Shortbread Cottage is another slightly odd BBH guesthouse. Our double room is adjoining the main building so we have to "step outside" to get to the toilet and shower. In this case the toilet and shower are, if you imagine, in the utility room of the main house which doubles as the office and therefore[?] adjoins the kitchen and dining area. The sound of the industrial strength washing machine didn't wake me but it certainly kept me awake. When I went in for a shower I had no sooner checked the shower was free, turned to put my shampoo (yes, I still use some) and soap down and a breakfaster had leapt to her feet to close the outside door. She was dressed [warm enough] to cross the Alps and was around the corner from the door and I was in a pair of shorts. She obviously had some problem brewing. I wouldn't mind but she failed to close the door herself and I had to do it for her.
We would have shot off quite quickly but had to wait for someone to hand the keys over to. It turned out to be the owner bloke who seemed genuinely pleased that someone had actually left the keys behind. Unfortunately we got stuck in small talk.
We were heading up the north road to Collingwood, pretty near the top but it's a slow road and the weather was overcast with low cloud again. We stopped at Waikoropupu Springs (commonly called Pu Pu Springs) which the map declared to be the world's largest freshwater spring. It's a pretty big spring though a touch hard to identify, mostly visible as an upwelling. The site notes there are at least sixty larger freshwater springs around the globe. It is the clearest, though. It claims the only clearer water is under the Ross Ice shelf in Antarctica. Doubtless there is some clever test with which they demonstrate this important fact. You're not allowed to scuba dive in the main pool as it's sacred [water] (I can't say that the thought had occurred) but you are allowed to drift dive the Fish Creek. When we were there, the Fish Creek ran a couple of inches over fist sized rocks so I can't see much point [in diving] but there's obviously enough interest to warrant a special code of conduct and extra noticeboards.
None of which can be said of Collingwood, an old gold mining town of which no evidence was forthcoming. Time running out -- it's a long drive to Greymouth -- we forewent the trip to the very top [of the South Island] and headed back south. The continuing low cloud induced a state of narcolepsy in me and I'm afraid I can't recount much of the rest of the journey. Luckily, I wasn't driving.
Greymouth, on the other hand, had had the best day in the country and the clouds parted as we followed the Grey River in. Neptune International is an old hotel and quite comfortably done. Again it is a BBH hostel rather than a YHA. The YHAs seem chock-a-block and have quite a few more vintage travellers. The New Zealand BBH seems a bit more backpacker oriented whilst retaining some comfort.
The woman noted that the local cinema was screening LOTR TTT at 12.01am tomorrow (its print had arrived today) and that the Railway Hotel did a NZ$3 BBQ. All the sausages, bread, onions and salad you can eat. We um'ed and ah'ed about the movie as it would mean going to bed at 3am and generally we've been knackered -- we need a break! But we said if it's ten bucks or less (fat chance, all the big releases have the first two weeks bumped up [in price]) we'll go for it. The notice outside suggested that all they were showing for the next two weeks was TTT and it would be NZ$9 per adult. OK, we're in. At the desk we only get charged NZ$7 each. Bargain! So first worldwide dabs at TTT and BBQ for two for NZ$20 [less than £7]. Not bad.
Of course the "world famous" BBQ isn't the best but it was simple earthy nutrition as good as a traveller expects. Ever one to look a gift horse in the mouth I tempt Fate by "upgrading" to the fillet of steak (plus BBQ) for NZ$8 and Fate slaped me in the chops with a warmed up piece of rubber.
In the meanwhile the hip'n'happenin' sons of Greymouth impress us with their souped up Fords and others with quick bursts of revs and the occaisional burst of speed along the local streets. This has been quite common in NZ towns and cities and must be a reflection on the kids of the cars their parents buy. As ever, the cars look similar to UK models but are generally better fitted. In NZ they like to take a sporty car, chop the boot or rear end off and replace it with a pick-up truck low-loader. With or without a hard top. I suppose given the rural and farming nature of NZ, that it's the local equivalent of people in the UK buying 4x4s and taking the kids to school or going to Sainsbury's.
Nelson had a few supermarkets but I've not spotted one in Greymouth, yet. This will disprove my theory on how Kiwi's eat, that perhaps the rural folks make weekly or monthly trips to a supermarket and stock up. The trouble is, Greymouth is a good four hours from a supermarket of any size back Nelson way. People can't make all-day trips out of it, can they? Their ice cream would melt...
Neptune International, Greymouth S42.44749 E171.20477 Elev. -43m!
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.