 |
| A lot has happened I swear! |
The seasons change, time moves on and the wheel of fate continues it inevitable turn. Occasionally, incremental progress on a simple plywood boat (now two!) is also made. The past week, it was necessary to travel to several destinations around the South Island which somewhat slowed me down. South to Invercargill then up into central Otago and the lakes around Wanaka and Queenstown. Followed by a trip through Haast Pass into the West Coast, Hokitika and Greymouth. Finally back across the mountains onto the Canterbury plains and Christchurch. Some of the best scenery New Zealand has to offer was on display and I feel very privileged to be able to see these fantastic destinations during work hours!
 |
| Deep, blue, glacial fed lakes dot the region of Central Otago |
 |
| Rivers like this one criss-cross the valleys beneath glacier capped mountains |
 |
| You can drive hours surrounded by steep mountains with mist shrouded waterfalls |
 |
| Rob Roy Glacier |
 |
| Rain-soaked hikers looked with envy at our umbrellas after a two hour hike |
 |
| On the west coast, old mine workings can be explored |
 |
| Birds come so close a wide angle lens is no problem |
 |
| Safe to eat? |
Despite all this time away from home, I did make a small amount of progress on the boat. Seams and cracks in the plywood were sealed with expanding foam glue. My thoughts here is that it is probably a good idea to keep water out rather than in, thus holes and cracks in a boat may not be helpful.
All four side pieces on boat number one now have the chines attached. By clamping them together I can sand back any rough edges and ensure they line up true and straight.
 |
| Two pieces that will make up the starboard hull are clamped together |
 |
| Then sanded true and straight |
|
 |
| A flush, clean surface will make it easier to attached the bottom |
|
In other news, I discovered what the strange knife-saw device found at an op-shop is meant to do..
 |
| This is a knife |
Made by a japanese company a long time ago, this type of knife is used for sawing up frozen items and large pieces of meat. So there you go!
