A Treat at the End of the Road- Central Otago

Catch-up; Late March 2016

Well, I didn't quite get this batch of back blogs done before it was time to pack up the van, say our good-byes once again to Mum & Dad in Napier, and hit the road. We're heading south this time, at a snail's pace. Heading south, back to the South Island for some more adventures but doing a little beach hopping along the east coast on the way. 

So here's the last of the Central Otago blogs from our day trip around the Ida Valley, and funnily enough, this was the one I really wanted to tell you about because we found an extraordinary sight at the end of the day (and at the end of a road).

After a delightful afternoon at Hayes Engineering exploring the wonders of yesteryear we carried on north a few kilometres before stopping at the historic Gilchrist Store in Oturehua for an icecream.

The shop was closed when we drove through here last August so this time I was able to take some inside photos of the general store (after asking of course).

Many of the shelves had grocery items from the past stacked along them.

You could certainly spend a wee while reminiscing and still miss some of the displays which were tucked into all the nooks and crannies. It was actually hard to decide what was for sale and what was on display.

That's now three historic general stores we've visited in the South Island; the other two being Hodgsons of Murchison and my favourite, the Langford Store at Bainham in Golden Bay.

Our next stop was at the site of the old Golden Progress Mine where the quartz reefs of the Oturehua field were worked on and off from 1868 to 1936. The size of tailings left behind suggest that the mine was one of the bigger ones in Central Otago.

I left David in the car reading his virtual paper while I made my way up a narrow gully full of shady poplars. I scared the living daylights out of a number of sheep resting in the shade but not before the first of them nearly tripped me up as it made a dash for freedom up the hill. I would have thought they'd heard me crunching through the leaf litter, I could certainly smell that they were nearby.

A restored miners hut sits near the bottom of the gully where once there were a number of huts and a hotel, the Withers Pub. 

Across the 'lane' from the hut is the remains of the Mine Manager's house.

A track leads the way up to the head of the gully, past the tailing mounds and on to the poppet head and mine shaft.

The 14 metre high poppet head sits over the mine shaft which is 45 metres deep. This is a very rare relic, it's the only poppet head left standing in Central Otago. The poppet head supports wheels which ran steel ropes that hoisted the gold bearing ore to the surface. The metal cage sitting beneath it was used to move miners, equipment and ore up and down the shaft. The boiler powered a winch that pulled the steel cables through the wheels.

This is looking back down the gully from the tramway track where once the ore was carted in trolleys down to the battery to be crushed.

The battery, which was removed to another mine, was once supported by the concrete blocks here and powered by this second boiler. I always find these sites fascinating, reading the information boards and imagining the frenetic activity that would have been going on in this now peaceful valley.

Our next stop was along the straights at the north end of the Ida Valley, to take a photo of the Hawkdun Range. The range made famous by NZ painter Grahame Sydney. I can understand its appeal, it's a fairly uniform row of mountains that stretches like a backbone across the landscape separating Central Otago from the Waitaki District. It looks really impressive when it has a coat of solid snow om it too.

The Hawkduns are on one side of the road and the old Blackstone Hill (aka Hills Creek) School, is set back off the road and tucked into some pines, on the other side. The school which was built in the 1890s and closed in 1949, looks to be fighting for survival. This is one of the few remaining buildings in Hills Creek left over from the gold mining era when there were also 13 hotels operating in the township during its heyday. 

We take the loop road off SH85, there a couple more stops I want to 're-do', we're heading for the hills...

...back to St Bathans and the Blue Lake. I want to see if the scenery and lighting are any different to my last photo shoot of the lake back in early August last year. There's a slight ripple and the sky is just as moody as on our last visit. I'm happy with the first visit shots but I take a couple of quick shots for old times sake...

...and we carry on down the road leaving St Bathans behind. The sun has lit up these 'Badlands' cliffs that border a wide gravelly river bed. They remind me of the Clay Cliffs at Omarama but are not on such a grand scale and also look like the Cathedral Cliffs at Gore Bay in North Canterbury.

