Otira, Westcoast Beaches and Home

We headed through Arthur's pass, after staying in Darfield at the Advanced Upholstery parking.
Pretty majestic views through the pass. At Otira we called into the Otira Hotel, as you can see the owner has a rather eclectic style.

 I love the red moss on the rocks

 I think he is hoping to pull in a younger crowd, which is perhaps why it does nothing for me!

Gollum...like never before ... Eh!

Just what you'd find lying on the porch of every pub on the West Coast

 The John Burns Contemporary Galley just down the hill from the pub however is very interesting and worth having a browse. I had a great chat with the lady on the desk about contemporary art and its definitions.

 Back to the Pub...looks  a bit forlorn ...... sort of waiting for a disaster to happen.

 There are pigs and hamsters and tame rabbits which seem to have free range from their cages to the property and hence the great outdoors.

This fine piece of machinery is a tobacco planter,..

 the very one I used to sit in and plant tobacco at our farmback in the 70s.

 His collection of oddities continues on the inside, and I leave that to your imagination.

This fine 4 wheel drive has had the stream flowing around it while parked

...tho I'm not sure it will ever move again.

Once on the Coast we spent a few days at our favourite park on the Cobden Breakwater.
Even in wild weather it's a great spot. The waves just roll past the bus window and we have restful sleeps there. The photo below is from a previous trip...but you get the picture!

Back in current time...after last year's high tides and storms the Cobden breakwater had to have the surf club grass reseeded and large rocks built up.

I may be the first ukulele player to practise on this hallowed grass.

North to Westport we parked out on the Beach surrounded by all the Jucy vans and sliders.
I don't mind that, if I can walk along these types of beaches at sunrise and hardly see a soul.

Mornings like these are so important for me to recharge my joy batteries ...
I see beauty in so many places ... it nearly turns me to tears.

Don't ya just love the carving done on this log?
The person who did it must have been all heart!

Back at camp the Jucys are not early risers,

though they have no hesitation in parking really close.

It feels rather strange to overhear a loud American guy talking for hours

 on his cell phone back to home, while parked up at the beach in Westport NZ.  
the Weka around here are not shy either!

We headed north looking for a quieter beach and found one just 8km north at Beach Rd. 

We scoped it out, secluded, with a turn around space and "Yes Camping (for self-contained)" signs,
 earmarked it, then went further north exploring, and returning at the end of the day.

We stopped at Granity and visited the Coal Mining museum.

Apparently this fine steel bucket weighs 42tonnes.
A kindly West Coaster, an ex-publican connected with the museum,
 took it upon himself to be my personal guide and showed me around.

This building was actually the coke furnaces, and this area is famous for the Denniston Incline, 

where the full wagons of coal were taken down hill which pulled up the empty wagons at the same time.

This area actually had a total of 5 inclines.

I was told they are still mining the coal today, 

the drivers of the machinery get $35 per hour and women are preferred,

 as they are easier on machinery.

 Rust is the natural colour of most things on the Coast.

I bought a few things in the craft shop and this is the method of payment (if you use plastic).

The internet signal was temporarily out and the assistant was fishing for a signal, which she managed to get just in time before we drove away.

 More sunsets.

And sunrises.

This day the mist and wind blew in from the sea and the sun didn't appear till after 9am.

 Still .....  everything looked surreal.

 Another 90 minutes walking on the beach and never seeing another soul.

From here it was a short drive back to Westport and inland to Reefton.

The last night's stay in Murchison behind Dust & Rust at the NZMCA park was one of the few really heavy rain overnights we've had in the last 3 months.

We ended this trip as we began, parked up at Jubilee Park in Richmond while we waited for our house to become vacant from our wonderful house sitters.

Recent rain has freshened up the grass, and although we are still on tight water restrictions, it feels very good to be home again.

The new motorhome preformed very well. It's a significant upgrade and the personalisation and fitting it to our ways will continue. It's much easier at home, where I have access to tools and other needed resources that are difficult to use from on the road.

So endeth another successful motorhome trip around the South Island.

We are happy to be home and planning the next trip in mid May, this time back to Queensland.

Cheers from New Zealand

Till the next adventure.

Stay safe and free..... and be creative!

Jimu & Christine.