The Roxburgh Virgin and Other Miracles

Somewhat reluctantly we finally got ourselves out of Dodge City/Dunedin on Wednesday. We’d done a lot of catching up and missed a few people as well but it was time to head west. West into Central (Otago) and the real winter. We’d found it cold enough in Dunedin so who knows what we were thinking. We finally hitched the car on and pulled out at about 11am.

We made  a brief stop in Lawrence; long enough to think that it looked like a little town that needs a longer stop. Then there was a pumpkin selling place just before Roxburgh with 4 pumpkins for $10 and a do-it-yourself EFTPOS machine.

And then Roxburgh where we were seduced by Jimmy’s Pie Shop. Not for the first time. Roxburgh is the home of Jimmy’s pies so it’s only respectful to call in. It’s an awful little shop. To get to the pies you have to do the Sidle of Temptation past shelves of reasonably-priced very yummy-looking cakes and slices.  We managed it by averting our eyes and so avoiding being turned into pillars of sugar. Wyn, being a true connoisseur, chose the Mince pie; pure and unadulterated. I went for the Mince, Cheese and Spinach; making a pact with the Devil that the spinach would neutralise the cheese. We then scuttled back to Suzi motorhome to scoff our scrummy pies.

We’d just about sat down when a firm knock on the door introduced my sister. She’d been driving through on her way to Dunedin and spotted Suzi and pulled over to say hello. She’d been about to stop for her lunch as well so joined us for a cup of tea and a chat about Wednesday walks and cameras and original iPads and Instagram. Whatever Instagram is.

In the midst of all this I spotted the lovely church across the road and was taken with the lighting of the statue. I presume she was/is the Virgin Mary, watching over the good and not-so-good folk of Roxburgh.

Catholic church Roxburgh

Detail on Catholic church Roxburgh

We finished our lunches and resumed our journeys in opposite directions. Our paths crossed and uncrossed. (By the way, I recommend the Spinach mince pie.)

We zoomed on, admiring the snow on the Old Man Range and all the bike trails all round the place. Then the descent into Alexandra; a great welcome to Central Otago. Wyn drove on to Cromwell where we refueled Suzi and then on up the Clutha Valley to Hawea Flat. This gave me the opportunity to grab my camera for a snap of a distant white-capped mountain range. We really were in central Otago.

St Bathans Range from Clutha Valley