Southland - buildings old, new and interesting

I have included photographs of a few interesting buildings in Southland.    I might add that some of the more picturesque buildings pictured below are not good examples of most homes in Southland, which are usually large and well looked after.  People generally do not live in corrugated iron shacks.   Although corrugated colour bond  is a very trendy building material.

The shop in the photograph below is not in Southland.  In fact it is situated in Omarama, in Otago, where we usually stop on our way down south.  But it is typical of shops in New Zealand that sell NZ products made with sheep and possum wool, plus outdoor gear suitable for the coldest, wettest and snowiest days.   We usually visit most of these shops, and then spend our money in a couple of shops in Wanaka.

Nor is this cafe in Southland.    It is in Geraldine, Canterbury, a favourite coffee stop for us, and on a lovely warm day it is great to sit out under the trees.     But on this occasion there were too many people enjoying their coffee inside, so no room for us.    It was a little too chilly for outside.   So we went across the road, and drank our coffee in a very stark and empty cafe.    Lucky people in our favourite cafe.

.We walked down a very deserted Dee Street in Invercargill.   The only other person was a lone cyclist in front of us.    Sadly many of the shops on this side of a once very bustling and popular shopping street, are deserted, partly due to people shopping at the big shops (chains) elsewhere, and partly due to the new earthquake regulations for buildings.   

The owners of old buildings will have to bring all their buildings up to earthquake regulations.    A very costly exercise.    And the question will then be,'Who will be able to afford to then rent the buildings?'  The earthquakes in Christchurch have proved to be problematic for people throughout New Zealand.  

The Grand Hotel, once the most expensive and prestigious hotel in Invercargill, now the home for students looking for cheap accommodation.    When the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited here in the mid 1950's they stayed in the hotel, and came out onto one of the balconies to wave to the people below.   Times have changed.   The new building regulations may sound the death knell of this beautiful old hotel.

This is all that is left of Ryal Bush Primary School, which closed twenty years or so ago.   All that remains are the two monkey puzzle trees, the new classrooms on the left, and the tennis courts.  The two main classrooms have long gone, as have the local hall, church, shop and blacksmith/garage which once made up the community of Ryal Bush.  Wooden buildings are not built to last, obviously.   Or is this progress?   

I loved attending Ryal Bush Primary School, with the huge grounds, swimming pool, tennis courts and gardens, all at our disposal.  So much time was spent on using these activities, with just a little time spent on school work.   School was fun, fun and more fun.  Obviously I became a teacher so that I could ensure that the next generation of children spent more time on learning to read, write and do mathematics and less time on fun and wasteful activities.

I know it is not Christmas but Shona is busily sorting out her Christmas shop, in readiness for a group visiting the following day.    This is a seriously dedicated shop, devoted to all things related to Christmas.  

Barry and Diana and their grandson Ben, posing with Walter, in front of their daughter's new house.   This house was transported down from Christchurch, and reinstated on a concrete base in Wallacetown.     The garage and a bay window came down on a separate truck.    The house was not damaged in the earthquakes in Christmas, but it was in a red area, and therefore could not be lived in.    At least the house is now being used, rather than lie in disuse in one of the suburbs in Christchurch.

Another lovely cafe, great ambiance and excellent coffee.   The Magpie.   We found three cafes that we particularly liked in Invercargill, and all produced the most delectable coffee - The Three Beans, Nicolls, and The Magpie. We spent some time, and some money, at these venues.   Good for the local economy.

Another visit to the mouth of the Waiau, this time to see the new addition to the property.    No shack this time, but a small house, transported from a farm somewhere in Southland.    And now there are large water tanks, and a septic system, so all modern conveniences are installed.    Perfect for a few quiet days away, and to shelter from the elements when down there fishing or whitebaiting.   No wi fi.   I tried to pick up a signal on my telephone.   But they do have satelite television, I see.  

And the views of the surrounding hills and mountains are superb.   A lovely place to sit, on the couch, if the sun is shining, and snooze and read in the warmth.   Perfection.

The shack, which has been moved to the other side of the property, is still very comfortable, and provides extra accommodation.

This is a true fishing shack, among the flax bushes, down at the Waiau river mouth.    Obviously the owners collected the corrugated iron from a variety of sources.

