Around Timaru

The imminent demolition of the Hydro Grand Hotel overlooking Caroline Bay in Timaru provided the inspiration to capture some photos of it before it disappeared under the wreckers ball. The following photos resulted from several visits, the first without camera, to the bay area.

PS: There Hydro Grand was demolished on Saturday, 18 November 2017.

The Hydro Grand - not grand anymore.

The vacant spot after the demolition of the Hydro Grand.

More photos of the demolition are here and also part 2.

The following photos were taken earlier in the year!

Hydro Grand and piazza.

Caroline Bay and the Benvenue Cliffs.

On my "first recent" visit(s) to Caroline Bay, I was walking back towards where the car was and thought that there would be a good angle for showing the container cranes, but alas no ship. Another ship was being worked a few days later when I returned to photograph the Hydro Grand.

Returning back to the car in the opposite direction to the Benvenue Cliffs.

An earlier trip to Timaru to photograph the Hydro Grand was late in the afternoon. However the light was poor and no photos then.

Along the road way, the seagulls were lining up and the old jetty by the yacht club provided some angles for the next two photos.

The old jetty has fallen into disuse as sand has accumulated in Caroline Bay and the shore line marches steadily outwards.

An attempt to photograph the little blue penguins as they come ashore after a day at sea was not successful as flash photography is not allowed. All was not lost however as a container ship turned up.

Around to the Benvenue Cliffs, out with the long lens and tripod and these two working shots were the result.

The Pacific Trader was unloading within 30 minutes.

Blackett's Lighthouse was originally built in 1878 at  No7 Terrace and was visible 14 nautical miles out to sea. It was decommissioned in 1970 and moved to the Benvenue Cliff site in 1970 where it served as the rear leading beacon to the Timaru Harbour until 1980. It was moved again in 2010 and restored.

Blackett's Lighthouse

Fun with burning steel wool down on the beach.