Into the South Island

A fair bit has happened since I was at Ocean Beach, Havelock North. Travelled down to Masterton and stayed with Franky for a few days. She helped me out with a flat tyre (had to buy a new jack in Masterton)then took me out to Castlepoint to see the light house and a walk up around behind the beach.

From there it was off to explore Lake Wairarapa and maybe a chance to fly off the southern coastline. But no such luck, the wind was fearsome, but no good slope was accessible from where I was (another spot named Ocean Beach). I did get a photo looking over towards the coast out towards Cape Palliser with great looking white cliffs. And a morning pic of sunrise over Lake Wairarapa.

The next day I woke up in the South Island - it's been 34 years since I was here under my own steam, as it were. First job was to drop off a bag of lead-head nails for Franky's flatmate Rodger at his property at Linkwater on the Great Charlotte Sound Road. He allowed me to camp on his place at Cullenville Road - site of an old goldmining town in the 1890's. So I dragged out the gold pan and tried my luck in the river - no gold came leaping out of the pan at me, but I have saved some samples for closer inspection later. Also tramped up the valley along the old miners trail and came across an old firplace - that's my pan on the mantlepiece.

Have also been to the Rimutaka Incline and Fells engine museumn in Featherston, and Stonehenge, Carterton. Am posting this from the Blenheim library before heading south.