Back to Invers

A family history
So i'm back in Invercargill with my family for the holiday week. Why there you might ask? I'm actually a 5th generation Southlander, my great great grandfather coming to Gabriels Gully in the goldrush from England. He managed to get enough gold to buy some land in Nightcaps (western southland) and find a wife to bear his children, one of whom became a butcher I think, and he doth begot my grandfather. Grandpa married grandma who grew up in green island (dunedin) and then mum and dad both grew up in Invers, went to uni got married and came back here. So what is it that keeps them here/makes them come back? I actually looked up what Invercargill had to say for itself on the net and it was quite insightful.

Here's an exert, from the tourism website

"New Zealand's southernmost city, Invercargill, is still arguably one of the country's most intact from our early development period. While in more recent times a number of fine old buildings have bowed to new structures, Invercargill remains much the city of consequence it became in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The once swampy site, which initially attracted European settlers eager to set up a flax-milling industry" and also, "Invercargill's early prosperity resulted not only in the construction of many fine commercial buildings, predominantly of brick and plaster, but also of some very notable churches."

I don't know about anyone else who reads this but it seems to say "hello I'm Invercargill, I flourished 100 years ago for about 50 years, we're more than just flax millers now. Come visit."

There are still plenty of reasons I love this little spot but I do get depressed at its lack of life and vibrance that it claims it has but doesn't. So to my friends who haven't been to invercargill what is the place like?

Here's my most honest account of the place. Invercargill lacks much but is so close to so much that isn't lacking. This includes countless National parks, Fiordland and Catlins are of significant note. Adventure capital Queenstown is only and hour and half away and the rest of the central otago which is actually faster to get to from Invers than Dunners. Stewart Is is just across the strait and all in all I would say that these are some of the worlds most beautiful, untouched areas.

So I'm by no means gutted about being bought up here, but as my horizons have broadened a little the only real drawcard to return is family and friends, then getting out of the place to the places I just mentioned. In a sense the southern south island is my soul country/homeland, not so much this funny wee city.

the pictures: a cockatoo that is under the "attractions" on the website? and then the Watertower which stands tall and proud by itself.