Jimu Solo Part 2 Lake Moana, Blackball, Reefton and Home.

Lake Brunner and Moana,

 I spent some time taking lots of photos.

It was one of those brisk clear calm Westcoast days

...taking photos is almost a meditation 

I motored on stopping to take photos of this coal dump

 beside the road and railway lines at Stillwater.

Onto Blackball where I had a pint of cider and a meal (Pork and Vegies) in front of a great open fire, at the famous Blackball Hilton before parking up down at the dump station for the night. The Blackball Hilton was really interesting with allot of memorabilia about the Miners strike. For a small place it has allot of character.

With very heavy frost I didn't move much till 9.45am having 4 eggs for breakie, the gas nearly ran out cooking the eggs but just made it.

I walked down Main Street and up the slight hill past the pub to see a bloke park his car, a light green Austin A35. 

This was my fathers first new car, we had a van and toured the continent as kids several times. After taking photos of it I went into the grocers shop and had a good yarn to the owner Peter, who had lived in an old Bedford house bus for 30 years travelled and worked around NZ finally settling in Blackball. He had bought a bare section for 8k 6 years ago and built a miners style batch on it......quite a character. I then walked up the road to a craft shop, which was closed, mainly woodwork in it, I heard somebody rustling in the back shed and finally raised him. Out came an older bloke, after a brief chat, he mentioned it was too good a day, to be inside bottling beer and making whisky!!! Blackball is that kind of place!

Arriving at Reefton right on lunch time all the locals were heading for the Nana's Ni cafe (the Ni is for the owner's name Ngaire), the workers sitting on the table and chairs outside on the footpath, looked at my hat....curiously ....and I said..."Yeah it's a hat!"

In the shop, it was high noon, on a very brisk fine day and they were doing a roaring trade, I asked "what was a Minors pie" the answer " steak, bacon and a hard boiled egg inside...I said "I'll have one...and that'll be five eggs I've had today....not very healthy"...to which the server said..."eggs are good for you tho!"

 I loved listening to the female assistant serving in the shop with her patter...like after somebody had ordered something she say "perfect" and "thereisyego" and " Yurontoit"! A big burley road worker came in with hi-vis vest, waited his turn to be served, then said all in one breath (yeah right, how's it going, good..........I'll have.....) 

Reefton has a great large skateboard park and an old special train on display next to the park, this train engine designed by a Scotsman on very narrow gauge imported from a Welsh railway, nearly fell off the Wharf at Lyttleton...as the noticeboard informed.

I wandered around the streets taking photo's before topping up with Diesel at the Mobil station and headed home toward Nelson.

I really liked Reefton and therefore have earmarked it for a return visit.

No more incidents till I got to the Richmond dump station, right on a fabulous sunset..which took ages with me trying to exhaust all sort of possible angles and shots before sunset end.

I backed the bus up into our parking space, caught up with unloading and getting everything ready and planing for our next trip in 2 days time, however the next morning I spotted a major leak in the radiator so no more trips till that was repaired.

All in all a great solo trip, learned a heap more about travelling in this way with the bus and a few more improvements like the curtains and closing off the drivers compartment for heating etc.

Klms this trip 886klms

On the 4th July I went in for shoulder Surgery to Manuka Street Hospital and was out 2 days later. 

This menu shows how low I was...the first time I've ever ticked the small box option!

Pink dye from the operating theatre and being very carefull not to fall over.

Here is some arthroscopic photos, the last one the finished job.

This was the pills routine which thankfully only lasted 4 days

Special thanks to my surgeon Perry Turner who did a superb job 

who also told me under sedation I was reciting Scottish poetry...

I never tire of Sunsets or Sunrises.

Till the next blog adventure take care.

Jimu