Huts and dwellings on the Nevis Valley route Garston to Bannockburn

Every year or two I like to do a trip through the Nevis Valley in Central Otago, and on every occasion I end up taking longer and longer, as it's just full of history and points of interest.

So working our way from Garston back to Bannockburn here are a few of the dwellings in the valley...

The historic Southland Ski Club hut near the top of the Nevis Saddle...

This hut has been restored, but being beside a road can leave it open to abuse. Still it is dry and clean enough...

The carpark beside what is a public 4wd road [closed over winter though]...

This style chair was a product of the 60s. My parents had a set, so this took me right back down memory lane. This one even made the same noise as I placed it by the light...

The above's out-house...

Sadly this state of disrepair of a hut down in the head of the Nevis river, and up a side stream, could easily be put right...

Modern day miner's cottages I suspect, turned bach /crib/ holiday home...

Beside an old gold dredging hole/lake

Fireplace in above remains...

Again a modern day miner's cottage...

Up a side valley - new lean-to on the side of a really old mud and stone hut...

The perfect situation for those roasting summer days, where shade is everything...

Selwyn's house has been lovingly restored and inside is lined with hi-tech astro foil for insulation that was developed by NASA...

Ken's house was built by his grand-father, and is over a hundred years old with the roof still the original iron bought here from Scotland...

The closer Christmas gets the faster life passes

Lately I've been doing yoga each Tuesday night out at Hawea, and I quite like the 20 min. drive as it's like a wee holiday, and the sunsets from out there are always inspiring on the drive back. But that was just the beginning of a very busy week with John's funeral on Wed. [he died on Aspiring the week before], and of course like all funerals I met many old friends.

Thursday evening it was a NZ Mountain Safety Council Xmas "do", and Friday evening prize giving at Dougal's college where the seats are hard, but the music superb. Not content with this I was out to Hawea Flat on Saturday night to celebrate a young lad's 21st and his mum's 60th., and got a bit of dancing done in the woolshed, and today, well... I'm just back from an art exhibition opening in Alexandra. It was so hot on the return we drove up to Duffer's Saddle behind Bannockburn [which takes you into the Nevis valley], and at about a 1000 meters up it was nice and cool.

An unusual view of the Remarkables from Duffer's Saddle [this is the side opposite to the one commonly seen from Queenstown]...


Of interest during the week was the saga concerning two Japanese climber's trapped near the summit of Mt Cook. I was amazed at the beauty evident in the golden dawn.. more>>