cont

 further on from the admin buildings is a cleared area fire the next pit that did have long grass on it but I encouraged the neighbouring farmer to allow his sheep in and so they are there eating away keeping it down. .. Merino ewes mostly I think.. Then there are the old heaps from the original pit some with pine trees growing in them. And the useless rusty ancient and much vandalised processing plant outside and inside a falling down old shed. There is also a old crib room and accommodation huts. The old pit was dug very deep for its size and is full of fresh brilliantly aqua colored water. There are always wildlife there drinking from it and ducks among the reeds. I have seen a cormorant there too..  A sea bird..  But then it is only a few kms away. On the highest point you can see for miles and miles. The sea the mere the cliffs the whole of the national park peninsula. The yachts and ships and fishing boats and flashes of white crashing waves on the Rocky cliffy bits. If I had binoculars I could see whales in the spring but I go to the lookout points on the cliff tops to see them more clearly. Last year I did that I saw four of them dancing standing upright together so close I could feel their water puffs they do. Sadly two had green nylon fishing net caught on their fins. 

Anyway the Mine site has on old shaft from the 1920s square and timber lined it goes straight down into oblivion..  Should be covered up better really.. Quite scary.. There is even a little rusty old cart they must have used back then. They probably used the little Welsh mountain ponies my great uncle brought over that my cousin still breeds.. There is a ruins  of a rusty windmill by a ruin of a hand built little stone hut.. But further to the West past a long cleared of stones paddock and at the end of two rows of huge and magnificent scribbly gums there is a stone homestead still with its roof intact. The stone work is very professionally done with each stone showing the marks where it was squared off perfectly with a small chisel like toolI guess. Each of the four rooms has a identical half round fireplace with red brick surround. The old folks say that some of the ref bricks here came from the demolished tower of London brought here as ballast in the sailing ships. 

But I still haven’t said what I wear to work ha ha. Very O H & S I wear a assortment of high viz tops..  with paint on them coz I’ve been painting the office. Proper work trousers that only seem to be made in navy blue heavy cotton lots of pockets. Steel cap boots (smallest size you can buy..  I think their a 2 .. Oh and yes Tawhiri I do top off this very unglamorous ensemble with a proper hat. A kangaroo skin flat low crown flat brim very Australian lol. I do use a orange hard hat and reflector vest if I have to go in the processing shed..  And yes.  If they made fluro hot Pink hard hats I would have got one lol but I don’t mind the orange.. The boys that contract mostly wear white ones so they know the boss lady wears a orange one so they have to watch out for me lol