Road trip 2019

[nztimb]

This is a few of the pics I took on a road trip I took this week. I had a number of knives that I wanted to deliver and catch up with Brian from NZ Walnut supplies . The route I took was up to Christchurch and over the Lewis pass to Murcheson where we spent the first night. This was a big drive and I needed to get to this first nights stopping place so we would be able to make the trip into Nelson the next day so having been been this way with many pics taken and shown last may I didn't take any more on this trip.

The next day was much more relaxed so this is a couple taken on the run into Nelson

There was quite a bit of low lying mist round the hills which looked rather good.

A derelict old homestead

On the road round the harbour into Nelson there is this rock and small Island and this rock is what sunk the Ship after it dropped my Wifes ancestors off in 1840. Not sure if it was a storm or another cause of the ship going onto the rock but in calm water it is a relatively benign looking part of the harbour that was used then.

 

[nztimb]

I delivered a number of knives in the morning and caught up with the owner of the gunshop up there who carries my knives and left a few more with him then we headed over toward Blenheim and stayed the night in a cabin at a roadside camp ground with roadside being the operative word as there was an almost constant stream of traffic for most of the night and while I sleep easily (at least for the first few hours most nights) my wife does not so had a restless night but was delighted next morning when we found one of the cemetaries where we found over 20 of here ancestors burried so took lots of pics of the headstones for her records. Then it was out of town a bit to see Brian at NZ Walnut supplies http://www.nzwalnut.co.nz/

I have corresponded with Brian a lot over the years through the purchase of 35+ blanks for the rifle stocks I have made so it was a real pleasure to finally meet him and see the extent of his blank stock on hand.

A manlicher blank out for parceling up for a buyer

Some lower grade two piece banks

This is some of the grade 3 and under blanks with a the upper grades selected and in pidgeon holes on the right. Here Brian is sorting out some pieces knife handles for me in trade for a knife

And this is what I bought home with 3 pieces that were 1/2 inch thick with the rest being over 2 1/2 inches thick

 

[BRICKBURN]

Keep the pictures of the tour coming. Absolutely lovely countryside.

 

[nztimb]

After leaving the walnut supply we headed down the Kaikoura coast toward Christchurch as it was dark and raining last may when we came down and we saw none of it. A very slow trip as there was so many sections of road work to repair after the devestating earth quakes and it will be some time yet before they are finished.

Much of the rail link and the roadway had been inundated with literal hillsides that had shaken down over them and wit the rolling of the ground in the quake there had been a 6 meter rising of some of the seabed which exposed a great deal of the shellfish beds and destroyed the seal grounds etc with so much of it being changed forever.

Some of the newly constructed road that is two way even if it is very slow speed (30kph is under 20mph)

An area where great part of the hillside had slipped with millions of tons of spoil having to be shifted before the roadway could be repaired. The roadwork crews were doing shiftwork to keep going 24 hours a day and are still doing so.

Part of the seabed that had risen up

Looking away down the coast toward Lyttleton

 

[nztimb]

Much of it is still one way and controlled by stop go minders as the work continues

Another area of massive rockfall that now has stacked gabien baskets with top skirting to prevent further (light loose rocks) falling onto the roadway

A closer look at the retaining work

One of the new tunnels. The one on the right is the rail tunnel while the one on the left is the first of the new tunnels and caters only ti the upstream traffic. The third one is where we are headed and is for the downstream traffic but I missed the opportunity to get the three in the one pic as there is no stopping unless directed to so I had to take the pics on the ove and sometimes I was just busy enough negotiating the roadway and wasn't always able to take pics as and when I wanted and if one was missed then it couldn;t be retaken with lots having to be deleted because of movement of either the vehicle or my hand causing them to be too blurry to keep.

So what should have been normally expecting to take about 2 1/2 hours took us nearly 6 but it was worth that to see it all.

 

[sierraone]

Great photos.! Reminds me a little of coastal Alaska which I'll get to see again in about 7 weeks. If I recall, didn't you make a trip like this last year?

 

[nztimb]

Great photos.! Reminds me a little of coastal Alaska which I'll get to see again in about 7 weeks. If I recall, didn't you make a trip like this last year?

I did a longer trip last year but that included the ferry to the north island and a drive up there as well. This was really to complete what we had started then as the weather had been against being able to spend time at the cemetary searching out Lynes ancestors and catch up with Brian at NZ Walnut. The order for a half dozen knives was the impetus to complete that part of the journey and to see the repairs to the coast road in daylight.