West Coast Test Run

With the latest improvements to the bus interior we headed out towards the West coast.

Our usual ploy is to go where the sun shines, or is going to shine, however in this case the weather was pretty doubtful in our nearest regions with a large weather bomb dumping alot of rain with gale forces winds in many regions.
Apart from recent earthquake events in the Kaikoura area, quite few roads were blocked by slips, and after checking for road closures we loaded up and headed out for Reefton. The roads to Westport via the lower Buller Gorge from Inagahua, Westport to Greymouth, Reefton to Greymouth, and Greymouth to Chch via Arthurs Pass were all blocked either by slips or floods.

I have been following Shellie Evan's Travel Blog (TwoGoTikiTouring) for several years now. She is a very prolific blogger, both with photo's and text, and well researched too, so I need to up my game, in the photo's department as without photos the text simply doesn't flow. Here is a link to a previous visit to the Reefton area. Previous visit

In Reefton, which we find is a great little town with plenty to see and do, like the Bearded Mining Co on Broadway, one of the favourite colours on "The Coast" is rust.

I sketched this in the evening, my first sketch for at least a year.

...quite pleased with the result.

This one from the American trip last year...with a little added Reefton colour.
Looks so American don't he!

On a rainey Saturday afternoon I walked the Powerhouse trail along the river bank, very well displayed with sign boards and information, but the actual powerhouse has long gone!

Oh what a happy Reefton mailbox

The Bearded Mining Co...these guys have character to burn and nearly as black as coal.
Real West Coasters

Other shops and businesses seem to have a particular old world vibe, the whole place reeks history interesting events from the past with plenty of places to explore. The smell of burning coal is still in the air too! 

Our usual park up at the Doc camp at Slab Hut Creek 10klms south of Reefton was the busiest we've seen it. Here is a link to a previous visit. June 2015. I do believe the tourist travel patterns have drastically changed due the the events in the Kaikoura region.
As we headed for Greymouth, Christine said "lets tiki tour down the road to Waiuta, we've passed it far to many times" So off we deviated.......

This little building stopped me in my tracks, taking this photo even before we reached it.

This is the Blackwater School built in 1909, which was still used until 1947 and left exactly as it was, although it has had recent preserving refreshment (in the 1990's)

We were transported back in time, there was even a display case with the writing implements of the day, a slate board and some slate pencils (why didn't I take photo's?). I learned that Christine who grew up in an isolated little country area, (Lake Colleridge) first learned how to write with these slate tools.

My favourite is the sun-bon'net

One can almost feel the regimentation and discipline of the period!

We used to have a fire screen like that in Scotland.

Rather strange to see the past displayed totally as it was, and not in a museum!

Through lovely native bush and onto Waiuta itself.

Rustic charm...below very heavy rustic charm

What a huge lump of steel to come all the way from Glasgow and end up at rest after a working life on the Wiauta Goldfields of the West Coast of New Zealand

Two types of thistle...also an import from Scotland....methinks!

We motored onto Greymouth, but first I rode the 36 inch uni back to the main road from the Blackwater school, while Christine followed up with the Bus

Our favourite park up while in Greymouth is over on the Cobden breakwater, on the North side of the Grey River, with the recent stormy conditions the sea was pounding over the end of the wharf, and much new driftwood had piled up on the beach and river mouth. This is where the locals get their free firewood for the winter.

Their is a coal display on the Greymouth side of the river and this is the part of the West Coast Wilderness Bike trail, from here it heads south ending to Ross a total of 135.5 klms of trail.

another must do, their for the asking.

You could say their are buckets of rust on the coast

Going out to sea crossed the Bar...there are two types of Bar that the Coast is famous for, both can be equally dangerous, with many lives lost or ruined......nuff said!

The Brunner Mine site is on the Greymouth to Reefton road another often passed, this time called in and well worth the stop. The Brunner Mine disaster happened at 9:30am on Thursday 26 March 1896, when an explosion deep in the Brunner Mine killed all 65 miners below ground.

I admired the engineering in this bridge, the railway line on the other bank had a truck and digger modified to run on the rails, probably to get to slips and blockages on the railway line.

Wicked campers have wicked messages painted on them....I can see why they have attracted such deserved bad press!

I like to end end each blog with beauty....it's everywhere.

New developments up ahead...I've bought some new toys to play with (a Zoom H1 and a Samson 106 busking amp)...all in line with my stated goals for this blog, which are to meet people, have fun and live the good travelling life!

Tomorrow we head north via Blubridge across a blue bridge from Picton to Wellington.

This is how we drive on water!

Till then Stay safe, smile lots, share it, and enjoy the ride!

Jimu and Christine.