May 2009 – finally after 121 Years!
Yes, you did read that right.
Some might say that some parts of the South Island of New Zealand are a bit…..well…..laid back.
But hey ………. maybe……..at the same time couldn’t that be the attraction.
If there is one thing the last 18 days of my life has taught me….it is that life is really, in a comprehensible sense, no matter which way you move the goal-posts…..actually…..really bloody short, as in “short”.
But hey away from personal concoctions…….its always great to awake at daybreak and if offered the opportunity (geographically or otherwise) to see the world in a different, if not refreshing way.
And that is exactly what has transpired this past week near Nelson, down on the West Coast, where this horse rider is personally displaying the local 8:30am gridlock situation. (In case you are wondering…yes we manage to cope with this)
“Coasters” have a special and I must say “favoured” reputation in NZ, I always remember a 6th form school friend telling me the following story.
Glenn’s father was born down near Greymouth, but because he could only prove one generation past, he wasn’t classed as a local!
They are a special breed down that way, and frankly not experienced personally until you take a drive that way and have an opportunity to associate with some locals (thoroughly recommended if you want to find out what life is about).
Actually reminds me very clearly of past life experiences out near Mt Isa (well it certainly reminds me more than 2167 email msgs in my inbox after 18 days away – why do so many want to correspond? - 318 in my photography Inbox, thats the only part I can possibly understand as I am a photo nerd/nut……but the rest….maybe I shouldn’t complain ) and a couple of other mining towns…to boot, (not to mention those trips to Rocky for Friday nights…but as I said not to mention them) you can email me for more location specific location details.
OK…………….lets now get to the point of this post. This week it has finally happened!
A while back, in fact back in the 1880’s (exact day I can’t remember personally) Reefton, down on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand was recorded in history as the first place in the whole Southern Hemisphere of this globe we live in to receive electricity.
BUT…and here I am gonna spend the message (historical moment soon)……….this week …………….downtown………..on the coast…………….the FIRST set of traffic lights have been installed on State Hwy 6 in the Buller Gorge. And in driving thru there last night, I hopefully can concur with locals that it couldn’t come too soon.
keeping with the new “green” age these are not only the first traffic lights on the coast…but they are solar powered.
So welcome to the new world (”the new dawn”) …and I’m sure there are many coasters that view this very very cautiously ….unfortunately I do not have a comment for them…………its kinda of a fact of life that we are an economy driven community now in NZ……..so whether you do see it as a plus or not,,,,,,,,,,until something more favourable comes along………..get on the council and make your voice heard.
Greymouth, Hokitia, Westport be on notice it is coming……..TRAFFIC LIGHTS!
PS….frustration mode starting to set in now……a photo search on google seems to not give me the opportunity to show you royalty free images….and for once in life I don’t have the time to search for them…but hey…..let me tell you the Coast is a great place to visit and I have in the last 6 months have had 2 USA citizens and a Canadian tell me that they were stunned by what we have & what they saw & experienced. That’s all the more important when you consider what they’ve got back home to compare it to….so it seems to me its just another tick for New Zealand……plus great that some other folk have had such a great time and a great experience visiting the region.
Why?
Because if you asked them….and they were 100% frank …the first place that their “advisors” would have advised them to visit was probably not “MiddleEarth”…all the more exciting that after making that trip (more a journey actually) that they have had such a great time.
In the back of my heart (and great to see Tourism NZ adds in Oz the last 2 weeks on the “youngest country in the world theme) I can’t help but think that the idea of a “controlled” tourism inbound situation is actually not a bad idea. We really don’t need 50,000 a week visiting, and frankly,…..why should we?:
Anyway enough of my “we are lucky here” and if people want to find out about us…”google it and they will” mentality…..lets just enjoy what we are so lucky to have here in NZ. Amazing how this started as a thought to a comment and I was gonna write it it in 100 words…………
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Readers……did you find my previous daily posts interesting, regarding the enjoyment I currently experience living in the South Island of NZ (well I was born here) …..then I hope to resume regular daily posts soon……if not…then I’m trying to work out/ascertain the fact that if NO ONE is reading this then why should…..6 months down the line…..I bother spending hours researching/writing this stuff in the belief that someone actually takes the time to read it?
For the future would appreciate any feedback that indicates anyone out there actually reads this or I am just writing stuff and who cares?
Why?
Well at todays stage in my life it would seem, that life in Nelson or a potential life here isn’t your no. 1 priority, so why should I waste my time telling you so, on average 1-2 hrs a day researching and writing something here….that based on the comments & feedback that no-one cares about?
May 14 2009 | Nelson | No Comments »
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