Sunday 9 February:
It was a wet morning when I cruised around the University area looking for the boarding house I lived in during my engineering intermediate year 1954 – it no longer existed, replaced by a new apartment block which swallowed the next door property as well. I then returned to the Otago Settlers Museum for the rest of the morning. The modernised museum is three times the size of the 1950s with excellent displays and video presentations re the development of Dunedin and Otago.
The public transportation displays reflected development from horse drawn (above) to horse-powered mechanical including cable cars (not shown) ——–
—– as well as trolley buses for Dunedin’s hilly streets.
Sunday afternoon I visited Margaret and Alister Rae at their retirement village home in Mosgiel. Margaret was Lexie’s Matron of Honour at our 1963 wedding in Christchurch, and the Raes have remained special friends ever since. They first interested us in the idea of retirement village living many years ago (“come and join us in our village”) but we noted how cold Mosgiel is in the winter. Tauranga has been a much better choice.
Monday 10 February:
I freedom camped at Sutton near Middlemarch Sunday night and woke to one of our favourite places near the start of the Otago Rail Trail —- the Sutton Railway Siding. Grahame Sydney’s painting is iconic.
A print of this painting has a special place in our hallway at home.
And here is the building today — a little run down.
Nearby is the Sutton Salt Lake with a 1 hour loop track walk through limestone tors littering the landscape – Lord of the Rings country.
After Sunday’s rain the track was wet, long overhanging grass saturating my boots, socks and trouser legs, but the walk was great. That white spot is the van in the distance — only a few minutes into the walk.
The salt lake is in a hollow in the landscape, having no outlet. Over centuries evaporation has led to salt accumulation, which does not inhibit wildfowl, although there were no birds this day.
The total lack of wind is “reflected” in this view across the lake.
I spent the rest of the day at the Hyde Railway Disaster Memorial on the Rail Trail north of Middlemarch.
On 4 June 1943 a passenger train rounded a corner at twice the recommend speed and derailed – 21 people lost their lives, NZ’s second worst rail disaster after Tangawai, Christmas 1953.
Why spend the day at this location? Well the carpark was a good place to watch the TVNZ broadcast 12 noon to 4.15pm of a one hour playing time NFL championship final in the USA between the Kansas Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. I wanted to understand how this game worked – it was boring, with four 15 minute quarters playing out agonisingly slowly as the clock stopped following each play, with plays often lasting only 20 seconds or so followed by several minutes as the teams faced off to restart. It took over four hours to get through the game and half-time music show. Give me rugby union any time.
Tuesday 11 February:
I decided to head east from Hyde some 19km to Macraes Flat and check out the Oceanagold mining operation. Oceanagold had sweetened their deal with the community when applying for consents to enhance the village with artwork and visitor attractions. They did a pretty good job all round (my view – maybe not all the locals view).
The hotel was the centrepiece of the village, but across the road was the wetland landscaped and maintained by the company.
From the bird hide at the wetland I viewed dozens of swallows swooping around chasing insects, but the real “bird” surprise was on the adjacent track behind me.
This massive Haast’s Eagle Sculpture was unannounced on any signposts in the village. It was created by Mark Hill (son of Michael Hill Jeweller) and flown in from Arrowtown by helicopter for installation on 18 December 2008.
The Visitor Centre at the mine provided great views of operations as well as excellent storyboards regarding both the open pit and underground gold mining plus videos of mining operations and people.
The large open pit was enormous – it made the Waihi open pit look like a pothole. Only a fraction of its extent is visible above, this photo showing huge trucks coming and going moving material in opposite directions, no doubt all with specific loads for specific locations.
Underground ore on its way to the processing plant.
The processing plant is close to one of the earlier open pits (there are three of them), but the main gold bearing ore is currently from underground mining (since 2008), with some 80km of access tunnels now snaking around 720m deep under these Central Otago hills.
From Macraes Flat I backtracked to the Rail Trail to camp for a second night at Tiroiti Rail Station, and found I had neighbours at my freedom camping location – three women who were riding the trail (good to see other than cyclists for a change).
The horses were contained by an electric fence overnight after being watered at the nearby stream, and grazed on long grass behind them (this view through the van window). The Rail Trail embankment is in the background.
Wednesday 12 February:
This morning low mist covered the valley – the 3 horsewomen were away south by 6.30.
They would have taken a horse track around this bridge as happens on several viaducts. However some have no bypass, and riders need to dismount and lead their charges carefully across, as indeed they have to do for the three tunnels on the Rail Trail.
I headed north to the Daisybank access to the trail, setting off 7.30 for a 54 minute 3½ km return walk. I then headed to Kokonga and accessed the trail at the basalt loading station.
Still misty at Kokonga as I drove onto the trail to reach a parking area.
Some 2000 tonnes of bluestone basalt in blocks similar to those showing above were railed from here to Dunedin for use in the 1902-03 construction of Dunedin Railway Station.
I walked in mist from here in a 1 hour 32 minute trek of around 6km return passing alongside rich cropping lands and sheep pastures (no sheep pictures this week).
By the time I got to Ranfurly the sun had chased the mist into a hot day. I took a back road into town and by chance came across the Annual A&P Show.
Dressage judging was under way as I stopped for a view.
And in the background there was loads of kids yelling from the Bouncy Castle next to the many stalls that lined the showground embankment.
Ranfurly is well known as an Art Deco township.
There was plenty of artwork around, including this metal sculpture with its shadow on the Museum wall (the refreshment rooms has a new role now).
Ladies had real style in the 1920s-1930s.
After lunch it was out to Patearoa Station with its original stone woolshed.
