Gnomeland is a bit of nonsense off to the side - a sylvan forest glade where gnomes and fairies abound, It was supposed to be to amuse little kids but old people like it as well.

Waiuta Sawmill - few photos survive of this ancillary industry (i got a good one from Les Wright - thanks Les). They basically clear-felled the native bush, put it through the mill and built the town etc. Thousands and thousands of feet of timber went down the mine for support props etc in the maze of tunnels underground.

Star Hotel (for the English village). This was based on an old coaching-inn in Portsmouth, England(i think). I put an extra storey on it to make it more impressive - because i can!


Okay - that's it. We did well to get this far.

Cheers

Due to Public Demand

Well, demand from my no.1 daughter, here's another post. I've got some really nice photos, but you can't see them because the computer's being an ass again and won't upload them - maybe tomorrow. (This time I'm fairly sure that it's not my fault - the screen is showing that "Error on Page" message again and it Won't go away). NEway, life goes on. Brief lecture, (now's as good a time as any) :- Waiuta, (which our largest town is a model of), is now the West Coast's best-loved ghost-town. In its day it was the site the last major gold discovery in NZ and the 2nd richest mine in the country. This mine produced as much gold as all the other 69 mines in the Reefton district combined - more than enough to pay the entire national debt at any time in NZ's history. The profits all went straight to London as it was always a British-owned company, but they provided work for a lot of people for 45 years, which is a long time for a gold-mine. The town which grew up around the mine peaked at about 600 people and they packed a lot of living into those 45 years. The town died "overnight" when the mine closed following a shaft collapse in July 1951 - there was no other work in the area and everything was dependent on the income from the mine, so once it had gone - they left to all parts of NZ and beyond. Probably because it died so abruptly, there is huge nostalgia for Waiuta, even after 56 years. I'm always delighted when we get visits from ex-residents of Waiuta. The modelled town triggers all sorts of memories that, sometimes, haven't been thought of for years and I'm learning more about the place all the time. I love the personal stories - it was a town full of characters. Okay - that's it, enough lecture - we'll try to post the pics tomorrow. (Happy now Trace?) cheers

Why I like to go to Grandad's Model Village . . .

My Grandad has his very own Playland. He goes to work and plays with all his toys. I love going to visit Nanny and Grandad because I get to visit Grandad's Model Village. That's all good.


You get to walk up the big hill, and on the way up there are lots of things to find in the trees . . .

You can hang out with Grandad in his workshop . . .

If you are very very very good Grandad will build you a boat . . .

You have to be careful where you walk . . .

You can float your boats on the wee lake . . .

You can also throw stones in . . .

There is a school, with lots and lots of children outside it. My Great Nana went to this school, she wasn't at school on the day that the photo that Grandad based this on was taken though . . .

There are lots of little houses to look at BUT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH THEM . . .

There is a little swimming pool THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO IN . . .

There are lots of little toys (but you're not supposed to touch them) . . .

When you go into a wee dark room Grandad turns on the lights and there is a model of Reefton! Reefton was the first place in the Southern Hemisphere to have a public electricity supply you know . . . see Grandad I do listen!

Happy Birthday Riley

My friend, Riley, came to On Yer Bike/ Little Earth today as part of his 10th birthday celebrations. That's Riley in the yellow t-shirt.

The other photo is of Sue - doing all the work in the cafe etc. Sue is very shy isn't she?

Quite a busy day today - people all day long. Always lots of fun, but now I'm knackered.

cheers

(now i can do photos cos me clever wee wifee taught me)

Hey Ben!

Here are my gorgeous boys getting married last weekend last weekend cos i can.

This is Ben. Isn't he glorious? Scruffy beggar! Ben comes & helps with the modelling etc in the village.

He's standing in the Waiuta village, (which you're not allowed to do - but that's all right).


This is Waiuta - well kind-of it is.

So, We'll Try Again

One of these days this computer's going to get SUCH a smacking. Don't you hate it when they won't do what you want them to?

