All that Remains

I paid a brief visit to the weekly market cum car boot sale this morning. It is held in the Railway Station Car-park and is always very busy. Parking can be a bit of a problem but I usually park a little distance away alongside the Opawa Loop. This Loop is part of the original Opawa River. The loop feeds under a big culvert to become part of the Opawa River proper again. Then the Opawa River winds its way east to eventually join the Wairau River. From there it is but a short distance to the Wairau Bar and into the sea at Cloudy Bay.
During the 19th century and well into the last century there was a coastal shipping service which plied up and down the east coast of the South Island and connected with Wellington and small coastal ports in the North Island.
The last of the vessels to service the “port” of Blenheim was a flat-bottomed Kauri scow called “Echo”. She plied between Wellington and Blenheim on a regular basis and was unusual as she sailed under both engine power and sail. The Echo traded for 65 years and was finally retired in 1965 when the big Cook Strait ferries started to operate. The Echo is now “on hard” at on the Picton Foreshore, 30 minutes’ drive from Blenheim.
Tonight I discovered an intriguing old New Zealand film which briefly features the Echo. It is a rather quaint film and because it was made in the days before TV it would have been shown in cinemas prior to the big features. It is fun to watch.
http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/pictorial-parade-no91-1959
Anyway today’s blip shows all that remains of the wharf area down at the Opawa…..