New Zealand
Silene vulgaris or Bladder Campion. Eye-catching weed flowers I found at Commissioners Track, Roxburgh, Central Otago. First 3 photos taken 04 December, last photo taken 27 December. New Zealand. Etymology : "Silene, the genus name, is a reference to the Greek woodland god Silenus the foster father of Bacchus, who was often depicted covered in... Continue Reading →
Yesterday we returned to Commissioners Track and spent some time on part of it, mostly checking out the weeds and the native plants. We're right into summer now and lots of plants are flowering including grasses. We found some very pretty weed flowers, and some rather nice native flowers too. But today's post is about... Continue Reading →
A different dam in this post to the ferny one I've been showing, but it's also from the gold mining days and it's still an earth dam. The difference is that this one's in Central Otago and its inside wall is lined with rocks (the work is done wonderfully as one of the builders, David... Continue Reading →
Purple roses from Alexandra public gardens, Central Otago. 07 December. New Zealand.
Historic mud-brick building in St Bathans, Central Otago. Originally an 1870s billiards saloon, and then stables were added in 1896. Photo taken 07 Dec. New Zealand
In April 1875 a new stone building was opened as a new one-room school for children in St Bathans (the part of the ruins nearest the lupins). In 1895 an additional room was added for infants (the part with a chimney). The school was abandoned in 1943 after earthquake damage. Central Otago, New Zealand. Photos... Continue Reading →
Perhaps the remnant held a claim boundary peg back in the day. It was illegal to sluice away a peg. I was intrigued by the horizontal hole at the top through which I could see the blue sky. The two 'remnant' photos were taken by me. The photos of Blue Lake and eroded hillside slopes... Continue Reading →
Blue Lake at St Bathans in Central Otago was formed through gold mining activity from the 1860s till 1934. Originally the lake was a 120m high hill.. Kildare Hill.. which I've read was demolished via hydraulic sluicing in about 10 years. By using a hydraulic elevator the site of the now-gone hill became an ever-growing... Continue Reading →
On 07 Dec we drove to St Bathans, a gold town established in 1863. (1) The mud brick Vulcan Hotel is fab! (2) Pipes took water to the workings. (3) Blue Lake was originally 120m Kildare Hill which was mined to a 68m deep pit dubbed the 'glory hole'. Mining ceased in 1934 when the... Continue Reading →
Wedding anniversary today! So we did a long drive into Central Otago ~ but I took this photo 24 November. Deep red rosebud ready to open, red mature rose blurred behind the bud, scattered soft-focus white roses in background (they're tinged palest pink in the centre). Alexandra public gardens, Central Otago, New Zealand.
Bright pink-and-white roses at the public gardens in Alexandra, Central Otago yesterday. The beautiful blooms also provide a feast for bees! New Zealand.
When the gold miners arrived in Central Otago in the 1860s they didn't bat an eyelid at radically and massively transforming the environment. The initial influx of individuals and small groups gave way to larger operations that harnessed the power of water to obliterate large parts of the landscape. They extracted relatively small amounts of... Continue Reading →
Exploring Colour 