The New Zealand Pub

As we walked up the faded carpeted steps to our hotel room, after 64 kms on the bikes, I wondered what seedy rabbit hole Ray had booked for us. Then we opened the door onto a completely renovated and brand new bedroom and ensuite. So brand new that they had forgotten to add towel rails. But it was pristine. The hotel at Kurow was built in 1865 and most of the fittings are original, I'm sure. Well, the carpet is totally threadbare in places, and there was a pedal powered organ in the dining room.

Kurow, which consists of two pubs, three cafes, a grocery store and a few dozen houses, is the birth place of the national health system. In the 30's, when work stopped on the nearby dam, things were pretty tough. So the doctor, the teacher and the minister got together and devised a system to deliver free healthcare to both the employed and unemployed. voila, the world's first healthcare system. Apparently it went viral.

We spent an entertaining hour at the local museum, before heading off to Duntroon, which has 0 pubs and 0 cafes and 0 shops. It is only 28 kms from Kurow, so we bought some provisions before we left. Tonight, we are staying in Kowhai Cottage, which is surrounded by fantastic gardens, and also has a vegetable garden, from which we could help ourselves. The owner/gardener was here to greet us, and left us home made jams for breakfast, and some lemon slice, which was delicious. If only she'd thought of wine! The acre or so of gardens are just fantastic, with lots of birds also enjoying it.

Tomorrow we have 54kms to travel to our final destination at Oamaru. Then 1 more night in NZ before we fly home on Friday. Just a few more hills before the flats of Hervey Bay. Our last night on the trail, must go look at some shiny stars.

Another gravel trail beside a pristine lake with snowcapped mountains in the distance (out of shot). Boring eh?

This is different, this is a river where apparently the trout fishing is really good. Even the motels sell fishing gear.

This is a country of the big hydro generators, We have shown you the the water infrastructure with interconnecting canals and huge lakes and dams, but this is where it gets really serious. This is a section of penstock which carries the water down into the generator itself. You can see the real penstocks in the background.

This is the Aviemore dam which is about 15 klms downstream from Benmore. It uses a slightly differerent configuration in delivering the water to the turbines - it is all built into the dam wall itself

Brenda is transfixed when confronted by one of the turbines which weights in at around 22 tonnes and sits at the bottom of the penstocks. The spinning turbines are what actually generate the power.

An Austin A30 if I am not mistaken, with our hotel in the background. The hotel, painted blue on one side and yelow on the other to represent the two beer brands that they sell. Or is it that they are the Otago rugby colours. In a land mad about rugby and beer, it could be either. These colours are completely in balance with the car colour representing the colour of the countryside (or a rugby field).

Our journey took us through a winery which unfortunately had their cellar door closed, but styill had the tree lined promedade open.

Here am I entering the famed Duntroon wetlands. Actually no. The carved entrance looks so much more impressive from the front. In actual fact I am leaving on Brenda's bike.

Brenda really is entering the wetlands. See what I mean, no drama.

A mechanical impression of the famed and extinct Moa. It really was this size. It was hunted to extinction within a couple of hundred years of the arrival of the first Maori a few hundred years ago.

Brenda in the garden of the Kowhai (pronounced Kowfy) Cottage. Taking in the tranquility just before the final day's exertions.