| Highway 6 from Westport to Nelson follows the Buller River through Buller
Gorge, considered one of the most scenic gorge drives in New Zealand. And it is quite
scenic, although not as spectacular as the Alps, as the road winds its way along the edge
of the river. The road is narrow and several times turns into one lane. A
GIVE WAY sign with arrows shows which direction has to stop if there is traffic coming.
The problem is seeing the oncoming traffic. We stopped so that Vlad could take a picture
of the sign and road. |
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In this case the road narrowed to pass under this half tunnel. The half tunnel
was built at the end of the 19th century, by men with shovels and picks, has survived
earthquakes and floods in its long life. The road curves at both ends so
it is very difficult to see approaching traffic. You just hope that the other fellow is as
careful as you are. |
We stopped at the gold town site of Lyell for a walk and lunch. Following old
miner tracks and a dram road we walked through a beech forest bordering Lyell Creek. A
hundred years ago three thousand lived in Lyell, a bustling town with 5 hotels, 2 banks, 2
churches, post office, newspaper, school, police station, brewery and courthouse. Nothing
is left of the town. The buildings had either been dismantled or burned down and the rest
was overgrown by brush and forest.
The cemetery is still visible among the beech trees. Someone keeps it cleared |
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| Our destination was a stamp battery used to crush the quartz rock to extract
gold. The battery stands at the side of the creek as it was left 100 years ago. It is
slowly decaying, covered in mosses and lichens, and iron parts rusting away. Other
than the battery and cemetery we did not see any other recognizable remnants of human
occupancy. |
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| Fantails flittered around us at several places along the track. On the left is
the common plumage and on the right a black phase. |
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S/V
TETHYS
