NEPTUNE’S INTERNATIONAL BACKPACKERS, 43 GREESON ST, $47
Cloudy at first, becoming sunnier, then cloud again
The “little party” that the host mentioned in passing on checking in yesterday was a major eardrum-bursting disco that lasted until about 3 in the morning. Which was not impressive. Can’t understand how hosts let this thing go on and then shrug their shoulders afterwards. Anyway there was no one at the reception to buy back their key, so that key got surreptitiously lost.
Into town to view the library, which was not open on a Sunday, then to a café for two fried eggs and a flat white for $16. Then it was along the road in the direction of Christchurch, past Maruia Falls where I stopped for a picture of the waterfall – and a couple of canoeists shooting over the top. Continuous shooting worked relatively well for this as long as raw shooting is turned off. Plenty of sandflies, though, and the DEET had to be applied.
At Springs Junction took the SH 7 to Reefton and stopped again at a set of tracks to an abandoned gold mine and a monument to NZ’s 1500 m winner at the 1936 Olympics. Reefton followed soon afterwards and I took a major break for photos and bought a pie ($4) for lunch which I ate at a layby just out of town. Also photographed the “Town of Light” sign as best I could.
Tearooms, Reefton
Town of Light, Reefton
Then it was on to this backpackers in Greymouth, where I arrived at around 2. Very nice place, a bit on the dead side of town (sea end of the dike) but very pleasant. Settled into my room and took a nap of a couple of hours to catch up on last night’s deficit while the computer processed images from the first two days of the Abel Tasman Track. Then it was a question of organising some stuff for tomorrow’s breakfast, and scout around for possibilities of replacing the missing camera adapter, or, failing that, buying a new tripod. A couple of electronics/camera shops in town, but none open; then tried the Warehouse, which had two lightweight tripod models for $30 and $50. At least these adapters have the pin in the right place, so if Noel Leeming has nothing better (or Dick Smith, for that matter), I’ll replace the old device with the $30 tripod, which appears to be the right fit.
Dinner was chicken fried rice for $12 from a Thai place – not much else on offer in the centre of town, and I was walking. Meal was OK.
Now I just need to find my little notebooks and most things will be back in order. My nextdoor neighbour is an American computer programmer who has just returned from the Milford Track – he was on the posh tour.