On to Gore (lovely name!)

Thursday 4th June: We left Te Anau and drove east-ish through Lumsden. We had a short stop in Riversdale. It amazes us that these small settlements along the road have such fabulous playgrounds for us to stop at. The boys get to stretch their legs and we brew a cup of tea!
Our next stop was a small aviation workshop and museum in Mandeville. Here, engineers make or refurbish old aircraft. All the aircraft that leave the workshop can fly, they are not just static display models. We were allowed to wander round the workshop (photo of one in progress) and then walked round the museum of finished models, including a 1910 Pither plane. One plane didn't look as ready to fly as the others (see photo).
We carried on to Gore which was grey and gloomy (and not just the weather!). This is the country music capital of NZ and there is also a lot of fishing done here and so a big fish statue is at the top of the main street (photo). We were surprised by a sign on a lampost in the local park regarding skateboarding penalties. A $20,000 fine!! (photo)
We settled into the campsite, which was basic at its best, and took a walk into the town centre. Back at the campsite we then discovered we were alongside the train track which carried freight trains through the evening and night.