What have we been up to?

There is an awful lot to see down here in the South Island, as we are traveling around.   We spent several days in Blackball, an old mining town.  The most famous building here is undoubtedly the pub which has an interesting story about it’s name,  called “Formerly the Blackball Hilton”.  Built in 1910 it was named The Dominion.  In the 1970s the owners changed the name to The Blackball Hilton, as the main street is called Hilton after one of the early mine managers.  However, a threat of legal action from the overseas Hilton Hotel chain caused the name to be changed by adding “Formerly” to the title.

Formerly the Blackball Hilton

Moving on to Hokitika we had couple of of things to do on our wish list, so we set out bright and early the next morning.  The snow topped Southern Alps looked so nice as we drove along.  Looks like the local farmers had been busy making baleage.

Snow capped mountains

And here we are, at the Treetop Walkway, this attraction was not built last time we were down this way.  There was a golf car available at no extra cost to take those of us with mobility issues up a reasonably steep path to the beginning of the walkway.  The structure felt very safe and stable and is elevated 20m above the forest.  The walkway is built on Department of Conservation (DOC) land, and the native trees are a sight to behold, especially knowing that they are all protected from logging. 

On the Treetops walk

Oh look, there’s the Tower.  Goodness, that looks high, and is the launch pad for all those people who want to have a go on the zip line.   At 47m above the forest floor, I climbed the 107 steps up the circular stairway to the top.  Robin wisely declined, unsure how his knees would cope with all those steps.  Can you see me waving?

I climbed the tower!

Then we headed off to check out Lake Mahinapua a short distance away. The lake side was very busy with visitors, people splashing about in the water, and on boats.  This area was once a coastal lagoon, but centuries of sand accumulation in a belt of dunes eventually cut off the sea access, creating the lake. 

Lake Mahinapua

There was still more exploring to do in this area so we set out again the next day.    But first we needed to pack a picnic lunch to take, bacon and egg croissants, a couple  of Christmas mince pies, a juicy peach each and a thermos of hot coffee.  The sun-screen and insect repellant came along too.  Now we were ready and drove 30km to Hokitika Gorge - never been there before.   Most of the West Coast was  covered by vast moving glaciers 500,000 years ago, we read on the interpretation boards, and these shaped the landscape as they moved slowly along.

A short 10 minute walk we were advised would take us to the Hokitika Swing Bridge.  It may have been short for most people, but took us a lot longer than the time stated, it was quite hard going for Robin and his knee problems.  Young people and families walked on past us, we were much slower with Robin’s crutch and my walking stick as we negotiated the sloping path.   The beautiful turquoise blue water caused when rocks are ground into a fine powder by the movement of glaciers.   We arrived at the look out point for our first glimpse of the very blue river and saw the swing bridge below us.

First view of the Hokitika Gorge swing bridge

Several more twists and turns down the track and we finally arrived at the bridge.  Here comes Robin over the bridge, and taking a photo from the middle of the slightly bouncing bridge was necessary, but a little unnerving.  And where would we be without friendly fellow sightseers  happy to take a photo for us?  Robin really struggled with walking back up the track and in the end he did much better using my stick as well, he really needed two sticks for extra balance and a feeling of security, I think.  Walking up and down this track took a lot more out of him than either of us expected, sadly.

ON the Hokitika Gorge swing bridge

The next day we started the drive over the Arthur’s Pass road over the Southern Alps,    As we drove along further into the mountains, the scenery changed dramatically, with all those rugged mountains surrounding us.

There's Gollum on the roof of the Otira Stagecoach Hotel.  Wonder how he got there, still looking for that gold ring, presumably.  The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in the dramatic scenery in different parts of New Zealand.  Back in the early days, several hotels along this road  provided accommodation and fresh horses for the coach parties making the arduous trip over the Southern Alps.

 

Hello Gollum

Arthur’s Pass was named after surveyor Arthur Dobson, and in 1864 he explored the route seeking a way to supply West Coast miners from Christchurch.  The next year construction began and hundreds of workers braved the extreme conditions to complete the road in a year.  This was the start of a new era for the West Coast, the beginning of a coaching service, and later, a railway line across the Alps.  The road has improved over the years, although it is still rather steep in places and full of twists and turn.  There was one more quick stop to make before heading to our overnight stop.  We are certainly surrounded by nature’s grandeur in this part of the country.  What a sight this must be in the depths of winter with snow covering the mountains.

