On 5 April at 10am, the Golden Bay wharf was abuzz with people and boats as the trip to Whalers' Base got underway. A great network of volunteers ticked off their sheets and guided us to the right boat - I was on MV Wildfire, the first boat to leave.
The jetty at the Whalers' Base has long gone so I wondered how the day-trippers would get ashore. I was very surprised to discover a sturdy jetty and a huge picnic shelter at Millars Beach in Price's Inlet and from there it's only a short bush walk through to the Whalers' Base.
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| The snekke, Winnie, at Golden Bay wharf |
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Google map showing Millars Beach jetty (circle) and track to
Whalers' Base |
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Google map of Whalers' Base - can you see the slipway and the
workshop foundations? |
I didn't check how long it took to get from Golden Bay to Millars Beach but I guess it was somewhere around 30 minutes. There was lots of excited chatter on board and a sample of interlocking walls from the Norwegian manager's house was being passed around - very similar to Lockwood though thicker and made of Norwegian spruce rather than pine.
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| Coming in to the jetty at Millars Beach |
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| Millars Beach - getting the barbecue and food ashore |
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| Millars Beach shelter - what a great place for lunch |
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Millars Beach shelter - I was expecting a small bus-stop type shelter, not
this huge one with two toilets out the back |
It was all hands to the deck to carry the provisions off the rowboat and up to the shelter. The Stewart Island Lions manned the barbecue and more volunteers set out the tables laden with salads, coleslaw, sauces and buttered bread - man, did they go well with sausages, steak and seafood from the hotplate.
There was a bit of time before we left for the Whalers' Base so I went exploring around Millers Beach. It's largely private land with well-marked paths and surprises round the corner of man-made structures largely hidden by the bush.
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| Lovely ngahere behind the shelter |
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| Boat shed extraordinaire |
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| The leaning shed of Millars Beach |
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| Ammunition store - Millars Beach |
I've been trying to find out more information on the ammunition store but haven't come up with anything yet. Will show some more photos of it in my next blog. A Stuff article on Whalers' Base and Millars Beach is
here (opens in new window).
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| Part of the crowd waiting for lunch |
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| Millars Beach |
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| left to right: Winnie, Aurora, Wildfire, Southern Isle at Millars Beach |
Definitely a place I'll go back to - anyone care to join me?
