Heading South |
Another highlight of our South Island trip in May 2011 was a visit to Alexandra and
the Eastern Southland region. The weather had become showery and
overcast, but as it was early May, this was expected. They had already
had a dumping of snow in parts, but as each warmer day arrived,the snow
quickly melted.
After leaving Te Anau we headed off to Lumsden and as I come from a long
line of Railway men (excuse the pun) it was sad to see many local lines
ripped up and transformed into cycling tracks. I know that rail has
become unproductive in many rural areas, but New Zealand Government
policy of selling it off to private concerns in the 1980s, where it was
stripped of assets and then almost became extinct did not help railway
to prosper. I guess if it encourages tourists to come and cycle or walk
all over our landscape, while spendingmoney in the small rural towns,
it is a positive benefit to NZ.
Rodgers Engine @ Croydon |
Lyn checks out the 1932 Fox Moth |
I remembered the Creamoata porridge factory which was located by the main railway line and the building still carries the huge graphic of Sgt Dan, the Creamoata Man that was printed on every packet sold. They also produced Thistle rolled oats, but I gather the factory only processes stock feed now and the Creamoata products (a smoother version of rolled oats) have been discontinued by their new Aussie owners. Gore is also famous for the Annual Golden Guitar Country music festival and the town is very pretty with many trees in the town centre and features a huge Brown Trout statue as well as a huge Guitar statue.

Here is a photo and article relating to the statues http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellywood-or-what/5559173/Why-is-town-branding-so-cringe-worthy.
We have yet to meet young Errol!
My Father was born in Wyndham in Southland, but lived in this region as a teenager on a small family farm at McNab and my Grandfather worked on the railway as a "lasher". Dad left the farm around the age of 16 and went to Invercargill, where he joined the NZR Locomotive branch, retiring 40 years later in Auckland as a top roster Engine Driver, so I grew up with the stories of "Hokonui Whisky" (illicit distilleries) and fishing in the Mataura River etc. We had a bit of a scare around Tapanui, where there had been heavy rain over the previous couple of days. As we drove down a very steep hill I noticed a truck on the side of the road with it's cab light flashing. There was no sign of anyone outside the truck, so we sailed past at 100kms and whamo! We hit a deeply flooded dip that hadn't been obvious until then. I decided to press on through the flood, albeit a bit slower and the heart was in overdrive as the water started to come over the car bonnet! I wondered if I stopped then, the car might get stuck, so we just pressed on and came out the other side ok. The truck was there to tow stranded motorists out of the deep hollow, shame they didn't have signs further up the road! We reached the Roxburgh Dam early in the afternoon and the spillway looked mighty impressive with the recent rain filling the dam to the rim.

After finishing morning tea, we headed off to Ida Creek, Hyde, McRaes Flat until we reached Middlemarch. Many of these names were familiar to me as they were railway stops from the past and in the old days, the farmers in the region were extremely reliant on the railway for transport as the roads had not been fully established. (There's a little history lesson for you!) We reached the turnoff to Naseby and decided to visit this small historic settlement, mainly to see the Autumn scenery and we weren't disappointed. It was extremely quiet, but I believe it is a popular destination in Winter for the annual Curling competitions and the Motto of the District reads " 2000ft above the worry level" . The houses and pubs in the township have mostly been restored, but have kept the style of a bygone pioneering era. My brother Roger and His Wife Donna were snowed in while visiting in Winter and it is apparently known for very cold temperatures most years. There is an interesting link to Naseby here http://www.naseby.co.nz/
Moeraki Boulders |
The Scottish association is very strong throughout Otago and there many
places named after famous (and not so famous) Scottish identities, I
felt quite at home!
After leaving Naseby we headed through Palmerston toward the coast and
arrived at the Moeraki Boulders at low tide, so we got to see these
unusual stone objects at their best. My youngest Daughter Heather and
Husband Steve had taken film of the boulders when they visited on their
honeymoon, so we were curious to see them ourselves. We drove to Shag
Point to see the seals and dolphins, but the seals and dolphins had
decided to retire for the afternoon as the weather was deteriorating and
so we decided to head off to Dunedin for our final night in the South
Island. Mosgiel is not far from the Dunedin airport and we had booked in
advance and on the recommendation of the Motel owner, we dined at the
Mosgiel Tavern.
The Southern Man @ Dunedin Airport |
MAYBE THE TRANS ALPINE NEXT??
great photos enjoyed the visit
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