I loved this whitebaiting shack when we visited last year.   Even the car looked the same.     Maybe we could build a tin extension onto our caravan down in the south of France.

On the way back from the Waiau mouth, we travelled through Ohai, once a bustling coal mining town, but now a deserted ghost town.      

The view over a wasteland of coal sludge to the once active coal mine.    I think only an oil find will save the town from complete disintegration.   I have been told Ohai is a favourite haunt of people seeking a certain substance that makes people feel very happy.

And a hive of industry at the front of the Wallacetown tavern.    The  men from the local rugby club helping to sand down the pub, in readiness for a paint job.    A complete makeover.    We are looking forward to seeing the results on our next visit.

I could have taken many more photographs, of beautiful houses and pubs, and shops, but I tend to forget to get my camera out.   I also forgot to take photographs of Vickery Court, where my sister, Mavis, now lives.   A really lovely retirement home too.    My apologies here.

Lignite Pit Gardens, Southland

We discovered a beautiful garden, at Kapuka, about 10 kms from Invercargill.    This is a garden, tucked away on a side road, and not well sign posted.    A real gem.

An old lignite pit, deserted, was bought by Dave and Maria Sanderson in about 2003, and transformed into a peaceful lakeside garden park.    They allowed the pit to fill with water, ensured that there were two islands, and some large fir trees left, and then set about carving the surroundings into a garden.   No plans were used during the building of the garden.   But they did use a great amount of vision and creativeness, plus much hard work.  

 For those people who do not know what lignite is, it is a very substandard form of coal.    The best coal, hard black coal, comes from deep underground, and lignite is a third grade form of coal, and it lies just under the surface.    Lignite looks more like charcoal, and is petrified wood, which has been lying in a peaty soil.    Lignite is used in open fires, and needs plenty of wood, and maybe a shovelful of hard coal with it, in order to burn well.  Lignite also burns into a great amount of ash, which blows out into the room if disturbed.   But it was a cheap form of fuel, and used by most Southlanders.    Naturally people prefer other methods of keeping warm now.     A small area of lignite has been left on the banks of the islands, so that people can look at it, and be thankful that they have lovely central heating or heat pumps.

 I loved the artistic screens that camouflaged the toilet.

The native black swans with their fluffy cygnets clustered around them, plus the ducks, were all looking for bread.    Obviously well fed by the owners.

 The garden also has two small museums, which hold cars, farm machinery, and household goods which Dave has collected over the years.    Sorry no photographs, as I was so interested in the items being shown in the museum, as well as Dave's talk about them, that I forgot to take photographs.    They also have a cafe, and small shop, a covered garden area, and a lavender walk.     Such a delightful place to visit.

On the note of gardens, I thought it important to include a photograph of flax bushes, which abound everywhere down here.   They border the sides of roads,  are used as shelter for farm animals, and of course  grow in the native bush, because after all they are native New Zealand plants.    Flax, is not a plant that I took much notice of until recently, but now I greatly admire it, not just for the usefulness (shelter, rope making etc) but as a plant that makes a statement, with its long stiff leaves, and many shades of green.

 A chrysanthemum competition!    Good enough for Chelsea.  

Seascapes in Southland

On our visit to Southland this year we found ourselves holidaying in glorious sunshine.     And on one day Invercargill achieved the highest temperature out of all the cities in New Zealand, a high 25 degrees.

 So we felt it was important to capture the beautiful weather on film, as we drove around some of our favourite coastal areas.    

The first area, Oreti beach.    A large expanse of sand, with many sandhills behind it, and on this occasion there were a few cars on the beach, and a few hardy surfers in the water.    I can remember coming here, as a child,  on very hot days (usually in the low twenties) and it was difficult to find a place to park the car on the beach.   The water never felt cold in those days.   Obviously we were hardy children.

 A view from Bluff hill, overlooking the harbour, and the estuary.   Normally there is a gale blowing up there, but not on this day.   So peaceful.   So calm.    And so warm.

 A view of Foveaux Strait, with Stewart Island in the distance on the right hand side of the photograph.   The sea, which can be very treacherous here, was very calm.  And the clouds in the sky were just fluffy clouds, with the sun streaming through.  

