ShantyTown

ShantyTown - this is not a real city. It is an open-air museum with faithful replicas from 1860. In this "city", as in most cities of that time, it is all about gold. The open-air museum is a nice little place, I feel a bit like I'm in the Wild West. You can book panning for gold as an extra to the entrance fee and this time you can take the gold with you in a small container.

A train takes you comfortably through the forest to a sawmill and the gold mining site. Here you get the plates with earth and stones and of course gold mixed into your hand and then you can wash the gold out yourself. Since gold is heavier than sand and stones, the gold always remains at the bottom of the plate while the rest is washed out. In the end I actually have some gold crumbs on my plate, which then go into the container and come with me 😀. Otherwise, there is everything to visit in the town that such a place needs: hotel, bar, restaurant, church, hospital, butcher...

After lunch I set off again. I want to do freedom camping again in Greymouth today, right by the sea. It's better to come in good time, as such places usually fill up quickly. But when I get there there are still a few places available and I have a free choice.

My first route then takes me to the sea. There is no sandy beach here, just large stones. But there is a surfer in the water. This is the first time I've seen a surfer. So I stay and watch something. Apparently you need patience when surfing, because the surfer just paddles for several minutes and nothing happens. But at some point he'll get going. Not bad!

A house was built on the stone beach from wooden flotsam, with seating and a table inside. It's big, but I'd rather not go in.

Tomorrow we'll go back to a campsite with electricity to charge all the batteries. Afterwards I have a permanent parking space for a few days, without electricity. I notice how tired (travel) I am. The break and not seeing and experiencing so much for a few days will be good for me.