I did manage to snap some nice photos of the sun going down anyway, and each time we go I hope for that perfect shot minus the cloud!
It's still fun to sit on the beach together and watch it disappear though.
Showing posts with label Easter 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter 2009. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sunday sun sets!
One of my favourite things about the West Coast is that you see the sun set over the ocean. When there is no cloud that is! The sun is HUGE as it goes down, but more often than not there is some cloud on the horizon exactly where the sun is going to go down, maybe none to the left and none to the right, but almost always right where it's going to disappear!
I did manage to snap some nice photos of the sun going down anyway, and each time we go I hope for that perfect shot minus the cloud!
It's still fun to sit on the beach together and watch it disappear though.
I did manage to snap some nice photos of the sun going down anyway, and each time we go I hope for that perfect shot minus the cloud!
It's still fun to sit on the beach together and watch it disappear though.
North to Karamea and back
Today we drove North to Karamea through some very beautiful scenery. It is the furtherest north you can drive on the west coast of the South Island and the end of the road is the start of the Heaphy Track, a 4 day walk which comes out near Collingwood.
On our way back we stopped at the processing plant for the Stockton Coal mine, and had a look from the outside.
The coal comes in the 'buckets' on the gondola type things from the Stockton Mine which is away up in the hills.
The beach was on the opposite side of the road and was just beautiful. Mostly flat stones upshore and then grey sand at the waters edge. Except in the photo below where there was a rocky outcrop and this Herron was looking for wee fish.
Toby, Al, Thomas and Katie watching the sun set!
On our way back we stopped at the processing plant for the Stockton Coal mine, and had a look from the outside.
The coal comes in the 'buckets' on the gondola type things from the Stockton Mine which is away up in the hills.
The beach was on the opposite side of the road and was just beautiful. Mostly flat stones upshore and then grey sand at the waters edge. Except in the photo below where there was a rocky outcrop and this Herron was looking for wee fish.
Toby, Al, Thomas and Katie watching the sun set!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Denniston Incline and bush walking
This morning we walked down to the main street shops and had a look at some wee market stalls set up on the road side. I bought Katie a necklace from one lady and some lovely Apricot jam from another. Al went to the bookshop and bought the 2nd book in the Twilight series for Thomas to read as he started the first book in the car on the way over Thursday and had only a few pages to go to finish it!
After lunch we headed north to explore the Denniston Incline. This is a rail track built by the very early coal miners in the 1800's up a very steep hillside. Once built they carted railway carriages of coal to the flat land below on a pulley system, with the laden one heading downward, pulling the empty carriages uphill. This was the only way up and down the hill for many years.
Looking down from the top of the incline, it levels out then rounds a corner and has another steep drop to the flatland below.
There was quite a settlement up there in the old days, with a school, small hospital and community hall. Of course now there are only a handful of houses, and many ruins. There is a wonderful information shelter up there with the history of the area along with photos and stories of the terrifying trips up and down the incline in the carriages like the one below.
This is taken from a photo in the information shelter, and shows the buildings that processed the coal from mines and loaded it into the carriages for the journey below. The photo on below is the same view today, you can recognise the brick chimney against the hillside in the 2nd photo. Just imagine, all the building materials for this were carted up the incline in the coal bucket carriages!
We then drove up the hill further to the start of a 1 hour return walk exploring a couple of old coal mines and tunnels and an old Fan house. Al and the boys did this walk as I had reached my limit for the day.
After lunch we headed north to explore the Denniston Incline. This is a rail track built by the very early coal miners in the 1800's up a very steep hillside. Once built they carted railway carriages of coal to the flat land below on a pulley system, with the laden one heading downward, pulling the empty carriages uphill. This was the only way up and down the hill for many years.
Looking down from the top of the incline, it levels out then rounds a corner and has another steep drop to the flatland below.
