Meanderings: Skipping down to the Cobblestones Museum

Yesterday we (Lauren, Katherine , Arthur, Evelyn and Gillian) went to visit the Cobblestones Museum in Greytown. Greytown was the capital of the Wairarapa from the pioneer era until the trains arrived and bypassed the town (a bit like Radiator Springs).

On the way we stopped for lunch and saw Samuel Oates' gum tree. This gum tree was huge! It was carried over the Rimutaka Hill as a seedling in a wheelbarrow and was then stolen from outside the pub. It was planted near the museum.

An Australian tree stolen in NZ

At the museum we got a booklet and filled out answers as we walked around. We looked at buildings.

In the first building we saw a pin cushion that was a little elephant in a glass cabinet.

The girls enjoying the horse

In the old stable we saw the hay feeders and old horse gear. We thought the cobblestone floor must have been tricky for the horses to walk on. The stables smelt a bit funny and it was easy to imagine how they might have smelt back in the day! The mail coach came twice a week from Wellington and took a whole day to arrive (it took us less than 2 hours by train).

The stables

We found the cobblestones!

There is a wool shed. And a dunny that is outside.

Shears

Oops! Sorry, didn't realise....

Do you know what a 'palometer' is? We didn't either before we saw the old petrol pump outside the fire station. Inside was an old fire engine and lots of old uniforms, air tanks, and helmets.

In the church the children sang Christmas carols and held a fake wedding. Perhaps their movie viewing on Meander had influenced them a little as Arthur jilted Evelyn at the alter!

It was interesting to see the old printing presses and working out the letter 'e' was the most used letter.

At the school Evelyn taught Lauren and Arthur things like the 2 times tables. And she whacked Lauren's hand with the cane when she called out.

Strict teacher

Model student

We counted 9 sets of scales in the hospital and we were all very grateful for the improvements to medical care since the 1850s, especially the retirement of the dentist's pedal powered drill!

The cottage had a lovely veranda. It was a small house but Katherine worked out it had more bedrooms than our house in Newport!

The grounds were lovely. They had a wishing well with a real wooden bucket. They had a set of stocks in the middle of the lawn.

Scythes

After that we went to the chocolate shop. Evelyn got a mini chocolate heart. It was yummy, I mean fun!

We went to a roadside fruit shop. They made soft serve ice-creams with fruit as tall as our heads. They had big crates filled with all sorts of fruit.

Real fruit ice-creams only $3.50 each!

On the way back to Masterton we stopped at a playground in Carterton. The children loved the 'hamster wheels' (once we kicked off the snogging teenagers), flying fox and play structures.