 Blue, blue, and more blue.  

 Even down at the mouth of the Waiau, all was relatively calm and quiet, although those clouds did try and blow into a storm, but failed, thank goodness.

 I should point out, that Southland does not always have blue skies, and the weather can also produce four seasons in one day.   And it does rain, often, although I have been told that there has been little rain for months, and the farmers are getting very worried.    So blue skies are not what they wish for these days.

And it did rain on the day we went to the Waituna lagoons and nature reserve.    Walter looking very snug in his rain coat, as he posed on the board walk.   I might add, that this was the first time we have worn raincoats since we left the United Kingdom on the 11th January, so we have no reason to complain about wet weather.

Waituna lagoon holds the water from small rivers.   The water eventually finds a way out into the sea, which is on the other side of the narrow strip of land, running alongside the lagoon.  There is an abundance of fish and bird life in the area, however the delicate ecological balance is often disturbed by the amount of run off from dairy farms, which finds its way into the estuary.    Hopefully an agreement is reached soon between the farmers and the conservationists, otherwise a very important area for the wildlife could be lost.

My father used to mine for gold, along the stretch of land below.    No doubt the mercury he used did not help the wild life in the lagoon, but he was unable to obtain any gold flakes due to the oil that was being discharged from the ships out at sea, and which eventually settled on the sand in the dunes.     So I guess, the current problem with the dairy farmers is nothing compared to problems of oil residue and mercury.

But as a child, camping out on this stretch of land, was bliss, as we played in the sand dunes, and around the rocks, without a care in the world.   

Banks Peninsula, Canterbury, New Zealand

An excellent flight with Air New Zealand, who still give out sweets, when the plane starts to descend, just before landing.  And Air New Zealand has the most amazing safety videos.    Yesterday it was Bear Grylis, who lead the video, and the previous one featured all the characters from the film 'The Hobbit'.    Very creative, and certainly holds people's interest.    The videos can be seen on You Tube.    

The sky was very clear as we approached New Zealand, so we had a fantastic view of Mount Cook, and all the other mountains, plus the Canterbury Plains.    Always an emotional sight, for any New Zealander returning home.

We booked into the Sudima Hotel and collected our rental car.   A Nissan Bluebird Silky, very luxurious compared to our little box in Australia, the Mazda 121.  

After a lovely dinner and evening with Muriel and Bill, we slept well, and were off early the next morning to explore the Banks Peninsula, an unknown area for both of us.     Unlike the plains of Canterbury, the peninsula has very high hills, as can be seen from the photograph below, and glorious inlets and bays.

Coffee at a hilltop cafe, a perfect place to sit and enjoy the view, and drink our morning coffee.

And finally we arrived in Akaroa, a haven for cruise ships, which must boost the local economy somewhat.   A cruise ship can be seen in the photograph below, sitting out in the bay.   Queen Mary II had visited Akaroa, the previous day, as part of a world cruise.  

And of course there were plenty of passengers from the ship, out spending their money and enjoying lunch in the many restaurants which line the foreshore.

Even the local craft fair was doing well.

I loved the picturesque wooden churches.

The French landed at Akaroa, and came to an agreement with the local Maori people, to settle in this area.   Their intention, of course, was to take over a much larger area, but England had already signed the Treaty of Waitangi, and New Zealand was taken over by England.    So the French were pipped at the post, so as to speak.    However, Akaroa has retained a French flavour, and the street names and many shops have French names.

We drove back along the ridge, where we had fantastic views of the bays below us, but no photographs unfortunately, as we needed to keep all eyes on the road.    It was very narrow, and twisty and there were sheer drops down on one side.   We did not feel like driving over the edge.  

When we arrived back in Christchurch we decided to drive to Lyttleton, to have a look and see if the port town was recovering from the earthquake of 2011.    However, the damage was still extensive, with many road closures, and houses that were still unoccupied, but still clinging to the cliff face.    The view over the inlet to the port was still pretty spectacular though.

We then drove back through the tunnel, with the intention of driving to the beach, namely New Brighton, which is now a very deserted place, especially the shopping area.    The shops were either closed because they have been damaged by the earthquake, or closed because they no longer have people shopping there, due to the people being moved out of the surrounding suburbs, which have now been declared 'red areas'.   We did not even park the car, in order to walk along the beach, or out along the pier.  

