Day 7 – Springs Junction – St Arnaud 160km
Hot canned spaghetti for breakfast, courtesy of Peter’s Motel microwave. Had a fairly average sleep – waking at regular intervals with trucks manoevering outside the Motel. Just after 7am I left, bidding Peter farewell. His Dad was coming over from Christchurch to pick him up.
It was misty & drizzly as I took the first gravel road of the day – a road named on the Cue Sheet as one thing, yet the signpost gave an entirely different name. About 200m in there is an obvious clearing in the bush on the left hand side – Peter & co bivvy spot I’d say. I dispatched this road fairly quickly & rejoined the main highway to Maruia.
The drizzle turned to light rain as I stopped at the Maruia Cafe – has camping/Motels attached. Looked better than Springs Junction, although the Cafe had an ambience that would have been more at home in Ponsonby or Parnell than in the middle of effectively nowhere. Ham & cheese omelette (my relationship with eggs ended after this), toast & decent coffee were devoured at moderate speed, watching to see if the rain would set in or ease.
Happily setting off (rain easing) it was up the Maruia Saddle on a ‘Simon’ detour off the main highway which would last all the way to Murchision. I’d had a vague hope of getting to Wakefield tonight, but the combination of hills, a very slow surface & lethargy after a broken night’s sleep saw this slipping away. At least the rain had stopped & the sky was clearing. The descent off the Saddle was fun, but not that fast – lots of fords, where water from the mountain streams just picked its own course across the road.
Murchison and a decent cafe. For some reason again I was back to not feeling hungry, so didn’t eat as much as I probably should have. Ended up eating something really sweet & having a second coffee to try & kick start things, as all I wanted to do was sleep.
After hearing that others had struggled on the Porika Track (Braeburn is mellow – but hilly), I elected to take the road route (longer) to St Arnaud. I’d picked up a basic AA South Island map back at Jacksons, so I could at least be a little informed about route choice.
From here it was just a grovel. One of those days when the body just doesn’t fire. I gave up waiting for the caffeine & sugar to kick in (it never did) and just ground my way onwards. Around 5ish I reached the turnoff for St Arnaud. It was getting cold & rain was threatening. Quick jacket & snack stop, then onwards, making better progress for the next 20 minutes or so.
The road started to climb – I was heading back up, rather than continuing down to Nelson’s sea level. A lot of small inclines and false flats, following a river upstream (meaning I was definitely climbing) until the mother of all straight roads loomed. Very, very, very long and reasonably flat, it just stretched waaaay off into the distance. I was in open country now and an annoying side/head wind popped up, meaning there was nothing for it but to hunker down on the aerobars, tuck my head down and hope it would all end soon. It did – round a corner and I found myself onto the mother in-law of all straight roads. Longer than the last and with the wind definitely less from the side and more from the front, it was awful. I entertained myself watching the front tyre go round – until I felt completely disorientated & slightly ill (try it sometime, it is a bit odd – focussing on the tyre tread while the road slips by underneath). I just couldn’t get comfortable – not really sore, just uncomfy and definitely into “are we there yet?” mode.
Signs of life – DOC track signs mainly. I passed a sign for a campground (more on this in a sec) and continued for a bit. It had rained here recently and a low mist clagged everything in. Cold too, a definitely southerly bite to the moderate wind.
Finally, St Arnaud. It was after 7pm, I was very cold & tired. There is nothing much here at all – another sign for a DOC camping ground, a fish & chip shop, a petrol station/general store (actually well stocked) and a very flash looking Hotel/Motel/Backpacker Lodge setup (there’s also a Motel further up the road – did not discover until later).
I called in at the Takeaway store first – no immediate panic, they close at 8.30. Into the Petrol Station/General Store. I enquired about accommodation (I knew that by the time I had eaten it would be a late night mission to make it to Wakefield – and having struggled all day I thought it would be too much). Only camping to be had was a DOC site 1km from the village, but this would be full the person reckoned. It does have a hot shower though, I was informed (not much use if you can’t stay there). The other DOC camping ground is 5km back up the main road, then a few km down a gravel road. No way I was going back the way I had come! I bought a couple of snacks, ate & went across to the Backpackers across the road. No obvious Office, so went into the flash Lodge, which had a Hotel like lobby & Reception. I enquired about the Backpackers - $80 for a room. OUCH! Either that or back into the cold mist for a freezing ‘maybe’ of a close campsite, so out with the Mastercard it was. The Receptionist then assumed her best Serjeant Major role and gave me a top sheet, bottom sheet and pillowcases – “duvet is on the bed, NO sleeping bags allowed!”
Got to my room – actually not that bad, a queen size bed, cabinet, heater & duvet. I immediately broke the rules – not only failing to make the bed as instructed (I just unrolled my sleeping bag – it was easier), I also brought my bike into the room. (To be fair I only discovered the ‘no bikes’ rule AFTER I had closed my room door AFTER bringing my bike in – the sign was on the back of the door.) Bathrooms down the hall (a bit too utilitarian) and a common kitchen/dining/lounge upstairs. I got changed into warmer gear (i.e. the rest of my clothes) and headed back out to the store & takeaways for the dinner/breakfast & snack food purchases.
Ate at the Backpackers – only other residents were a German couple, who were having a break from the monotony of nights in their small campervan. Caught the weather forecast at the end of the TVNZ 7 late news – it promised clearing skies for tomorrow.
Failing the (unwritten but nonetheless undoubtedly present) cleanliness rule (I was too tired to shower) I fell onto the bed & asleep.
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