Blackball Experience

It’s the last of it’s kind in the West Coast – the combination rail road bridge over the Taramakau River on the way to Blackball.  Although very common in the days when building bridges was expensive, and few people had cars, it must have been a bit of a guessing game if the driver wasn’t quite sure what time the train was due.  Our bridge was undergoing repair, and the fully laden timber truck in front of us shows just how narrow the bridge is.

Note the railway line down the centre of the bridge

Our stop for the night was at historic Blackball, a West Coast coal mining town made famous by being embroiled in a bitter industrial dispute in 1908.  No, not about wages, or working conditions, but the right to have a 30 minute lunch break instead of the 15 minutes permitted.  When workers were fired for taking a longer break, fellow workers went on strike for three long months.  The Labour Party as formed at Blackball as a result of this industrial action.  The Blackball Information Kiosk tells the story of the dispute which made history in New Zealand.

Blackball Info Kiosk

New Zealand’s first organised strike against conscription also took place in Blackball in 1916.  The miners themselves were needed to provide coal for the country so were exempt from conscription, but they struck in support of other men who were forced to go to war against their principles.  A “Workers Memorial Wheel” is dedicated to those who have been killed in West Coast mines since 1990.  It states “When men and women go to work, they have the right to come home safely to their families, not as a corpse alone”.  

Workers Memorial Wheel

Dedicated to those lost in the Pike River Mining tragedy

Just next door is the famous Blackball Hotel, built in 1910 and named The Dominion.  The name was changed to the Blackball Hilton (the main street and one of the mine managers were called Hilton) but the owners were threatened with legal action from a well known overseas hotel chain.  So the name was changed to “Formerly the Blackball Hilton Hotel”, and so it remains.

Formerly the Blackball Hilton Hotel

It is presumed that the Labour Party was actually formed in the hotel rooms – and that certainly seems quite feasible.  The old hotel is full of character and of memorabilia telling of Blackball’s militant past and all this makes very interesting reading.  We sat in the bar to soak up some atmosphere while the cosy fire took the chill off the damp afternoon – it was beer for the boys and lattes for the girls.

  Inside the hotel

Up the road a little way are the remains of the Blackball Mine, all looking rather sad and derelict now.  In the boom time, Blackball had a population of 1200, and now 400 call this little town home.

The last remains of Blackball Mine

The mining industry may have gone, but Blackball still carries on, and we all wanted to sample some of the famous Blackball salami, black pudding and sausages, all made right here at the Blackball Salami Co.  The friendly staff member offered free tastings to help us decide if we wanted our salami with or without garlic or pepperoni – and then we tried the black pudding , just delicious.  It’s fair to say that our purchases would have added considerably to the days till taking. 

Blackball’s famous salami

We are soaking up the Blackball atmosphere and staying  overnight (off power) at the Blackball Domain, us three plus a large bus.  This place is a little off the beaten track and main road, but one that we have long wanted to visit. Full of little old buildings, it just reeks of history.  We noticed many a goat or sheep in front yards, and some of the buildings are just about ready to fall down.  Well worth spending a day here to check it all out. 

Blackball Domain

A Blackball cottage