real blokes (nac)

[Dave Eaton]

a bit of background - the west coast of the south island in nz is a rugged
place, full of a tough breed of self-reliant, resilient people.  as the west
coast sits in the lee of the southern alps it, like other similar places
(such as the north west of the states), gets a lot of rain.  200mm over a
day is relatively normal, and the west cost holds a number of records for
rainfall. milford sound (a stunningly beautiful gateway to a series of
remote high-mountain fresh-water fjords) averages almost 7m of rainfall a
year, and the cropp river over a single day has received almost 700mm, and
has a yearly average of over 10 metres!
 
in early january (summer) a period of heavy rainfall caused the grey river
(draining the alps) to full flow (not flood). at the best of times the grey
river has a tricky bar which causes standing waves as it hits the sea.  when
in high flow, the result can be spectacular.
 
one of the 2 main industries on the west coast is fishing (the other is
coal).  check out the following video of 2 fishing boats coming in at high
tide, over the grey bar.
 
priceless.
 
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/weather/news/video.cfm?c_id=10&gal_objectid=107007
79&gallery_id=116297

dave
'03 rs6
'04 allroad tdi