Ross to Greymouth Part 1

In a week we have covered a lot of ground and frankly it’s daunting to try and cram it into a short post so I’ll put it into two. Cell phone and internet connection has been patchy.

Our last day in Ross and we were determined to walk the tailrace track in spite of the variable weather. It was the best day of the three but still required our wet and warm weather clothes. An interesting walk up the valley and hill. The supply of water with pressure for the sluice guns was imperative for the gold mining, and those supplying it stood to make more money than those searching for the gold. Long stretches of the hill contained water races and there were plenty of large metal pipes rusting along the track.The supply of water was a massive undertaking. The end of the track was at the old cemetery that looked out over Ross.

Dressed for the weather down to woollen gloves, inspecting one of the water pipes scattered through the walk.

Ross, seen from the cemetary through the rain.

Seen in Ross. Lifeboat converted to a small house.

It was a short trip up to Hokitika in the morning and we set up camp in the NZMCA Camp just to the south of Hokitika. The wind was quite strong so we set up in the lee of the low trees. After lunch it was a trip over the bridge into town and a coffee and hot chocalate in the Stella Cafe. The wind and rain increased into a gale and after a quick and wet look around the shops it was back to the caravan. The wind was so strong the caravan was rocking about and I was concerned the TV antenna was going to be ripped off the caravan roof. We wound it down and also pulled in the bed and shut it up. That quietened things down and by morning all was still on the weather front. What a difference.

Hokitika town clock. Very wet.

We stayed at the NZMCA Camp for three nights. One of the days we went up to the Hokitika Gorge. A tourist must see.

Hokitika Gorge. Normally the water is a brilliant blue but because of the recent rain it was a milky white.

On the way back we stopped to look at a monument along side the road. It was called the Koiterangi Incident and was erected as a memorial to the four brave policemen, two home guards men and one civilian who were shot and lost their lives in 1941 when H. S. Graham went on a murderous rampage. He had become unbalanced, threatening and paranoid towards his neighbours, refusing to hand in his firearm which was a wartime requirement. Things escalated and he went on his rampage. After twelve days he was shot in the evening and died the next morning.

If you look through the hole in the monument you are looking through the front door 50 metres away of Graham’s home. It’s all very sad really because he was obviously mentally unwell.

Another day we visited Lake Mahinapua. This paddle wheel steamer helped to transport gold diggers to the gold fields at Ross.