Daily Photo – Nightcaps

The town of Nightcaps was a disappointment.
As a garment (please stick with me here), the nightcap dates back to around the 14th century Northern Europe where indoor heating was absent and caps were worn in bed to keep the head warm. 

Back when I was planning this trip and I spread out a map of the South Island on the living room floor, Nightcaps was one of the towns that caught my eye. Naturally, I’d assumed the residents of the town had chosen the name as a way to celebrate the famed piece of night attire, and that it would be written into the town charter that all local residents had to wear one, day or night. So, you can imagine my disappointment when upon arrival not a nightcap was to be seen. There were plenty of swandries, red-band gumboots, utes covered in mud and working farm dogs noisily yapping away, but not a nightcap to be seen. For a moment, I speculated that the name might be because all the town’s residents get up at midnight, have a belt of whiskey and return to bed. However, I wasn’t prepared to hang around for seven or so hours to confirm my suspicion so I pressed on.

The town was pleasant and had all the facilities you’d expect to find in a small rural town. As I passed through I imagined it being delightful, slowly moving and charming in the height of summer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t summer. It was the middle of winter on a cold and gray Thursday evening.