Greymouth, Monteiths, and Hokitika

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Next we headed out to the West Coast through Reefton and out to Greymouth. In Greymouth we went to the Monteiths Brewery and took the tour. Unlike Coors, it was not free but it was only NZ$10. They showed us the small brewery and told us its history. It was started in Reefton durring the gold rush and then moved out to the West Coast to combine with a bunch of other small breweries to for the West Coast brewery. Monteiths was the one that stayed popular and the only one they ended making in the end so they changed the name. It is now only run by 10 people which includes the couple tour guides. They showed us the bottle depalitizer and told us how the mechanic built it out of a car frame and other scrap metal when their old one broke. It cost him something like $25,000 instead of the $250,000 for a new one. He also built a machine to flip the kegs after they are cleaned and filled upside down. After his machine flips them right side up it then checks the wieght to make sure that they are fully filled and will push aside the underfilled ones. We then headed to the bar and had to try all 6 types that they make. And then we had an open bar for 10-20 min to be able to pour our own.

After leaving Greymouth we headed south to Hokitika and found a backpackers above a Jade shop to stay at then when to go look at glow worms. I could only take a picture of the sign since it was too dark for my camera. The shit out ooze that lours in flying bugs and then they eat the bugs. The shit that oozes out is the part that glows. The next morning we spent the morning looking at all the Jade in the city since this is the main city that they mine and carve the Jade. After we were done we headed south towards the glaciers.

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Photos

Boxing area
On boxing days everyone is down here helping box the bottles.

Home made bottle depalletizer
The mechanic made this from scrap metal and a car frame. Total cost of about $25,000 compared to a buying a new one of $250,000.

Keg automation
mechanic also made this to move the kegs and to remove underfilled ones so that it didn't have to be done manualy.

Me
Last of the six beers we had to try.

Curlling rocks
An article of the local curlers and two curling rocks.

Glow Worms
They glow like lightning bugs but don't move.