The shed at the end of the road

Down the Hall on a Saturday night

http://folksong.org.nz/down_the_hall/index.html

(This doesn't happen anymore, except possibly in Southland!)

The Haunted House

Just derelict, but if a house were to be haunted, it would be this one!

Beware of the tree!

A large Poplar or Cottonwood, if you are from the USA.

Often called 'the widowmaker' for their trick of suddenly dropping branches or falling over.

Classic kiwi bachs

Ocean Beach, South Wairarapa.

My hut site

I'm building a hut here- one day. After 18month, I have half the foundations done.

Rome wasn't built in a day- especially when the builder works 12 out of every 14 days!

Where they get water #1

Every couple of weeks I have to walk into the bush and service this emergency water supply.

By emergency I mean straight out of a Taurarua stream, into the pipe and give it a shot of chlorine gas. I had to run a town on this for a couple of month this summer, due to the hi-tech wonderplant being SNAFU.

But it tastes good anyway! Bugs and all!

Another hut from the past

The Minchin Biv- next on up the line from the Poulter Trust Hut.

In my day it didn't get a lot of visitors- the hut book showed an average of six per year. It's small, but was very welcome to be back in'82, when I spent four days there after the rivers flooded. I spent most of the time pacing up & down 300 meters of riverbank, between two streams, to keep the sandflies off.

The boulders I could hear rumbling down the rivers & streams were saying ' Don't Cross!"

Never mind the door-shut the bloody gate!

At the other end of the market...

Tin Hut this ain't!

Even phoning them costs a packet.

But hidden out in the backblocks it is indeed!

Most of them that stay here fly in. If you can't afford a chopper, you can't afford the drinks before dinner!

Windmills

These power most of the South Wairarapa-all of it at night, and a sizable proportion during the day.

The NZ part of my books are set out the back of this bit of country.

For the Shed Aficionado

I have a bit of a 'thing' for old corrugated iron sheds- as you will realize as this blog continues!

This one is situated at Tora.

Castlepoint Lighthouse

Until I get my new computer next week, I have to pinch other peoples images off the net!

I DID take a photo of this last weekend, but it didn't come out quite as nicely as this one of the Castlepoint Lighthouse. The pointy rock in the background is called castle rock and is far bigger than it looks.

The Pinnacles

As seen on Lord Of The Rings.

About 30-40 minutes from the road along the south coast towards Cape Palliser. There is a nice, if spartan, campsite just off the road with toilets and water. From memory, its one of those DOC $4 per night ones.

A Shepherd's Home

Hot water on tap- luxury!

A Classic from the comments of Rest Area 300M

Simon's Lament
(after he had to fill some cracks in the road on Mt Messenger) Simon to a tee.

"And it was the feast of St. Patrick and there was much rejoicing throughout the land.

At the fourth hour the Prophet Burnard ran from his tent and cried, "A voice has called unto me from on high, The Mount of the Messenger has been rent in two, and will swallow all the things of the earth."

And great was the lamentation and weeping.And the people saith unto the Prophet Burnard, "Tell us this is not true, for surely we will all be swallowed up.

And he sayeth, "Truly the words have come down from on high, from the Wise Ones, The Mountain is split asunder.

And he bade his disciple Simon to take up the sacred tar pot, and some of the finest sand, and he said, "Have Faith, Take thee to the mountain and heal the rent, that all may be saved.

And Simon took up the sacred tar pot and some of the finest sand and mounting his Isuzu he hastened to the Mountain.

And he travelled swiftly though his mount was of great age and had travelled to all corners of the kingdom many times.

And he poured the tar pot into the rent, and sprinkled sand and made the sacred incantations.

And his wife, who was returning from afar, saw him, and stopped, and mocked him, saying "Thou Fool, what art thou doing in this deluge with sand and a filthy black pot, for thy friends are feasting and making merry,But Simon had faith and poured the holy tar pot, and lo the rent was healed, and the Mountain was joined as one.

And being of great thirst, he hastened to the Inn, and gave thanks and there after spoke in tongues, and layeth in the gutter.

And his wife said, "Truly thou art a great and aged fool, For thou drinketh the foul black stuff, and thou sprinkleth black stuff on the highway with sand and glowing orbs, and vestments of orange, and I have slaughtered and readied the fatted sausage in your honour, and you eateth not, but have fallen in with all manner of people in drunkenness.

And the keeper of the Inn spake, saying thus, "This man hath held the sacred lollypop and knoweth the signs and portents that litter this land, he hath smoothed the afflicted highways, and eased the lot of wayfarers, he feedeth my till, and dribbleth not, unlike the Prophet Burnard. Let him sleep in thy bed and curseth not, for when the time cometh, and he is called, the heavenly gates may need oiling and the divine pot holes filling and he shall have a golden tar pot and sit at the CEO`s right hand."

Poulter Trust Hut, Arthur's Pass

This is an old one from my collection, taken late 1982. One of the 'Real' huts that used to be out there, before DOC tore them out and replaced them with Lockwood boxes.

In the usual manner, few of these pieces of our history were preserved...

The hut in the previous picture is a private one- if you have seen it, you were probably trespassing!

New Zealand Back Country Shepherds Hut

A collection of photos taken at locations off the beaten track, mostly of places I travel through on the job.

This Blog is dedicated to all of those who work outside all hours, in all kinds of weather, to keep this country running.

And in memorial to one of those fine men Dodderyoldfart, AKA Simon, who gave me the idea for this site.