We take one last detour (can you hear David protesting?). It's just a short dead-end road to the tiny settlement of Cambrian, the 'Village of Trees'. We've visited it before, it's a quirky & creative little settlement (Grahame Sydney lived there- there's that name again) but I wanted to see if there was anything new now that it's a different season. 

I spotted these old cars in a shed at the end of the road so I take a photo while David is turning the ute around. I hear someone calling out and down the road comes a wily old 'hippy' guy followed by two well toned younger guys who I find out are Woofers. They've been doing some planting and clearing down the road. The old hippy (and he is, he tells me) says he's got something that might be of interest to me seen as I'm taking photos.  

He leads me across a grassy woodland area, around a corner and over a small bridge which crosses a tiny stream and there stretching off into the distant is the most amazing sight...

...a mass of mauve; thousands of false autumn crocuses, aka meadow saffron.

My hippy man proudly tells me I'm the first person to take photos of his flowers this season, they've only come out en-masse in the last couple of days. He also tells me not to tell too many people, he doesn't want his peaceful little village overrun with tourists! So don't go telling him I sent you there. 

Hippie guy has been a very busy man now that he has put down his roots, there's a few hectares he owns at the end of the road and he's converting them all to woodland gardens, and visitors are free to wander. He's planted crocuses everywhere, right up the road edges, in another forested area where on our last visit there were masses of bluebells. 

He tells me he decided the bluebells had to go and he's replaced them all with the crocuses. They do make an amazing display but it seems such a shame that they only last for a short while- a fleeting moment in time. If you are in the area mid to late March do check out this stunning display. And once again we're thrilled to find a hidden gem while out exploring.

As we walk back to the road, I stop to take a photo of the old stone cottage where the Woofers are staying. It's just as well I only had eyes for the cottage because David alerted me to the fact that I might be taking a photo of the stark-naked Woofers who are standing under their outside shower right beside the cottage! And no I didn't mange to get them in the shot....sorry ladies. 

The Complete Ida Valley Loop

Fathers Day- Napier

Real-time

An added bonus of being back in Napier was that we could share Fathers Day with Dad, and treat Mum & Dad out to lunch at a very popular restaurant on the outskirts of Taradale- the Puketapu Hotel. Or as we've always called it, the Puketap' pub. The Puketapu Hotel is a member of the NZ Classic Pubs and a winner of the 2011 Hawkes Bay Hospo Awards which is one of the reasons it's so popular.

Puketapu was once a major crossroads and staging post, where stage and mail coaches, horse and bullock trains met up before branching off on their journeys to Taihape, Rissington, Puketitiri, Taupo, Wairoa and Gisborne.

Puketapu is also a very familiar area to us. When we were young, Mum and us kids spent nearly every weekend over summer at a swimming hole in the Tutaekuri River just up the road. As teenagers we'd also drive our friends out to the swimming hole for the day. Back then the pub was a typical rough and ready country pub. We only had eyes on the country store, it's where we'd fill up on supplies of iceblocks, chippies and fizzy drink- if we had enough pocket money.

Another reason the pub and restaurant are so popular is that Puketapu is at the top of one of the equally popular Hawkes Bay Cycle Trails, the Puketapu Loop, and is a good stopping point for lunch and/or refreshments. The trail starts in Napier (33kms return) but can be ridden from Taradale (18km return) up one side of the river and back down the other. 

Every weekend there is a continuous stream of lycra clad cyclists passing through or stopping for a breather, along with family groups and on this Sunday, a group of enthusiastic Art Deco period costume cyclists who arrived in dribs and drabs depending on their pedal power and lung capacity.

Although the guy on the penny farthing arrived with the first group and quickly disappeared into the garden bar for refreshments!