Arthur’s Pass

Our stop for the night was at Bealey Hotel, free parking for NZMCA members. Of course, with free overnight parking, we had to give the hotel some custom, and booked in for our evening meal.  Very tasty it was too, lamb rump for him, and pork belly for her.  Check out the view from the dining room window.

 

Staying overnight at the Bealey Hotel

While enjoying our dinner, I glanced around the dining room, as you do, and was intrigued to find that several of the dining tables were mounted on the bases of old treadle sewing machines.  So of course I had to take a couple of photos of the tables which were happily still vacant.  I did wonder what the staff and the other diners thought what that  crazy lady was doing!  I noticed  New Home and  Singer bases.

 

Bases of the dining tables

The  Bealey Hotel’s claim to fame was the supposed sighting of a moa (a very large bird about as big as an ostrich and now extinct)  in the Craigieburn Range by publican Paddy Freaney and two friends in 1993.  They produced a blurry photo of the moa, and another of an alleged footprint.  Many believed it was a publicity stunt to increase trade to Paddy’s pub, but the local and overseas media were very interested indeed by this story.  So much so that Paddy declared “that he wished he had never seen the bloody thing!”  But who knows what is hiding in the mountains and valleys. The hotel has a large moa statue in the grounds, and interestingly, serves Moa beer in the bar.

Bealey Hotel moa

With all  this traveling, I haven't spent much time of my stitchery.  Just stitched a bright yellow sun, to accompany the two kangaroos on my next Noah’s Ark stitchery, several days ago under our shady caravan awning.  But every stitch helps, doesn't it.

I’ve started another small stitchery

The Prettiest Quilt Shop in Town

There’s no doubt about it, as we drove past this cute little shop on the way to Greymouth, towing the caravan behind us, I remarked that we would have to return to this shop the next day.  Bright and colourful on the outside, I was sure it would be just as nice inside.

Pink Possum Quilt Shop

I was after some backing fabric for my second piece of traced out stitchery.  Yes, Sue had some of that and cut me a piece, then I had a look around the shop to see what else took my fancy.   There were plenty of fabric, samples, panels, notions, and lots of kits, I noticed.

Lots to inspect and admire

Yes, I did make a couple of other purchases.  I found an easy bag pattern, and of course I couldn't walk past  this little caravan kit.  Designed by Wendy Williams, all fabric, thread and felt pieces are supplied.  There was also a bin of $1 fabric pieces, so a couple of those were added to my purchases too.

These came home with me

Not far from Greymouth is the Runanga Miners' Hall.  The current structure dates from 1937, and replaced an early miners' hall from 1908 that was destroyed by fire.  The hall is notable for its place in  history of the organised labour movement in New Zealand, and was granted Historic Place Category 1 status by Heritage New Zealand in 2013.  Although looking rather worse for wear, it is currently being restored.

Getting a spruce up

Greymouth is the largest town on the West Coast, and was founded during the West Coast gold rush of the 1860s, but for 150 years after this its economy was based on coal mining and native timber forestry. These brought prosperity to the town which at one point had 47 hotels.  The central part of Greymouth was regularly flooded when a high tide coincided with a flood in the Grey River.  A flood wall (locally known as ‘the great wall of Greymouth’) now protects the town, and provides a pleasant walk along the south side of the river.

On the great wall of Greymouth

After a couple of rather hot and sticky days here, the rain has now set in.  But we’ve had time to do copious amounts of laundry, restock supplies, refuel the Jeep, and have a quick look around town.  We are moving on tomorrow, where to, I wonder?

Time for a little stitching, and Pancake Rocks

We have moved on to the tiny settlement of Barrytown and I had an hour or so sitting under the shady awning doing a little stitching. We are camped up on a hill and have a wonderful sea view.

