Our Trip To Ranfurly

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Closing Down Farm Gear Sale

We decided to go to a clearing sale just out of Ranfurly (we ended up buying a Stallion 50 Teat calf feeder). The Scenery was an artists dream! We went way inland to Central Otago. We went through the famous Middlemarch (where all the handsome batchelors go to that famous singles dance where they are looking for a wife).

The History of the Taieri Gorge Railway:

The Taieri Gorge Railway comprises 60 km of the Otago Central Railway of the New Zealand Railways, started in 1879 and closed in 1990.

It's history is both the history of the Otago Central Railway and of the Otago Excursion Train Trust, which ran it's first excursion train on the railway in 1979 and became so succesful that they bought 60 kms of the railway when it closed in 1990, forming todays company and its operations.

The Otago Central Railway branched from the South Island Main Trunk at Wingatui, 12 kilometres south of Dunedin, and ran through Middlemarch, Ranfurly, Omakau and Alexandra to Cromwell in the heart of Central Otago, 235 kilometres from the Junction .

More recently on the Taieri Gorge Railway:

The Minister of Railways announced that the Central Otago railway line would be closed on 30 April 1990.
Simultaneously the Mayor of Dunedin announced that the City Council would buy the line through the Taieri Gorge and as far as Middlemarch provided the community raised $1 million to finance the project. This would enable the Otago Excursion Train Trust to continue to operate excursions and The Taieri Gorge Limited, which had become one of Dunedin's leading tourist attractions.
By July 1990 $1.2 million had been raised and thus the 60 km Taieri Gorge Railway became New Zealand's longest private railway. In 1995 the close relationship between the City of Dunedin and the Otago Excursion Train Trust was cemented with the formation of the Taieri Gorge Railway Limited, a Local Authority Trading Enterprise jointly owned by the City and the Trust, which now operates the Taieri Gorge Railway with assistance of the Trust's volunteer members. These days Central Otago is really famous for the cycling tracks where the train tracks used to be in the Taieri Train tracks. The scenery is breath taking. I have included a few photo's of what we encountered on the way to Ranfurly.

Catlins with Brendons Parents:

Max & Marilyns Visit from North Feb 07

While Max and Marilyn were visiting us we went and saw that last part of the Catlins that we have not seen for quite a long time! I have included some photo's of what we saw! The picture of the beach actually has a seal in the middle of the photo. It was just sitting there in the water sunning itself. The cave is called Cathedrial Cove down the Catlins. You can only get to it when the tide is out. The walking track is closed otherwise. This was the first time I have actually ever done this walk. While down the Catlins on a previous occasion Brendon got to swim with some dolphins in the wild (they were circling less than a meter away from him!). They live at Suratt Bay. Aparently they only swim around this one bay and never leave it.

Laurence Rodeo

We did actually experience a summer once we came back down the South Island. We went on all sorts of outings! One Saturday we went to a Rodeo at Laurence. Wow what a culture shock! It kind of reminded me of going somewhere like Texas. A lot of people had cow boy boots on and the old authentic cow boy hats! There was this little child about 4 years old actually practicing (fantising about) using a Lasoo to catch a little bull. His father was showing him the technique on a wooden bull. I would say that the Rodeo is probably something that a lot of the country folk are born into. It was definately an experience that I will never forget (almost a little to hick country for me). However after about 4 hours of watching people riding bulls you get really bored! I guess it would be different if you knew someone racing. The Rodeo had people from US, Australia, and NZ competing in the Semi finals. While there they had a couple of things for the kids to do. Here is a photo of Brendon Caleb and Hayley riding the car. That was the highlight of there day!

Caleb got a bit bored of the Rodeo and saw a motorbike and he just climbed up on in and started turning the key! Typical Caleb. The guy who owned it let him sit on it for a while and then we had to drag him off screaming as he did not want to get off! I think the guy wanted to go and do something else. This guy his wife died and he sold everything brought a bike and he is travelling NZ on the bike shown in the photo. He has a little box on the back where he puts his little dog! Aparantly the Dog makes a great travelling companion. I kind of feel like that guy on 'Intrepid Journeys' on TVNZ channel 1. All the things that we are experiening down here are new! And we do meet some really interesting people along the way!

Our Summer Holiday Up North Island

In January we came up to the North Island to experience a summer! We had not had any summer prior to leaving the South Island. We stayed for a total of 10 days. My highlight of my trip up North was our boat trip to Kawau Island. We took Max and Marilyn's boat. Here are a few photos of what is on Kawau Island! Really stunning views and one of my favourate places to visit!

THE HISTORIC HOUSE

The Kawau Island Historic Reserve was created to protect Mansion House, Sir George Grey’s former home, and the gardens and landscape he created. There are peacocks running around on this English style lawn and gardens. There are also Wekas foraging around every where on the Island especially around the historic house. Another interesting bit of news about the guy that owned the house:

SIR GEORGE GRAY - Prime Minister Of New Zealand

Born 1812, Lisbon, Portugal
Died 1898, London, aged 86
Premier 13 October 1877-8 October 1879
Grey was born in Lisbon Portugal in 1812. He was educated at Guilford Surrey, and in 1826 entered Sandhurst, where he gained his ensingency in the 83rd Foot.
After some time working with his regiment in Glasgow and then Ireland, Grey entered the senior department of the Royal Military College, where he excelled and gained his captaincy. Grey spent some time in Australia, while he was there he was leader of two expeditions in Western Australia 1837-39, Resident at King George's Sound Albany Western Australia 1839, and Governor of South Australia 1841. However intelligence from New Zealand indicated that the current administration there was not successful. The Colonial Office alarmed at the tension between the natives and whites, turned to Grey. He landed at Auckland on 18 November 1845, and immediately headed for the Bay of Islands and on 1 January 1848 assumed office as Governor-in-chief of New Zealand. During that year he was knighted.
Grey rapidly acquired great mana with the Maori, and even had a command of the language. In 1853 he visited many of the Pacific Island, and arrived in South Africa early 1854 to assume the governorship of Cape Colony together with the high commissioner-ship of South Africa.
When Grey set foot again in New Zealand he found a very unhappy conflict between two races, he again became Governor of New Zealand from 1861 to 1868. On 24 March 1875 he was elected both as MP for Auckland City West and Superintendent of the Auckland Province, both positions he held for a year. Grey later became MP for Thames, in 1876, and on the defeat of Atkinson, 13 October 1877, he formed a ministry ad Premier. His ministry got into difficulties over land tax and a commercial crisis. He carried on for a few weeks after being defeated, then asked for a dissolution. Grey was now suffering from ill health and he retired from politics in 1890, leaving for Australia. On returning to New Zealand a deputation requested him to contest the Newton seat, to which he was elected unopposed. In December 1893 Grey was again elected for Auckland City, and kept the position until retiring due to failing health on a visit to England.
Grey died in London on 20 September 1898, two weeks after the death of his wife.