Day 22 Reefton to Greymouth

Day 22 Reefton to Greymouth

86 kms in 7hrs 40 ascent 376 m

Heart rate average bpm 91 64/116

Sunday Morning Sidewalk
Chris Kristofferson

Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head it didn't hurt.

And the beer I had for breakfast didn't hurt

And I fumbled in my closet for my cleanest dirty shirt

Then I stumbled down the stairs to meet the day

All true except it was beans for breakfast and my neck giving me grief. It is my only complaint apart from the sores on my Achilles caused by sand and grit chaffing in my sandals. I've changed to trainers and socks but still...

My neck is so bad I have trouble drinking from a bottle and tilt back gingerly. I have to stop sometimes if crossing the road or looking for traffic. Nurse Carole gave me a consultation this morning and I know the max dose to wrong out of Prescription Voltarin if the last of the ibuprofen doesn't kick in tonight.

Today was a pearler...easy riding, lots of photo stops, engaging chats and arrived at a spick and span Top 10 in east time. The only rider I saw was Brad who last time was cooling off under a lawn sprinkler on a front lawn in Taumarunui's baking heat. He was on a mission to get to a bike shop as am I but they are all closed so a late start tomorrow. I photographed some old houses in Reefton the first place in NZ to have power, a few river scenes, the Inangahua which was a trickle at the top of the saddle yesterday and flows into the Buller then out at Westport and the little Grey and big Grey, which are named after Governor Grey, and flows out to the sea at Greymouth, hence it's name.

I rolled easily through the country and only a few ups, some of which I stitched up zigging and zagging giving the satellite tracking a fit and making it look like I'm stitching the lines on the road together. There's little camber on the road so easy to do but sometimes because of my gear troubles I had to walk, a mart 5 to 5.5 kmph, quite a respectable speed and a relief for the bum and some leg muscles. I clambered up these massive bales of grass, 15x19x2- a whole lot of grass. 

I had elevenses in Ikamatua where I was supposed to turn off but didn't because of the gears. As an afterthought when I left I asked a couple of teenagers ambling along what the town meant. One had no idea and the other hadn't lived there long enough to know! (A pathetic excuse) I think I may have fluffed the pronunciation and said Ihumatoa, anyhow the manager of the tearooms was on to it although her staff didn't know. It meant 'big fish'. Dammit, I should have worked that out for myself. I shall never forget, and if the signs were in both languages a lot of other people would remember too. I suggested perhaps it referred to eels and remembered a storm about the New Years boat races at Lake Rotoiti, not too far away. A speed boat had lost its propeller. They were expensive. A diver sent down to find it. He was greeted by some massive eels and came up so quickly he got the bends. Eels will bite humans and are protected in Nelson Lakes Park.

Down the road was Totara Flat and an old stage post, accommodation house. You can see the stained glass sign if you look carefully. They were usually built close to the road because horses don't generally move too quickly. Across the road was a lovely garden of dahlias and crazy wind spinners. On cue the mallard started flapping because he was pointing into the breeze, no stamina though, only did a couple of flaps, not enough to achieve lift off.

I ran into Jeanette and Craig Edwards of Opotiki, who knew friends of mine. Ahaura the town should be pronounced Ahaurua, although he acknowledged regional variations in pronunciation, the historical display in the park carried no mention of Maori or the derivation of the name. I asked a woman but she was a visitor but found out quickly... The place of the meeting of many rivers. That makes sense. Maybe we could do the same with the Grey and the Buller or the Avon. I'm getting worked up. I'd better finish my beer and meal...

The locals are friendly, really despite evidence to the contrary. The first hut was at where I thought cousin Myrtle's swing bridge went across. There was a camp oven and cast iron fry pan inside but hadn't cooked bacon and eggs for a long time. There was a suspicious amount of polythene piping lying around suggesting a grow operation so I kept my eyes open for trip wires, bear traps and, hidden pits and backed out. The second I had seen in the main street of Reefton and again today. I stepped off my bike for a photo. A couple were sitting on the porch. I raised my hand and cried" I come in peace." Something was muttered, had they no sense of humour, was he reaching for his rifle a hole already built out back for the next victim. I was gone, the road pointed downhill, they would never catch me.

I made Greymouth and began reconnaissance for the bike shop hoping to beat Brad who I had just passed again. Kids were doing amazing feats on their bicycles. I bullied them into a group ride, they obliged with several takes from both directions. I thanked them and retired to the cafe for directions to Top10 Holiday Park (Time on Reconnaissance) They were flummoxed with questions about direction, the definition of frappe (banana), I bought one anyway, or where Cape Reinga or Bluff were. Free wifi? They told me the pass, they knew that alright, they told me to use my phone directions but I cunningly averted I had run out of minutes. 

I sat outside sipping and musing on how good life was. The Police turned up. He bawled the kids out and took names although he seemed to already know. I roused myself and still sipping my frappe ambled over told him it was my fault because I egged them on.

They performed cunning tricks behind his back. I offered him a frappe because it was hot and he looked like he could do with one, being with all that gear, a mask on, a blazing hot day and some old lunatic sticking his oar in and defending to the town delinquents. Perhaps the weird look because he didn't know what a frappe was? He declined. I sent off a massive file of photos to Krystal my blog site manager and cruised along to Top 10. The showers have tiling. I am in heaven. The surfs up. I snap some sunset photos and am in the Australasian sun enjoying a Speights, cheese cake and beef burger and bacon hamburger all served with a Top10 discount. Life doesn't get any better than this. Goodnight.