* * Day 17, Nelson

Our destination for this day was Nelson, a small city near the northern tip of the South Island. However, leaving Westport, we decided to make a detour northward along the coast to explore the Denniston area.

Our first stop was a cemetery outside Westport. For inexplicable macabre reasons, Jane and I enjoy wandering cemeteries in foreign lands. They give us a better idea of the common people of the past. This particular cemetery was surprisingly large, given the modest current population of the area. We would learn more about the possible reason later at Denniston. Many of the tombstones were large and ornate, including low concrete perimeter boundary walls, indicating a fair level of prosperity. The names were mostly English or Irish, including some confirmation of the fact chiseled on the stones, e.g. “Born 1879 in County Kerry, Ireland”. Like so many immigrants, once one of these people left the Old Country, they would surely never return, especially someone leaving England for New Zealand, literally on the other side of the world. One tombstone was apparently Maori, in their language which I couldn’t read other than the year dates, which indicated to me a level of integration that wouldn’t be common in the era in the USA.

We then continued to Denniston, which is an abandoned coal town. I’m working on my fifth book right now, a novel to be set in the West Virginia coalfields, so I’m interested in coal mining life and practices. There were many differences and similarities between Denniston and what I’m used to in Appalachia. First of all, while Appalachian coal mining towns are typically in deep mountain hollows, Denniston is on a plateau some 1800 feet above the nearby ocean. There is a steep, winding road to the top. During mining operations at Denniston from the early 1900s until the 1960s, an inclined rail system brought coal down from the mines to the coastal plain from where it was driven by rail into nearby Westport and loaded onto ships. The plateau has dramatic views to the coastline way below. The day was sunny and hot.

Denniston life was similar in many ways to Appalachian mining life, with hard work, labor strife, and communal activities. The town’s sole reason for existence was the mines, and population was over 2000 in the 1930s, with perhaps 50 still remaining today. Given the extraordinary remoteness, the town had its own school, doctor, bars, brothels, and similar features of mining towns. Unusual was that the rock was too hard to dig graves, and so the deceased were transferred in their caskets down to the coast for burial, perhaps explaining the large cemetery we’d toured. The ground was also too hard for outhouses, so human waste was collected in buckets under toilet seats and transferred to the nearby stream (so much for clean New Zealand waters!). The weather on the hill was said to be frightful in the winter, and the interpretive displays mentioned several suicides.

Also interesting to me was the geologic diversity of the region and the Islands of New Zealand in general. I expected that since the islands were volcanic, I would find only igneous rock. But the day before, I explored a cavern that was in an immense limestone region. Coal typically forms in sandstone regions. I’m sure the geologist have a field day (Is that a pun?) in this area.

We backtracked to Westport and split a Subway sandwich for lunch, then poured another $100 in gasoline into the car, and continued on.

The road from Westport for 20 miles or so was the same as the one we’d arrived on the day before, snaking through the magnificent lower Buller River Gorge. We took Highway 6 northeastward through the upper Buller River Gorge, not as steep as the former but very scenic, on a snaking, winding road which had me yearning for my motorcycle.

The road then traversed an area reminiscent of home, with gentle hills clad in hardwood trees. Approaching the Nelson area, there were many fruit orchards and wineries, finally with the bay appearing on our left. The day continued hot and clear as we made our way through a string of towns leading to Nelson. We found our way to our hosts, Rex and Jo Morris, in a delightful older home with hardwood framing and leaded glass windows, only a few blocks from downtown.

Rex for years has been a committed Rotarian, including a term as district governor of his district, one of six in New Zealand. He is a retired policeman, and he was a member of the country’s SWAT team. His jurisdiction, he said, was the entire nation, meaning there is only a single police department for the country rather than individual departments in every city, town, and county.

Like many Kiwis, he and Jo have traveled much of the world, and they have a pin-map in the hallway with the countries they’ve visited. After afternoon tea, Rex drove us around the city in his Suzuki car, showing us a couple of scenic overlooks and Rotary projects. Rex pointed out the harbor, the airport with its single runway, the lighthouse, and several other features as a dark, powerful clouds formed overhead. The town is delightful place, known for its pleasant weather, compact layout, and active citizens. (As I type at 7:00 am, several walkers and cyclists stream by the front picture window.)   

Jo served a splendid dinner of lamb roast, potatoes, and vegetables. She served a dessert called pavlova, made with whipped egg whites and fresh berries. As we were eating, a thunderstorm began. By our Southwest Virginia standards, the lightning and rain were commonplace, but apparently not at all usual for Nelson. Jo actually called some friends to gauge their reaction. Dusk provided some spectacular cloud colors.

This morning, I’m planning to go walking with Rex before he departs for a funeral. I had wanted to go sea kayaking in the Abel Tasman National Park. But it is 90 minutes each way and the cost is dear, so I plan to economize instead and save that experience for the next time. I plan to hire a bicycle and do some riding on a nearby trail instead. Jane and Whitney plan to go shopping and perhaps to the beach.

Yesterday’s spectacular sky seemed only fitting for us as we continue our journey through New Zealand, the world’s most appealing country.