Roads

Near the Chinese Communities

Where are we now?

Where are we going?

For travellers ‘the road’ means many things – going forward you could explore the unknown, going back you might return to home. It is a link between your dream, your hope and your comfort. The roads guide you, but everything is still a dream until you have reached your destination and witnessed everything by yourself. Hence I see them as a metaphor of the life in this region 150 years ago, or in short, "uncertainty". And personally, they are a metaphor of my struggle in past three years.

Zigzag Track, Reefton Chinese market gardeners and miners used to live in Reefton, one of the gardens was located right on the end of the track in Rosstown.	Notown Road / 2015.9 Chinese miners first successfully established their community in Notown in 1870s.	Notown / 2015.9 The former site of Notown school was located on the left side of the road while the sawmill is on the right. Today the only survived building is the Notown Church that being displayed in Shantytown Museum.
Notown road / 2015.9 The creek marks the end of public road today. In 1870s the town was built along this creek and it ran on a slightly differently route.	Old Greenstone Road / 2015.10	Greenstone Claims / 2015.10 This area was sluiced for gold since 1870s and an old map shows that more than one claim was acquired by Chinese; it has been dredged again by machines since 1970s thus the old Greenstone gold claims are non-existent nowadays. An track is on top of the tailing but it is not possible to tell whether it follows the old Greenstone Road or not.
Kumara-Inchbonnie Road / 2015.10 The new road was build on top of the "Quinn's Terrace" called by gold miners who were sluicing on left side of the road.	Greenstone Road / 2015.10 This is the junction where old Greenstone Road meets the new Kumara-Inchbonnie Road. The river seems to have changed its course and the old road is now disappeared into the Greenstone River.	Maori Gully Road (Arnold) There is still active mine nearby and a new gold mine was proposed recently.
Track to Big River Mine / 2015.10 It is believed that Chinese used to settle in Merrijigs (on the halfway to the later Big River mine) and makes up 80% of the population in that area. However recording of them is rarely seen.	Track to Big River Mine / 2015.10	Road to Napoleon's Hill Multiple Chinese market gardeners were growing vegetables along the road from Ahaura to Napoleon's Hill. According to the locals, they were 'all over the hill' around 1900s.
Former Arahura Road / 2016.9

Roads

Zigzag Track, Reefton

Chinese market gardeners and miners used to live in Reefton, one of the gardens was located right on the end of the track in Rosstown.

Notown Road / 2015.9

Chinese miners first successfully established their community in Notown in 1870s.

Notown / 2015.9

The former site of Notown school was located on the left side of the road while the sawmill is on the right. Today the only survived building is the Notown Church that being displayed in Shantytown Museum.

Notown road / 2015.9

The creek marks the end of public road today. In 1870s the town was built along this creek and it ran on a slightly differently route.

Old Greenstone Road / 2015.10

Greenstone Claims / 2015.10

Kumara-Inchbonnie Road / 2015.10

The new road was build on top of the "Quinn's Terrace" called by gold miners who were sluicing on left side of the road.

Greenstone Road / 2015.10

This is the junction where old Greenstone Road meets the new Kumara-Inchbonnie Road. The river seems to have changed its course and the old road is now disappeared into the Greenstone River.

Maori Gully Road (Arnold)

There is still active mine nearby and a new gold mine was proposed recently.

Track to Big River Mine / 2015.10

It is believed that Chinese used to settle in Merrijigs (on the halfway to the later Big River mine) and makes up 80% of the population in that area. However recording of them is rarely seen.

Track to Big River Mine / 2015.10

Road to Napoleon's Hill

Multiple Chinese market gardeners were growing vegetables along the road from Ahaura to Napoleon's Hill. According to the locals, they were 'all over the hill' around 1900s.

Former Arahura Road / 2016.9

Going West

Yichen Hu