View Across a Mountain Tarn at Mackinnon Pass, New Zealand

December 22, 2014

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Summary AuthorSimon Williams
December 2014 Viewer's Choice
 
During a hike along the Milford Track in Fiordland National Park, on the South Island of New Zealand, I came across this tarn (foreground) at Mackinnon Pass. Tarns typically form when rock at the head of a valley is gouged out by a glacier, forming a cirque. Once the glacier begins to melt, the cirque fills with meltwater or rain water. Mount Balloon (6,060 ft or 1,847 m) is at right. Fresh snow coats the highlands on this mid-spring day. Photo taken on November 18, 2014.