The Maniatoto Plains has an area-wide irrigation water scheme with the whole valley served by irrigation channels snaking across the farmland. However, rather than flood-irrigating fields as in the past nowadays huge spray irrigators circle slowly around a pumping wellhead.
The busy end of an irrigator, the well-head being maybe 500 to 1000m away in the distance.
Thursday 13 February:
Another misty morning, this time in the Domain at Waipiata where there were only four of us freedom camping overnight.
One of my neighbours as I left the Domain at 7.30 to park up and walk south on the Trail, going nearly 6km return over 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Excuse the “close-up” but mist limited forward visibility to around 50m, and it was really cool.
This was the first day cyclists passed me on the Trail.
From Waipiata I took a side road upcountry to search out the Sanatorium that looked after tuberculosis patients from all over NZ from 1918 to the 1960s when antibiotics took over treatment of TB. The location was chosen because it was known that local miners who had respiratory problems thrived in the Maniatoto goldfields.
The Green Bridge on this road is a very popular swimming spot (not this morning, obviously).
I eventually reached the Sanatorium Buildings now occupied by a religious group as a retreat and refreshment centre.
Entrance to the old sanatorium complex.
There were extensive buildings in the complex – one set of dormitories with kitchen and dining area was being used by the annual field camp of the Survey School from Otago University.
I spoke to the supervisor of the group (the guy in the hat second from the right) and asked if he knew Alan Blaikie, one of my two best friends at Gore High (the other being Russell Graham). Alan was a foundation staff member when the School was set up in 1963 – indeed he knew Alan well, as both a staff member and then a board member.
On the hills above the Sanatorium was the Hamilton Gold Diggings so I took the van up a narrow dirt road to access the area. When I reached the parking area and turned to look back into the valley I had travelled up from, this is what I saw. ——-
——- The whole of the Maniatoto Plains was still covered in the mist I hiked in at Waipiata earlier in the morning, while here above the mist layer it was hot and sunny.
Hamiltons diggings behind me is now a large open field surrounded by hills covered with the scars of gold sluicing. From the discovery of gold in December 1863 the township population rose to 3,000 by January 1864, peaked in the early 1870s at 4,000 with 40 stores and 25 hotels. However the gold ran out by 1874 leaving a population of 90.
The diggings remains as they are today.
My final challenge for the Rail Trail was a visit to the Poolburn Viaduct and Tunnels (for the fourth time). I drove up the Ida Valley to park on a remote gravel road miles off the beaten track but immediately below the railway embankment close to the viaduct. Lexie and I had camped there overnight years ago during our first visit.
Set up for camping on 8 March 2006.
Resting after our climb to the railway embankment (beyond the top right of photo) and the walk to the tunnels on 9 March 2006.
The view of today’s van parked on the stream side in the same spot as in 2006. Floods over the last 19 years have changed the stream banks somewhat.
After all the effort of the climb I could not resist photographing my achievement in reaching again the viaduct and tunnels (you saw similar pictures during last year’s trip.)
This is a stunning piece of engineering built over 3 years from 1901 by 300 workers.
And Poolburn Tunnel No 1 is also extremely well crafted.
The stone and brick work is immaculate.
The 4km return trip (1 hour 20 minutes climbing and walking) was really hard work in 30 degree temperatures, so I was ready for a shower and rest up when I reached the Alexandra Holiday Park at 3.30pm to conclude the day.
Friday 14 February:
No walks today – this had to be a rest day. Overnight I investigated Doubtful Sound Tours and found the earliest one available is next Wednesday 19 February. So I thought I may as well spend the weekend in Wanaka before travelling down to Te Anau early next week. On the way to Wanaka through Cromwell I stopped for a view of the Clyde Dam.
This sculpture near the Dam overlook is of the Karearea (NZ Falcon) a protected species which is found in Central Otago. Lexie and I saw one flying around above the Poolburn Gorge during our March 2006 walk.
The dam operates daily tours (late afternoon and evening) so I will try for one when back through here in a couple of weeks on my way to the West Coast.
At Wanaka I got the second last powered site in the Top 10 Holiday Park, as Wanaka hosts an Iron Man (and Woman no doubt) Challenge Wanaka event tomorrow, and the place is buzzing.
Saturday 15 February:
Yesterday Alexandra topped NZ temperatures at 31 degrees. This morning promised another scorcher as I headed 30 minutes and 2 km down to the waterfront to watch the Iron Man activity. This is a top notch international event, and at 7.45 swimmers were still completing the water stage while leaders were off on their 90 km bike run (three 30 km laps with turn-around at the waterfront).
Heading in from the last section of the swim.
Running to the cycle changeover area.
The stiff climb out of town on the 30 km leg out along the Glendhu Bay Road.
The turnaround in town. We were warned that incoming cyclists could be doing up to 40k/hr and we needed to be clear enough to avoid anyone sliding off the turn across into us.
After hiking back the 2 km and 30 minute walk to camp, I then drove 10 km out of town to the airport where the Transport and Toy Museum is located. The museum contains the lifelong collection of one man, businessman Gerald Rhodes. It is huge.
There are loads of outdoor exhibits (such as this Vulcan Bomber and UK tank), but four large buildings contain the bulk of cars, trucks, earthmoving machines, aeroplanes and toys.
This view in Building 1 shows how different types of exhibits are mixed up, such as cars and toys. There are 100s of thousands of toy kits and models (a tiny fraction shown here in the cabinets at top right corner) throughout the first two buildings.
Building 4 shows how an aeroplane (Air NZ Fokker Friendship) and cars (squashed door to door) are mixed together. There are items from all over the world ——-
—– including the USSR with this 1968 MIG 21.
Well, it has been another busy week, so tomorrow, Sunday, I will relax lakeside before heading to Southland on Monday for another adventurous week.
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