The Southern Compass

One of the things I love about researching the Milford Road is discovering the people, places and events that are easy to miss when you’re concentrating on getting to Milford.

Save this for your Milford journey.

VoiceMap Southland | New Zealand Visit Fiordland

Meet my new Milford Sound Driving Tour

It’s here! 🎉 My new Milford Sound Driving Tour: The Journey to Piopiotahi takes you from Te Anau to Milford Sound with stories along the way about the landscape, history, wildlife, conservation and the people connected to this remarkable road. It’s self-guided, so you can take the journey at your own pace.

Explore the new Milford tour via the link in my bio.

VoiceMap

The Port Chalmers Voluntary Fire Brigade (PCVFB) is celebrating 150 years and, in support of the sesquicentennial milestone, we have a new exhibition in our foyer, called “Celebrating 150 years of PCVFB”.

Here is an extract from the exhibition story boards:

In the days before fire brigades, everyone was a firefighter. Councils expected citizens to always keep two buckets of water ready so they could help in case of fire.
Firefighting became formalized with the initiative of the Harbour Master Captain Thomson who established the “Naval Brigade” in 1865. Their training and equipment were focused on ships but were able to be called upon for onshore fires.
One obstacle for early firefighters was the lack of piped water. Streams, horse troughs and special water tanks were used, but until piped water of sufficient pressure became available, owners often had to stand by and watch buildings burn. It was the creation of a reservoir in 1876 which enabled Port Chalmers to create a Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Equipment was basic by modern standards. Local church bells were used to help alert the Brigade's men of any fire. Initially hose reels and manual pumps were dragged by men or horses to the scene of the fire. The usually borrowed horse understood what the fire bell meant, and waited by the gate ready to be harnessed for his role.

Photo: Guests at the 1897 United Fire Brigades' Association conference.

There are some great stories and photos within the exhibition. Do pop along and enjoy.

I wanted the title of my new Milford tour to reflect something I really believe about travelling here: the journey matters too.

Milford Sound is the destination, of course, but the road there is full of stories, landscapes and places worth noticing. Hence… The Journey to Piopiotahi.

Have you ever enjoyed the journey somewhere as much as the destination?

VoiceMap Southland | New Zealand Visit Fiordland