Day 23 Greymouth to Hokitika via Kumara
Up early to the sound of rain. Brad was already at the bar when I got there, he is going to beat me to the bike shop. The bar was churning water, rolling waves tearing in from all directions. I took the compulsory photo.
Brad left and Steve Jai Wozza and Matt from Westport and Christchurch turned up excited at the surf.
I asked for a photo. They asked if I was a cop. I snapped a couple off and then told them I was an ex-cop, that's why I took the photo. They laughed and turned to the surf. It was low tide and they were going to the Serpentine then back to ride the 'wedge' and explained how. I swallowed hard
When they asked what I was doing they said I was braver than them and laughed some more. Judging by the selection of tattoos a couple of them had been detained at Her Majesty's discretion. I headed off to the safety of the bike shop for minor surgery.
I had a late start as I had to get a new derailleur cable for the front changes. They left out the indicator needle during the surgery so now both indicators are broken, the other smashed in a fall has no number to indicate what gear. I started in reverse biking from top town into town and finally got away after 10. The trail was gorgeous, well maintained do lots of stops.
Kumara was closed, oops no lunch. I chatted to Mr Martini whose ancestors were from Italy and came via Australia around 1860 to goldmine.
Seeing the Kumara theatre, a resovoir resembling Mordor and a trout in a water race for the reservoir.
It reminded me that when dad was a kid he used to tickle trout or blow them, stunning them with carbide, which fizzes with water and produces gas which used to fuel miners helmets. I used to have a lovely brass one. Back then fizzy drink came in glass bottles with a funny bulging neck which contained a marble. The bottles were filled and the marle sealed the gap stopping the pressure escaping. Dad used to put too much carbide in and the bottle would explode in the river. Trout dinner. Some other riders saw a nice metre plus eel. Eels are protected in Nelson Lakes National Park. They used to have boat races at New Years and one year a boat lost an expensive brass prop. A diver was despatched and met some huge eels around the bottom and came up so quickly he got the bends. A girl at school last year showed me a photo of a friend one had latched onto. Nasty.
I climbed up and up, ate my bars and Elizabeth's hard tack rations. Like the stuff the hobbits ate, heavy as a meteorite and for emergency. Up to 317 metres at Kawhaka Pass then down to a replica town called Cowboy Paradise.
There was a row of bikes parked up outside some nice accommodation. I stepped into a cavernous bar, a group of people enjoying themselves and some fast riders relaxing outside. The owner, I presume, was looking busy in the kitchen. There were bain-maries, pots, pans, steel covers, extractors the whole kit and caboodle. He asked me what I wanted. I said anything, I was starving. He nodded at some potato crisp packets and said that was all he had. They were $6.00. I baulked at the price. Then took a packet. He whined at me, you can't eat them on their own. You'll need something to wash them down. He said the others had bought the red labelled can, Red Label. Sounded like Lion Red! They were diet coke. I took one for $4.00. I gave him a twenty and got a ten back and the feeble excuse that he didn't carry much change and this made everything simple. It would have been simpler if he'd pulled a pistol and demanded my money. I ate a few with the others then left because I was desperate to get out of the forest and to Hokitika before dark, I still had 16kms of cycle trail, 12 km of gravel road and 8 km of sealed road. It was starting to rain. I considered crushing the chips and snorting them down I was so concerned. On the way out I asked him for a photo. He grinned a toothless grin, perhaps the money was going towards dental work.
I told him Ned Kelly wasn't dead and the blasted mobile wouldn't work. Flat battery. Lucky for him, or he would have been on next week's Crimewatch, top 10 for extortion. When I hit the seal I abandoned the TA Brevet and hightailed it into Hokitika. When I texted Sam the calls lit up. My satellite tracker had run out of power and they thought I was still up in the bush, lost or worse. Hokitika was closed and locked down. I settled for a takeaway curry and was soon home for the night tucked up in bed.
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