On 5 October around 21 members enjoyed a lovely evening meal at the Denniston Dog in Westport.

The following day was an early start to get with the unimog for a trip to Stockton Opencast Mine, approximately 30km north of Westport. After catching up with a few members at the gate 29 enthusiasts were on our way to the mine site and the rehabilitation work of the Stockton mine.

After a quick talk from Mickey Ryan (owner of the unimog) at the bathhouse we went to all different areas of the mine where they have been busy with planting and hydroseeding. It’s clear to see that there is a lot of work involved for rehabilitation. Michael Kingsbury gave a lot of interesting talks at all the different areas.

The highlight of the day was that the kids were able to enjoy a ride on one of the dumptrucks.
After spending the whole morning on the mine everybody was ready for a bite. It was very nice the have lunch at the Ngakawau coal handling facility. After lunch we all went for a walk to the Charming Creek walkway. Lucky enough the weather was very kind to us; In fact it was great! To finish the day of we went for a very nice meal to the Westport Motor Hotel.
The next day was a completely different day. It started off with a big power cut, and as a result nobody could see the All Blacks playing. Bugger! After the power came on some of us watched the game (what was left of it) and then headed off to Mitchell's Gully Goldmine to view an operational water wheel. Then there was a very interesting walk through the bush as part of the goldmine.

The big Totara trip was cancelled due to flooding, so we decided to pick up John Curry (a West Coast bushman) for an interesting talk at Charleston Tavern. A very interesting character. After lunch at the Charleston Tavern we drove slowly back towards Cape Foulwind to go for a walk from the Cape to Tauranga Bay, a beautiful walk along the coastal cliffs. While it was still thundering and some rain, a group of six enjoyed the coastal walk. At the Bayhouse we enjoyed a well deserved afternoon tea and a yummie piece of cake.

Thanks to Vicky, Joan, Michael and Aliette for organising this special weekend on the coast for IPPS members. And thanks for everybody that turned up for a very special West Coast field trip.