h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I visited Bluff several times in the early 70's. I was then on an oil tanker owned by the Cunard Steam ship company called MV Luminous. We were a 25,000 tonne product tanker and were on contract to carry various oil products from Whangarei in the North to the various East coast ports of New Zealand. We visited virtually all the main ports most of which I remeber with fondness. However none were quite like Bluff. Bluff then gave the impression that time had passed it by, and that time was going to carry on passing it by. The people however were like all New Zealand folk, friendly !

I met a lady there called Norma who worked in the oyster packing factory, (I am sorry to say I can't remember her surname.

Is the famous signpost still there? I seem to remember it had distances to far off places such as London, Moscow, New York etc.

From New Zealand my ship sailed to Ras Tanura in the Persian Gulf (as we called it then), but I left the ship by sea going tug as we passed Bahrain. I went home from there by Jumbo Jet (the first I ever flew in as they were quite new then). Then after two months on leave a letter arrived through my door asking me to join what turned out to be an old (no really old) freezer ship called the Port Brisbane. I joined it on my birthday 6th March 1971 and asked 'Where are we going to?' Imagine my amzement to be told we were off to Bluff to load up with Lamb and tallow!

Returning to Bluff was like going back to an old friend. Does the bus still run to Invercargill? I seem to remember it cost 50 cents in those days.

Does anybody remember the MV Luminous, and the Port Brisbane?

Anyway I am off for now, I look forward to logging in again to see if anybody remembers me.

B Collins
North Wales.

G'day there. Bluff is still much as you remember it. The sign is still in place but, alas, I don't think the bus still runs.

I live in Napier, on the East Coast of the North Island, probably one of the ports you visited.

Loony