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Tue 2nd Dec Nelson to Westport
We left Nelson this morning with a new bus driver JB and headed towards the Nelson Lakes National Park, stopping off in Richmond for some supplies for lunch. We then drove on and parked up at the stunning Lake Rotoiti for a small walk and then lunch. After my mammoth walk the previous day I opted to stay by the lake and got out of the coach to just sit by it. I was soon back in my seat when I realised just how many sandflies there were here. Unfortunately somebody had left the coach door open though, so by the time everyone came back from the walk the whole bus was swarming with them. What followed was how can only be described as a mass sandfly massacre. It was chaos, with people using flip flops as weapons and really going for these poor flies. Mind you they do bite so not so much sympathy. When it was all over, the windows were smeared in squashed flies. Nice. No swimming in this lake, it was absolutely freeeezing. We carried on to Murchison for an ice cream and then travelled down the Buller Gorge, which is one of the most scenic drives in the South Island. Before we hit our destination of Westport that evening, there was a chance to hop off and do some activities such as quad biking and horse riding. I passed on this opportunity as even though it would be fun to do, I don't have an endless supply of money unfortunately and have to pass up on some things.
We arrived into Westport, an old gold and coal mining town, early evening and there wasn't really much to do so we went to the supermarket to get some stuff for dinner and settled in for the night. In fact the place we were staying was a loely place to relax, the kitchen was really homely and the units were ace. It was 6 to a unit with a tv and tea and coffee making facilities. It's the little things. We watched some rubbish film with Jessica Alba and then went to bed (Kate and I shared a double bed to save money, but don't think the lesbians we were sharing the unit with were too pleased as they had to have bunk beds!)
Wed 3rd Dec Westport to Lake Mahinapau
This morning we headed down the spectacular State Highway 6 which is 435 km long and runs along the Tasman shoreline all the way to Haast Junction. It was a very beautiful drive but most it I spent typing up my blog on Elizabeth's laptop. Honestly, it's like doing homework again! We stopped for a couple of walks including the Truman Track and the Pororari River as well as the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks. There are so many seriously good cafes in New Zealand all with delicious looking home made food and the Pancake Rocks cafe where we stopped for lunch was no different. Unfortunately due to budget constraints I was STILL eating tomato, cheese and vegemite sandwiches and resisted the urge to stuff my face with home made quiche or yummy looking pies.. Next stop was Greymouth to shop for costumes for that night's party at the Poo Pub (more on that later). We had been given the chance to think of themes for the party and then we had to vote for our favourite. in the end it was between a red colour themed party and 'anything but clothes goes,' the latter got it. So off we went in search of cheap and novel outfits that were different from everyone elses, a difficult task considering we were all going to the only 2 cheap shops in the area. Kate and I were racking our brains for something genius but it never came to us and we were on a tight budget so we bought a roll of Christmas wrapping paper, some gold bows and string and some tinsel. Greymouth is where you could also purchase some of the famous NZ stone Pounamu (or Nephrite jade), which has a huge significance to Maori people and you often see people wearing pendants made of this stone. The stone comes from the valley of the Arahura River , in fact it is such a hard rock that any harder and it would apparently be classed as a gem.
We arrived in the late afternoon at our destination for the night, 10km south of Lake Mahinapau. Our home for the evening was the Mahinapau Hotel, affectionately known as the Poo Pub (due to the abbreviation and pronunciation of Mahinapau) run by the legendary Les Lisle who, according to JB, is approximately 135 years old. The accommodation was basic to say the least, it consisted of those works units with a few bunk beds, bed covers were extra. There was a simple toilet block covered in moths and cockroaches and then the actual pub itself. It was covered in photographs from every single Kiwi Experience party (these must go on 4 or 5 times weekly and have been doing for years) that had ever happened there. There was a buffet that night with Les' famous venison stew, steak and sausages along with loads of pasta salad etc. Then it was time to change into our costumes for the party and head to the bar. There was one girl who had wrapped herself in black duct tape, a guy who had bought a huge green furry cuddly toy from the Salvation Army and used it as a loin cloth(?) and Gareth who had made shoes out of oven gloves and managed to make himself look a little like a terrorist!! It was a good night with lots of drinking and the boat race drinking game. We had to get into groups of five and give ourselves a name. Along with the OC girls and Hannah we became Team Thirsty. Thanks to our secret weapon of Kate (who has no gag reflex) and the fact that none of the lads thought we could drink like fish, we won our first race. This continued throughout the night until we were in the final and won with a landslide victory. Apparently we were the only all girl team in the history of these parties to win, and the lads were none too happy about this!
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