There was quite a settlement up there in the old days, with a school, small hospital and community hall. Of course now there are only a handful of houses, and many ruins. There is a wonderful information shelter up there with the history of the area along with photos and stories of the terrifying trips up and down the incline in the carriages like the one below.
This is taken from a photo in the information shelter, and shows the buildings that processed the coal from mines and loaded it into the carriages for the journey below. The photo on below is the same view today, you can recognise the brick chimney against the hillside in the 2nd photo. Just imagine, all the building materials for this were carted up the incline in the coal bucket carriages!
We then drove up the hill further to the start of a 1 hour return walk exploring a couple of old coal mines and tunnels and an old Fan house. Al and the boys did this walk as I had reached my limit for the day.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Heading West!
Thursday 9th April
Today we headed over to Westport for Easter, making the most of the long 4 day weekend.
Westport is on the West Coast of the South Island, and about 4 hours drive from Christchurch which is on the East Coast.
It is a very beautiful place, with lots of lush native bush everywhere, and some wonderful history from the old coal and gold mining days of the 1800's.
We stayed in my sister Caroline's wee 3 bedroom house in Westport. It is a very very old house, and quite an experience away from home! We all had a ball staying there, no dishwasher and a fire that heats the water so that you can have as many baths as you like! It has a very old deep bath which is just fabulous!
Caroline and Ged were going to join us for the weekend from Nelson, and celebrate their 33rd Wedding Anniversary with us, but decided to go to Sydney and Adelaide, Australia, instead.
Good Friday, 10th April
Today I had booked us on a train tour from Charleston, which is 30km south of Westport, up the Nile River through some beautiful rain forrest.
The wee train and train station in the middle of no where up a long gravel road.
Thomas, Toby and Katie in the drivers Seat!
The train dropped us off up river and we got out and walked across this swing bridge and a further 10 minutes or so up the side of a giant mountain (or so it seemed to me!) and at the top found some amazing caves. Al and the boys had a look inside the entrance to them but it was a bit dark to go too far. They had tours that took people in them but we didn't book to go this time.
Al and I just inside the entrance to the cave.
This is the view looking back from the carriage in the train.
A rock formation on the Nile river that they call "The Ship's Bow"
Today we headed over to Westport for Easter, making the most of the long 4 day weekend.
Westport is on the West Coast of the South Island, and about 4 hours drive from Christchurch which is on the East Coast.
It is a very beautiful place, with lots of lush native bush everywhere, and some wonderful history from the old coal and gold mining days of the 1800's.
We stayed in my sister Caroline's wee 3 bedroom house in Westport. It is a very very old house, and quite an experience away from home! We all had a ball staying there, no dishwasher and a fire that heats the water so that you can have as many baths as you like! It has a very old deep bath which is just fabulous!
Caroline and Ged were going to join us for the weekend from Nelson, and celebrate their 33rd Wedding Anniversary with us, but decided to go to Sydney and Adelaide, Australia, instead.
Good Friday, 10th April
Today I had booked us on a train tour from Charleston, which is 30km south of Westport, up the Nile River through some beautiful rain forrest.
The Charleston Nile River Rainforest Train takes you on a short interpretative ride in open carriages, through ancient rain forest in to the magnificent Nile River limestone Canyon.
Recreated from a bygone era where bush trams once existed, you meander your way through the rainforest beside the Nile River, passing through the spectacular landscapes used to film the "The Lost World".
The wee train and train station in the middle of no where up a long gravel road.
Thomas, Toby and Katie in the drivers Seat!
The train dropped us off up river and we got out and walked across this swing bridge and a further 10 minutes or so up the side of a giant mountain (or so it seemed to me!) and at the top found some amazing caves. Al and the boys had a look inside the entrance to them but it was a bit dark to go too far. They had tours that took people in them but we didn't book to go this time.
Al and I just inside the entrance to the cave.
This is the view looking back from the carriage in the train.
A rock formation on the Nile river that they call "The Ship's Bow"
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