Maybe I should not be so smart and write this up mid afternoon... After you left me last I was sitting on a log on Farewell Spit with a very uncomfortable feeling in my shorts. I had just posted the last blog when along the beach comes one of my fellow backpackers... a long haired rocker called Jorgen the German. He was the guy who nipped ahead of me the day before and nabbed the washing machine just before I got my 2 loads in there. Hence why I was pegging it out at 11pm. He is forgiven though.. Anyhow I said “hi” to him and we ended up chatting for nearly an hour. Another fascinating person who of course has a tale to tell. The jammy so and so lives in his car mainly in NZ for three months and then saves up from his job as either a record collector or agent.. what ever that is for the other nine months. He said he like spending time to himself and just walking. He is also a bit like me in that litter drives him nuts.. He had three pieces of plastic in his hand the sum total of the amount of rubbish on a 10 mile stretch of sand. Again Ireland bow your heads in shame. His favourite artist and band was .... wait for it... Yeah Thin Lizzy and Phil Lynott and will make a pilgrimage to Ireland some time to worship at his heros birthplace. He gave me his e-mail fairly quickly and of course I was obliged to give him mine back.. Oh oh me thinks I may have a long haired lover from Luneburg looking for a few free nights kip!
Went from that beach to a lake about 10 miles away from there.. the name escapes me and sunbathed for 2 hours in the evening sun.. I was passed by a total of 5 cars in that time and NO one else on the beach.
Got back to the Innlet and got chatting with a roguish Frenchman called Yves and a kiwi called Richard, both cyclists who were separately spending their hols biking all over... the crazy fools!!!!! Both of course as fit as anything and comparing their distance and speed averages.. There were ruddy doing more distances than I was with 4 wheels.I am shamed to say that the 3rd x 3 litres is almost gone but I swear your honour I was assisted greatly in this one!
Up early to do the 5 hour trip to The Old Slaughter House Hostel in Hector north of Westport. Meliss is behaving herself but did go into a few hissy fits again today and was “re-calculating” while I decided to do a few un scheduled detours. Went from Innlet to PuPu Springs near Takaka. (there is an unfortunate way of naming places here) The springs are reputed to have the second purest water in the world after the antarctic with an artisan well spewing 21000 litres out per second. It was incredible. Beautiful morning as well so I was really blessed with my visit. However there was a drawback.... One thing with all that gushing water I felt a bit of a need to release a few litres myself.. Coffee is definately my enemy and I could not bear to head into the composting toilet in Innlet Hostel prior to leaving this morning. In this Pupu, they are paranoid about any contamination of the water and there are warning notices everywhere not to touch, wash, swim, pets or children also not allowed to be left unleashed etc in it. This also was the first palce that I did NOT encounter a public loo so I had to scarper behind a few trees...... well away from any watercourse and other passing gawping tourists ( I am a responsible environmeltalist/ non exhibitionist after all!) and hope that there were no security cameras!
Drove through the most incredible scenery to get here like gorges and mountains and then was welcomed into the area of Westport which had a sign saying “Welcome all..” Population 6000.... yes that was thousand and not hundred thousand in an area about 30 miles wide and about 70 miles. The area of the West Coast has only 1% of NZ population in a land area of 9%. The south island only has 1 million people.
Just out of Westport I saw a sign saying beach lots for sale so took yet another detour.. I happened on another incredible beach Carters Beach and there was just me and a fisherman on it. I walked 5 miles and he was the only other one there in that time!. Another incredible landscape with lots of trees embedded into the sand. Loads more pics taken to bore ye with.
Got to the Old Slaughter House around 6pm and the deal is you have to drop your car in the carpark and David the Kiwi with his German wife Ina will come down the track to collect your gear on the quad bike and you hike up the hill. The hostel is all wooden on stilts and david said he got the idea when he was in Ireland on a five week holiday and stayed 5 months. I never saw a place like this at home so I think he was taking a bit of poetic licence. What can I say but THE most incredible view looking out west and the setting sun. I am now writing this sitting on the verandah and listening to the waves crashing 100 metres below and being savaged by the fecking sandflies.. I will have more lumps on me than a pubscesent teenager with acne!!!
One last thing... I got to read the GB Weekly last night.. (Golden Bay Newspaper) There was a full page on crime in the area since the previous week. Some of the crimes included a guy who was taking the dust caps off tyres of cars.. A French guy who never paid his DOC ( Dept of Conservation) fee for staying in a mountain hut for one night.. about €15! And finally the most dastardly of crimes... the police were looking for a guy who was moving traffic cones in a car park for the laugh! He is still on the loose!
Can we swop some of our guys for these please??
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