Finally we drove through one of the nearly new housing areas, which was deserted, with overgrown gardens, and damaged houses and fences everywhere.     It was all very depressing.    

We drove back to the hotel, on very bumpy and damaged roads, to an area which escaped virtually untouched by the earthquake and the tremors that have followed afterwards.     A very weird feeling.   But we were relieved to be back at the hotel.  

Point Lonsdale, Victoria

We flew to Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne, on Tiger Airlines.   A pleasant trip too, despite predictions, and we stayed up in the air too thank goodness.    The tin shed, that was the Tiger Airlines arrival hall, was a little grim, and very hot.     But we lived to tell the tale.    

We than travelled on a very comfortable bus to Geelong, where Rudolf and Conny met us.    It was great to see them.

The weather was very hot in Victoria, but luckily Rudolf and Conny have a lovely big airconditioned house, and unlike Adelaide, the area is covered in lush green trees and grass.    All very cooling.

On the first morning we visited Queenscliff, in order to sit with all the other tourists by the marina, and drink coffee.    So pleasant.    Then we looked around all the trendy little shops in Queenscliff, and Conny and I managed to find some new clothes, for very reasonable prices.    We were very happy.

The next morning we set off for Barwon Heads, for more coffee.    The river was so beautiful, with very clear water, and very calm, even at the mouth, where river meets sea.    Although the day was very hot, the cafe was cool and comfortable.    Great coffee too.

Conny, Rudolf and Walter, looking very cool in the shade of the cafe.

,On the Wednesday, the weather was considerably cooler, so was an ideal day for visiting show homes.  A new set of show homes to explore, about 10 minutes from Geelong.    And there were plenty of them to see, too.   We love visiting show homes.

The area is being landscaped, with sculptures and small lakes in abundance.

This pool looked so inviting.

Some ensuite bathroom, eh.   Not much privacy though.   No doors!  Just a luxurious setting.   Probably not really practicable.

Cushions are definitely a theme in show homes these days.     We counted sixteen cushions and pillows on one bed, and some of the couches had so many cushions on them, it was nearly impossible to sit down, and rest the weary legs.

Rudolf cooked a most delicious barbeque, which consisted of prawns for starters, followed by huge  'melt in the mouth' steaks.  Australian barbeques are unbeatable.   On another night we ate a delicious lamb roast, cooked to perfection by Conny.   We felt very spoilt.     

So after three lovely days, we said a reluctant goodbye to Rudolf and Conny, and set off very early (4 a.m.) to catch the plane to NZ.  

Goodbye Adelaide

We were very sad to leave Darren, Jay, Jespa and Scott.     It was fantastic being with them for the six weeks, but sadly we needed to move on, in this case to Point Lonsdale in Victoria, followed by New Zealand and then back to the United Kingdom.     

As might be noticed, Scott normally lives in the United Kingdom, but he will be staying with Darren, and working there, for a few months, or more.    A great experience for Scott and good company for Darren, Jay and Jespa.

But before I say goodbye to Adelaide, I will include a few last photographs.    

Firstly a view of Prescott School, from the roadway.   Jay and Jespa have really settled into this school, which has large grounds, large classrooms, plus a new library and computer room, plus very wide verandahs surrounding all classrooms.   The gum trees and blue skies frame the school very well, I thought!

Walter and I visited the Adelaide Museum, again on a very hot day.     Luckily it was air conditioned inside.   It is a very small museum, compared to anything London has to offer, that is, but it does have four comprehensive display areas -  New Guinea, Australian Indigenous peoples, stuffed animals and a visiting display, which is currently focusing on Roman history.

The display of artifacts from New Guinea, and from the Australian Indigenous peoples, is very old.

And what is this?    An elephant in the museum!   Stuffed of course.  Achieved when killing elephants, and other wild animals. was an accepted sport   

The staircase in the museum is quite stately.

The Adelaide Arcade has been beautifully restored.    This arcade could easily rival any Victorian arcade in England.

And finally, a view of Adelaide, from the air, on a very hot and sunny day.  

So goodbye Adelaide, until next time.