I'd booked a table earlier in the week, which was just as well as both the restaurant and bar were fully booked. The Garden Bar was also very busy as they have a 'Sunday Session' with live music two weekends a month.

We had a very enjoyable afternoon and we'd all thoroughly recommend the restaurant. There was a special Fathers Day menu but many of the dishes appear on their regular menu also. We all had the King Prawn & Shrimp Cocktail topped with Rose Marie Sauce. It was so delicious I forgot to take a photo! The prawns were chargrilled and warm and placed on top of the shrimps which made for an interesting combination and something a little different from the usual cold prawn cocktail.

Mum and I had the Pork Belly, David had Marinated Lamb Rump and Dad had the Lemon Parmesan Crumbed Beef Schnitzel and everyone was pleased with their choice.

The Puketapu is also a meeting place for Sunday run bikers...

...and their passengers, although it looks like this guy lost his! 

We had a wander past, admiring the line up of bikes... 

...and checking out the Model A truck across the road before heading for home, fully replete and ready for a Nana nap! 

And just a small note to mark a milestone- this is my 600th blog post. That's a bloody lot of typing and photo taking!

Ida Valley & the Cheat's Rail Trail- Part 2

Continuing on from Part 1...

Not far down the road from the Idaburn Dam is another historic site and one that has more significance that most to us. This is Ernest Hayes workshops and homestead, a family business dating from 1895.

Ernest Hayes Engineering holds a prominent position  in New Zealand’s agriculture history as a producer of a large range of innovative agricultural tools and equipment that were sold nation and world wide.

Ernest Hayes inventions include fence wire strainers, the Hayes Wire Strainer was once (and no doubt still is) a competitor of the Wirelok, a wire strainer that David developed and produced during the 1980-90s. David Evans Wirelok Ltd went on to sell over 1 million units before we sold the business. The Wirelok is still manufactured and sold in NZ and exported overseas. We quite often come across Wireloks holding fences together on our travels.

And as David once said in his speech, while accepting the ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award, for the Bay of Plenty Business of Year Awards (not for the Wirelok but for our Devan Water Tank business) “It is said that behind every man is a good woman, but sadly that is not the case with me” After a few murmurs and a dramatic pause, he went on to say, ‘No she’s not behind me, she’s right up there beside me” And he called me up to help accept the award. Given half the chance I would have disappeared under the table. Hannah Hayes was obviously one of those ‘good women’ too. (click on the photo to enlarge).

Hayes Engineering Works is closed during June & July but while we were checking out the buildings the manager arrived (the complex is managed by the Historic Places Trust). He offered to show us around but we declined and said we’d be back in the summer when we could see some of the machinery working, stay over in the front paddock/come carpark- it’s another NZMCA POP(park over property) and have a coffee at the cafe.

Just down the road from Hayes is Oturehua, another small deserted settlement with a memorial hall, an old restored hotel and the historic Gilchrist’s General Store, operating since 1902.

An unusual Memorial Board featuring photos of the local men who served in both the World Wars sits beside the hall. Rather than the usual a list of names, their faces really bring it home that these were real men who left to fight for their country.

What! Another church? A little further on along the road and another church appears. This is the Oturehua Presbyterian Church and even though it looks rather neglected, the colour scheme, the bell tower, the roof flourishes and tiny port hole window makes it look like it belongs beside a dolls house.

We finally turn onto the main road and head back towards Omakau on the way to completing a large loop…

…we pass below the snow covered Hawkdun Range and Idaburn Hills which are now a lot closer.

We still have time to stop at an old abandoned farm homestead and what a beauty it is, with  leadlight windows and a wide veranda to keep that hot Central Otago sun out; it’s such a shame that it’s been left to deteriorate…

…and right next door are a collection of ramshackle farm buildings and these grain silos with their wonderful colours and texture.