Not only did I finish this tiny little dove from Noah's Ark stitchery, but worked a little longer to start the next design – two kangaroos waiting to hop onboard the ark.

Just a small finish

Sitting outside in the balmy evening with our camping neighbours, we were chatting away and waiting for the sun to go down into the horizon on the Tasman Sea.  How spectacular that turned out, well worth the biting insects making a meal of us, regardless of the repellant we had put on.

Sunset at Barrytown

The next morning we back tracked 16km  to arrive at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.  The pancake rock formations were created by the wind and rain eating into the softer layers of rock between harder layers of stratified limestone.  The sedimentary rock was formed on the sea bed millions of years ago, before being uplifted and eroded into the pancake rock pattern that is marveled over today.  This attraction is looked after by the Department of Conservation and entry is free.

The start of the boardwalk is an attractive walk through nikau palms, and then glimpses of the pancake rocks appear.  We both took our sticks for this walk for safety in the crowds, what a pair of old crocks we are.  And there certainly were crowds of people everywhere, all jostling for the closest positions at the photo stops.   The pancake rocks were just as spectacular as we remembered.  There were information boards dotted along the paths.   Tourists were out in force, we heard all sorts of languages spoken around us.  A young woman kindly took our photo for us.

Pancake rocks

We saw some white fronted terns on the rocks, and Robin’s larger camera captured them much better than my point and shoot camera could.  These birds capture small fish by plunge-diving from a hovering flight a few metres above the sea.

White Fronted Tern

After our walk around this interesting place, it was time for lunch at the Pancake Rocks Café.   We chose a table out in the awning and I mentioned to the young man clearing the tables how much cooler it was out there.   I did feel sorry for him when he replied that he didn't notice, he was too busy working!  The serving of pancakes were huge, too much for me to finish.

Lunch at the café

I visited the adjacent gift shop, really expecting to see items aimed at tourists to New Zealand.  There was plenty of that, but I did find something which took my fancy, an apron for the caravan.  I’m sure I've mentioned before that I always wear an apron while I'm cooking or preparing food – because I’m a messy cook!

A little something for me

Happy New Year

It’s been much too hot and sticky lately to do any hand stitching or knitting, so nothing to report on that.  But we have been having a great time driving around and exploring on our South Island Trip.  Here’s an update of our adventures.  Boxing Day at the Beach is a Kiwi institution.   The day was hot and sunny, but the cool sea breeze cooled the temperatures down while we were sitting on the golden sand at Marahau Beach .  There was plenty of action happening off shore.  Several people were enjoying para-sailing, with the wind carrying them along at a great rate of knots. There were a few yachts sailing around, the sea kayakers were out in force, and we could see the Water Taxis going by as they carried people to various walks in the Able Tasman National Park.  And what’s better than paddling in the water on a hot sunny day?

Marahau Beach on Boxing Day

After five days spent in Richmond with Robin’s sister Kaye and her hubby, it was time to move on.   We were presented with fresh new potatoes from the garden, and I was encouraged to take some of the abundant grapefruit from the tree – all very much appreciated.   It was time for thanks, and goodbyes, with promises to call in again on our return back later as we head to the ferry. 

Kaye with oldest brother Robin

It was even hotter at our next stop in Murchison, we had a couple of days at 30deg C, much hotter than we are used to.  Murchison lies close to the Alpine Fault, and in 1929 a powerful quake centered in Murchison was felt throughout the country.  The town as evacuated, but 17 lives were lost, and the surrounding area was left in ruins, causing the Maruia River to gouge out a new channel, creating the Maruia Waterfall.   Originally known as Hampden, the discovery of gold led to the establishment of the town.  Several old, rather interesting buildings are still standing, and right next to the NZMCA Camp where we were staying is  the old Commercial Stables building.  Now it trades as Dust and Rust Vintage Store, selling all sorts of bits and pieces.

The old Commercial Stables

An advertisement for “The longest swing bridge in New Zealand” caught our interest.  A 15km trip along the Upper Buller Gorge, and we arrived at the destination.  The swing bridge is only one part of the operation.  Jet boating, flying fox rides and gold panning are also on offer.  We decided the swing bridge would be enough excitement for us.  Goodness me, at 110m  long, and suspended 17m high above the Buller River, we stepped on and off we went.   I know some people do have a problem stepping onto swing bridges, we are fine as long as no one decides to jump up and down, and try to swing it from side to side!