Anyway, it's been busy - went to Christchurch for No.1 son's wedding in the weekend. That was all good. Monday, a group of 20 od older people from Reefton came to the village - I always enjoy visitors from Reefton because one of the features of the village is a model of Reefton circa 1960's, and Reefton people have the same memories & stories that I do. Lotsafun.

Also, we had about 20 Japanese girls and their teachers - nice kids but i don't speak a word of their language so it's hard to communicate. As well as them there was about a dozen others in dribs and drabs. It was a busy day. I don't normally go out to the village on Mondays. I was glad i did. Maybe i'm going to have to rethink my day off.

Okay - now we'll see if i can post it.

"Your images are being uploaded to Blogger" - yeah rite! It's been half an hour and nothing's happening again! Bloody computer - you're not getting any pictures

In the Immortal Words of Maria von Trapp

"Let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start."

After being made redundant from N.Z.Railways in 1991, I went to England for a 2 month holiday. While there I went and found Bekonscot Model Village, which I'd read about in an old children's encyclopaedia. It was closed for the winter but the staff in the office made me very welcome, gave me a coffee and an umbrella and said to have a wander around.

Basically, I fell in love with the place and came home, full of confidence. and started building my own model village - 15 years later I'm still wondering what I've done.

I first started making buildings for a 1/12th scale model English village. Then, after a year, it occurred to me that it would make more sense to model our own local history - so I started on a model of Waiuta - a local goldmining town,now a ghost-town. After a couple of years on that, I heard of another model village which included its own model, model village, so I started making one of those too - a model of my hometown, Reefton NZ, in 1/76th scale (HO).

In the Reefton village, I included a model, model, model village - a model of Bekonscot in 1/144th scale. Since then I've also started on a pioneering goldtown - Nelson Creek c.1880 and a model Maori village. Also there is Gnomeland - a haven for gnomes and fairies.

After 13 years, and hundreds of models, I was getting nowhere and was about ready to give up when Mike & Sue came and offered space on their property at On Yer Bike (still don't know how to do a link there), at Coal Creek, Greymouth - so that's what we're doing.

All the villages, in various stages of completion, are now set-up except for the English one which is coming next.

That's enough of that. The photos, which i somehow managed to upload, are the models of the Waiuta gold-mine and Waiuta's "other gold-mine" - the Empire Hotel.

I need to get some lessons this weekend on how to upload photos & move them around.

'Til then,

cheers

Post 2

Right - here we go again. This is my blog and I can say what I like. My name is Alan and I am the creator and custodian of Little Earth. This blog is to tell the story of NZ's first major model village and chronicle its progress. Little Earth is a work in progress and, though sometimes it seems glacial, we are making progress. (How many times can I use the word "progress" in one paragraph?) There are, so far, over 500 model buildings in total, along with the myriad things that make-up the picture of a miniature town - people, cars, furniture, pushbikes and prams, etc., etc., etc. It's been said that this is an extraordinary thing that I've done here but it doesn't seem that way to me - I just play with my toys and tell tall-tales to visitors. Lotsafun. It has also been said that no man is an island and I'm grateful for all the help and encouragement that I've had over the past 15 years. (15 years - wow!) First and foremost, thanks to my wife, Trish, who has been supporting us all these years. Mike And Sue Roper - it couldn't and wouldn't have happened without you. Neil, Steve, Isabella and Ciu, for the landscaping and planting etc. Ben, Les Wright, the staff of On Yer Bike (should put a link there but can't remember how to do it), my family and friends and far too many more to mention by name. Thanks. Finally, thanks Lee (Housedad), for the idea and setting up of this blog and thanks to timmy, my internet friend, for giving a very shy person, (that'd be me), the courage to speak up in public like this. Okay, that's enough - this is starting to look like an Oscars speech. Tomorrow, less about me & more about the village(s). Want a photo? You can't have one. I've forgotten how to do it :) cheers

Post 1

Okay - Not saying much (yet). This is just a trial run - hope we can do it again.