KEY POINTS:
Foxy has worked at Monteith's brewery for 42 years. When he was 16, he rocked up, got a job - and never left.
Sitting at his post near the boiler is his well-worn armchair and side table, which have been there for 35 of those 42 years. Not a lot has changed for Foxy in that time, although he's pretty grateful that the boiler he's in charge of is now computerised - meaning no more shovelling coal.
West Coaster Leanne, the brewery tour guide, has told us all about Foxy (nicknames seem to be rife at the brewery - Chicken, Pixie, Na-na ... ) and he looks positively bewildered by the attention he gets when he eventually strolls up - "There he is!", "It's Foxy!" "Can we get a picture of you in your chair, Foxy?" City folk.
We're in Greymouth on the South Island's wild West Coast. And the brewery staff are just some of the characters who pepper this trip with local flavour.
The first Coaster we meet is our coach driver/tour guide, Matthew Lysaght, from Kea Heritage tours. (Turns out Matthew actually grew up in Christchurch, but what he doesn't know about the West Coast isn't worth knowing.)
As we first set off from Christchurch airport on the other side of the island, we're all a little on edge about how far we'll get. Storms rocked parts of the South the day before and many of the passes have been closed. If I was nervous, I soon learn there's no need to be. Matt knows these roads inside and out. And every possible story that goes with them.
My first glimpse of the Southern Alps is a shrouded one; the mist is low and heavy as the bus manoeuvres the slopes.
Spectacular sights aren't scarce in this part of the country, and the valleys and basins we pass through on our way through the Alps to Greymouth keep me awake, despite the red-eye start from Auckland.
Later that evening, there's more impressive scenery on the way out of Greymouth to Punakaiki - the home of the famed Pancake Rocks. They're quite a sight and the camera gets a good workout as we follow the path around to view the phenomenon of sea, wind and rain-battered limestone.
If you're out this way, stop in for a meal or drink at the Punakaiki resort with its gorgeous beach views. Our experience there is hosted by Monteith's and involves a dynamic, diminutive beer expert called Beth extolling the joy of food and beer matching. She's right - my appreciation of my steak was undoubtedly heightened accompanied by a malty, rich glass of Monteith's Black.
The next evening, there is more beer appreciation - this time to celebrate 140 years of Monteith's.
Pint-sized Beth is the company's National Beer Quality Manager, and after a few cold ones we put her to the test by giving her blind tastings of the brews that are her living. She passes. Even when we put all available varieties in the same glass. Respect.
Speaking of anniversaries, we happen to be around for another momentous one while down south - Reefton, population 1000, 79km from Greymouth, is celebrating 120 years of power. This fairly isolated little town was the very first in the southern hemisphere to publicly supply electricity.
Something to be proud of, but not quite the path to bigger things that Walter Prince, a British engineer and Reefton resident, thought it might be when he announced 120 years ago: "Reefton is racing forward to being on a par with cities such as New York, London and Vienna - capable of leading the way forward with electricity thanks to the progressive and forward-thinking individuals that call Reefton home."
The townsfolk we encounter are all looking back rather than forward. Two local women greet us at the Bearded Mining Company, dressed in period costume specially for the celebrations.
The bearded guys who run the venture - a replica 1860s mining hut - lend character to an authentic 19th century experience. Here you can see how miners lived when they came to the region in droves hoping to strike gold. I'm more interested in the cup of tea we're made on the billy, manuka leaves added straight from a tree, and the home-made scones.
Hunger sated, we take a jaunt about town with our costumed ladies. Stopping in at the local hotel for a beer, just for a change, we are regaled with more fascinating Reefton history, this time of a ghostly nature. As the story goes, in the early 1900s a man committed suicide in one of the hotel's rooms after being refused credit for beer in the downstairs bar. The locals say that the curtain now twitches periodically and the room is colder than the others.
For all its history, progress hasn't escaped Coasters. We pass one of New Zealand's only herd of buffalo on our trip out to Punakaiki and wasabi farming is also conducted around these parts.
Matt shares an interesting theory with me on our last day about how the personality of a region is formed - that the type of terrain where you're brought up shapes your approach to life.
Wild beaches, rugged mountains and lush bush - no wonder West Coasters are such an interesting bunch.
Nikki Birrell was a guest of DB Breweries.
Getting there: Air New Zealand has flights to Hokitika via Christchurch everyday except Tuesday. See www.airnewzealand.co.nz.
More information: Kea Heritage runs custom tours to a range of South Island destinations, including one from Christchurch to the West Coast. Go to www.keatours.co.nz for further information. Monteith's Greymouth brewery tours run daily - visit www.monteiths.co.nz.
To find out more about Reefton and the Bearded Mining Company contact www.reefton.co.nz.