A few more historic buildings and hotels along the way; from top left- an old stone cottage at Hills Creek, the ‘new’ White Horse Hotel at Becks, with the old (very old) White Horse Hotel lower right. Centre right is the Lauder Hotel with the old Lauder School (now Cycle Trail accommodation) centre left. And finally, bottom left is the Oturehua Hotel (which really should be back up there with the store and church.

And finally one last stop at the NIWA Atmospheric Research Station not far south of Lauder. A rather random point of interest in an otherwise old and historic area. From their website-

Clear skies and geographical isolation makes the station perfect for observing atmospheric chemistry and radiation. The station specialises in measuring CFCs, Ozone, UV light levels and greenhouse gases and has a wide range of world class instruments.
World-class climate and ozone research by scientists at NIWA’s Lauder Atmospheric Research Station has been recognised by meteorology’s leading organisation in Geneva, making Lauder the fourth upper-air site in the world to be certified by the global climate-data network. There are approximately 20 staff working at our Lauder research centre.

Time Standing Still- Langford Store

We were disappointed to find the Langford Store closed when we passed through Bainham on our way to the Heaphy Track a couple of weeks ago so I was looking forward to returning once the shop opened again for the new season.

Langford Store is thought to be the oldest operating shop in New Zealand, it opened in 1928 and has been in the same family for four generations. The original owner, EB Langford’s great grand-daughter now runs it with her partner. Before the latest family member took over, the store was run for a whopping 61 years by Lorna Langford, a grand-daughter of EB, she finally retired in 2008.

It was great to see the tables & chairs out under the veranda but unfortunately nobody having a coffee. In fact other than the owner we had the place to ourselves once again.

Stepping through the door was like stepping back in time, an Aladdin's Cave of nostalgia, a walk down memory lane. The first thing that surprised me was the actual size of the store inside, it was so tiny. And so full. There are three sections; the shop is located in the middle section, a kitchen and private area are through an opening behind the counter on the right hand side of building and in the narrow left section is the Post Office with it’s entry from the veranda.

Here’s a selection of shots from inside the store, I’ve left them single so you can click to enlarge them to check out all the familiar items.

Memorabilia, grocery items, books, handkerchiefs, gumboots, sweets, posters, old price lists and crockery compete for attention around the stacked shelves and walls in shop. Along side the memorabilia there are everyday items for sale, it was actually hard to work out what was current and what was not.

I loved reminiscing over all the old china, I once had a collection to match this lot but I sold most of it when we were downsizing for our life on the road. I kept just a few treasured pieces that belonged to my grandmother.

There was plenty of retro items for sale too, I was given a fondue set just like the cacky yellow coloured one (calf poop colour we used to call it) on the top left, for a wedding present many years ago. I love the named boxes, especially the tea cosy ones! And I bet inside the crocheted bowl cover box would be covers exactly like the ones I have that belonged to my Nana and were crocheted by her.

The “spy hole” in the wall above looks through to the “Post Office”, below. What an amazing amount of “stuff” is in there! Again, it was hard to work out what was current and what was from the past.

When Lorna started working for her grandfather in 1947 she was still at correspondence secondary school. The mail came into the shop three times a week & she was postmistress and accounts clerk. She would bike to the store and home each day with her typewriter on her knees.

The store room, to the side of the shop, has been converted into an art gallery with art work on sale from local artists. There is more nostalgia lining the walls and more table and chairs to sit at.

We decided to have a late lunch/afternoon tea at the store, I ordered a coffee & scone and David had a pie. It was great to see it served on china in keeping with the store’s history.

Some of the items on the wall in the Store Room Gallery.

I love the “midget sausages”- I wonder if those are what we now call cherrios. And Ham & Chicken Paste, I’m sure we had that when we were kids. The pàte of the past!

From the rustic and worn look on the outside to the dozens of shelves stacked with hundreds of items from today and yesteryear inside, Langford Store is definitely one of a kind and a New Zealand historic icon which I hope survives the test of time. It has become famous by standing still.