The Canterbury Plains, situated on the central east coast of the South Island, is an area of pastoral perfection. Nestled between the Southern Alps and the Pacific Ocean, the plains are viewed from the air as a flat patchwork quilt of abundant agriculture. From the early 1850s the first wave of settlers valued the tussock plains of Canterbury as ideal for sheep farming. Formed from the alluvial shingle fans of the Waimakariri, Raikaia, Selwyn and Rangitata Rivers, today the area produces the largest proportion of New Zealand's grains. The indomitable Cantabrian spirit echoes throughout this painting. From the rugged splendour of the Southern Alps, chosen by Leitch as a backdrop, the viewer treads uneven snow covered ground. To the left a farm building shelters beneath windswept macrocarpa trees. In this painting the chill, bracing atmosphere of a clear Southern day is almost tangible.