Sunday, November 10th, Morning - Day 62 - "Beach House", Fox River, Greymouth
Since we arrived at our Airbnb, "Tairawhiti," after dark, and couldn't see our surroundings, we were delighted to awake to a lovely vista over the water. The surf is so loud that we can hear it from our bed, especially the deck that overlooks the water. The grounds are incredibly lush. This is a rainforest. The density of the growth, huge fern trees, and large-leafed plants look like a set for Jurassic Park.
The Airbnb listing says that the house is in Punakaiki but in reality, it is just off Highway 6 about 10 km further north. Our host Angie mentioned that there was a market at nearby Fox River (2 km south) so we set off for there around 11am. It turned out to be a bustling community gathering with lots of stalls. You could get honeycomb (the guy was a hoot - he had been to several places in Canada for bee-keeping meetings and was planning to walk the Appalachian Trail next year, and the west coast trek the following year!), jewelry, crafts of various kinds, and lots of food options to eat there. We started by ordering our coffees from a great guy there. After he found out we were from the US, he asked who we had voted for! We spent some time going over the absurdity and horror of the result with a small group that had gathered. Everyone agreed with our view of the result and Munroe suggested that we might become political refugees and sit out the Trump term in New Zealand.
Strangely, we both felt better after having had this cathartic and affirming discussion with New Zealanders! We picked up a couple of food items - homemade ginger and kiwi jam and some smoked seeds and nuts to sprinkle over salads and stuff. Deb enjoyed speaking with a couple who had a stall selling NZ jade jewelry and wool. She chatted with the woman who was spinning and discovered she was a member of a small group that worked with fiber in various ways. Several of the members were rug-hookers! (Back home, Deb is also a "hooker."0
At the end of our purchases we had exhausted our cash. We were surprised to find out that the nearest ATM was either 30 miles north (Westport) or south (Greymouth). Since we'll be very near Westport at our next Airbnb (Cape Foulwind - we leave tomorrow to start our 3 days there) we decided to visit Greymouth. This town was an old mining town - with some fishing also - described by our guide book as having 'nothing special' to make it worth visiting. We can confirm that! We had lunch there - Deb has tomato and basil soup and Munroe had a beef and cheese pie - at a little restaurant. We walked around a bit along the river path and then headed back north.
We stopped at a roadside memorial site for a dozen or so coal miners who had lost their lives in a mining disaster in the community. One can only imagine the effect on the small local community.
Opened in 1939, the Strongman Mine was New Zealand's largest underground coal mine. After an impeccable safely record, an explosion occurred in January 1967 that sent a fireball through a section of the mine in which 240 men were working. Smoke and methane gas produced by coal made the search for survivors and bodies dangerous. Over three weeks, 17 bodies were recovered and 2 were not. The tunnel was sealed off. Five men involved in the rescue received the British Empire Medal for their bravery. The inquiry concluded that safety regulations were not followed when a shot hole for a charge had been incorrectly fired. The government compensated the families.