West Coast region of New Zealand and My Friends

Today is the Independent day of Ceylon but I am in Australia.

Why?

Answer is simple but I won't elaborate.

One of the more remote areas of the country and that is why I got a job there. I was working alone and had to cover for three other doctors who left the coast.  

I has the heaviest rainfall, if I remember right. They pharmacist used a Geiger Counter in her car and it has radioactive sediments. 

Mount Otira had one teacher and five children in my time. I used to pass this mountain range both by car and two seater airplanes.

We almost had a disaster in Cape Foulwind having crossed the "Do not take children above this point".

I had the simple mountain climbing experience and used that to good effect to avoid an impending disaster. The mist covering us helped us a lot.

One can see sea lions Cape Foulwind near Westport, and Kāikoura where you can enjoy a guided seal-swimming experience and marvel at their grace in their natural element.

I only went up to Punakaki (pancake rocks) on the way to Westport.  

I was very friendly with the doctor there but never met him in person. 

We had a Ceylonese GP named Dr. Danathnarayana who became a good friend of our family. 

But my best friends were Charles Cabraal and his family. I am told they have left West Coast and now in Christchurch.

Dorothy (forget the surname) was who was residing in front of our house, the one who brought me the first home made cake in New Zealand, is no more.

 She used to send a card until her demise in very old age.

There were three efficient surgeons there when I was there.

Mr. Bordle

Mr. Sexton

Mr. Swinnen 

I think all of them have either left this place and or retired.

West Coast region of New Zealand

The West Coast is a region of New Zealand on the West Coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. 

 

The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023.

The region has a rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal. First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD, the area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern New Zealand dollars' worth of the stone across New Zealand, making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country.

After the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped gold reserves, which historically had not been highly valued. The region was subsequently settled by thousands of Irish Catholics after the Irish Famine, who constitute the majority of the population, alongside the indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. 

The region was also heavily sought after by nuclear weapons states in the 1950s for its abundant resources of uranium, which many West Coasters found objectionable.

The West Coast is the only region of New Zealand where coal mining is still widely practiced.