone tells you something different.

[Lesley Cox]

Some members of OAGG went to christen a new rock garden on Sunday, beautifully built by our newest member, an import from Oxfordshire, and his Kiwi wife. A very pleasant afternoon in perfect weather; warm, slightly dull so not too hot and no wind. They have a fantastic view up Otago Harbour, as far as the Royal albatross colony. I mention it because James had some nice seedlings of Myosotis pulvinaris in his little shade house.

[Maggi Young]

I hope folks are keeping up with the great pix in the Mt Pisa thread too-  http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11698.msg320099#msg320099  - where there are more charming Myosotis to be seen - to mention just one plant among the mountain gems.

[HamishBrown]

Thanks for your comments David.  Your ID of that Myosotis seems to fit.  Here is a photo with my little finger inserted for scale