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Around Oamaru

It was just a great day for a ride so off I went inland for a look around. It amazes me how these farmers can work on these steep hillsides. I have always farmed on level ground and cant imagine the difficulty of hillside farming. This field isn’t actually that steep but some of them, wow….

Feed barley field.

There are quite a few little churches all over the back country. This is sure a nice stone one that Oamaru is famous for.

It might be hard to see it but that field in front is a potato field just getting started. Must be for those ‘new’ potatoes that are in high demand.

This shows some of the limestone outcroppings that they used for the building stone. Last year the guy I met at the only working quarry said that there were 31 quarries working here in the old days.

Another church but this time done in rough stone.

The roof is glazed tile.

notice the old rough glass.

I found this nice quiet little park along the beach for a nap.

a van load of kids showed up just as I was leaving.

Two bucks of the best ice cream you can imagine.

Looks like this guy must have latched onto a couple of those boulders by the sea.

the price of beer seems a little steep for a bottle but must be good stuff.

I am staying at John’s place and this guy rolled up on the sidecar rig. It is a 1938 Chinese military rig that he imported.

John had to sit on it to check it out.

This little house seems to have gone way overboard on flowers in the front yard.

Don the ‘Steampunk” artist in town took me down to check out the steam crane that he is going to incorporate into a sculpture down in this little park. It is hard to explain what it is going to be so I guess we will just have to wait and see, and ride back next year and check it out eh?

this should give you some idea of the size of this beast.

some of the old train stuff that they town had dumped in the ocean to protect the beach. They drug the stuff out and replaced it with rock. Looks pretty cool and I accused Don of needing it for his sculptures.

I went with Don down to the foundry where he works on some of his stuff. He casts bronze as well as does some fiberglass stuff here.

Looking over the project.

very cool stuff in the shop which has been in operation for many years.

new iron castings.