The swing bridge in Buller Gorge

Heading towards the West Coast, we decided to stop for the night in Reefton.  The discovery of rich gold bearing quartz in the hills and valleys around town soon gave rise to the nickname Quartzopolis.  The other claim to fame is that Reefton was the first town to “see the light”.  Reefton Power Station supplied electricity to the very prosperous gold mining town and was the first power station to supply municipal electricity in the Southern Hemisphere. It started operation on 4 August 1888.  This time we stayed at the Reefton Hotel, which offers free parking to caravans and motor-homers.   Robin went into the bar to make sure it was OK to stay here, and the reply was, “We are happy to have you, please support us”.  Of course we did, and enjoyed a huge meal in the dining room that night,  roast beef for me and a big burger for him.

We stayed in the car park at the hotel overnight.

Walking up the main street I discovered a lovely mural painted on a wall. Using an old photo as inspiration,  “Trucks of Quartz Mural” is a tribute to the vital part that horses played in the early days of mining towns.

Beautiful street art paying tribute to working horses

Where to next?  We continued along the Buller Gorge to Cape Foulwind on the West Coast.  This is a rather slow and winding road but the most challenging part is driving under an overhang of rock.  Hawks Crag is a prominent landmark in the Lower Buller Gorge, where the road has been cut into a cliff that drops into the Buller River.  We have driven this way before towing our caravan, so we know we fit through as do big motor-homes and trucks, but this stretch on the road still makes me hold my breath as we drive through.  Just as well it is a single lane on this stretch.

Passing under Hawks Crag

We are now staying at another pub, this time the Star Tavern at Cape Foulwind, where we are parked up on grass with a sea view.  We wanted somewhere for New Year and this is an ideal spot for a couple of nights.    Just as well we are not too near the cliff edge as there is a danger sign warning to keep clear.  I gingerly walked up to the fence and looked over.  Such a pretty sandy cove down below, what a lovely sight.

At Cape Foulwind

Gemma rather likes it here, there is a lot of birdlife for her to look at, and desperately dream of catching one, no show of that, Gemma  .  Being a bit of a diva, although she really wants to go outside on her lead, she hates the wind blowing in her face, so refuses to go out the door.  The next best thing is sitting on top of the sofa and looking out the window, where she chatters away at those pesky birds.  There are several weka running around, native birds about the size of a hen, and sea gulls perched up high on top of a lamp post.  All out of reach, and so much bigger than her, so all she can do is sit and watch!

There are big birds out there, Mum

We had been playing Telephone Tag with fellow bloggers Irene and Ian who write Free Spirit blog and had arranged to meet at this camp for News Year Eve.  They have come over from England and are traveling around New Zealand in a tiny little van.  We hadn't met before so it was so nice to finally catch up.  We were booked in for a pub meal at the Tavern to celebrate New Year, and we enjoyed a drink while we waited for our dinner booking time to roll around. All of us decided on Crumbed Camembert for starters, nice and tasty indeed.  For the mains it was salmon for me, and steak for Robin, no surprises in our choices.  Ian chose fish, and Irene struggled with a large Mixed Grill. 

Jenny, Robin, Ian and Irene

By the time we had finished our meals, the patrons had thinned out, the music was getting louder, so we all went back to our van for coffee and cake. It was a lovely evening indeed, although we have to confess that we just couldn't stay up till midnight to see the old year out, and the new year in.   Staying up past midnight was no problem in earlier years, but these days, not so much.

If you were wondering how Cape Foulwind happened to get such a name, it was from the intrepid explorer Captain James Cook.  His boat the Endeavor was blown off course by the prevailing westerly winds in 1770.  This area was originally called Rock Cape by Abel Tasman when he sailed by earlier in 1642.

Happy New Year to all my readers, it’s so nice to have you along for the ride.  May 2023 be kind to us all, with new projects starting and old ones finally getting completed.  Bless you all.