Keep Right on to the End of the Road (literally).

Today was the first time the bikes were used in anger, when we left Westport and cycled 62 miles north to the most northerly settlement on the west coast (or the Last Resort) as it bills itself.  The first 30 miles were more or less flat, the next 20 certainly weren't and the last section was flat again. We started up a road that at times appeared to be actually below sea level, sandwiched between mountains on the right and the sea on the left. We went through townships which were once prosperous mining communities, but are now reduced to trying to keep the population from dwindling any further. A classic case was Granity, where there is a primary school, a Community Police Office (not permanently staffed), a Volunteer Fire Station, a library open 3 hours a week, a theatre (see photo below) a museum (closed), 2 art galleries (closed), a judo club, a Pensioners Club, a Fundraising Office (shut), a Community Hall and a Community book exchange. What it didn't have was anywhere you could buy a pint of milk or loaf of bread. I'm assuming the surfeit of halls was due to stuff being abandoned when the mines closed.

Onwards up the road we arrived at Mokinahu (or something similar, it's not on the map). There we found a cafe selling wonderful homemade cakes to be enjoyed with mugs of tea or coffee - perhaps unsurprisingly we were the only customers. After this we turned inland and were soon climbing over Karamea Bluff, a fair climb but nothing outrageously steep, but the cloud had broken up and the sun was beating down, so it felt harder than it should have done. We rolled down the other side, back to the flat and then to our surprise found ourselves going up and over again.  We finally made it back to the coast and carried on to Karamea - The Last Resort.  This is an odd place (population 575), but it pales into insignificance compared to our accommodation!  

I'm not sure where to start, but let's say that the description of the place I booked on booking.com bears little if any resemblance to where we are. Imagine a small holiday unit by the sea that has not been touched since the 1970s and you will have some idea. The carpet is going to give me nightmares and the TV is a collectors piece, even the mugs we are drinking out of advertise Vavoline, which I am reliably told was an engine oil used in the 60s - the same era as the fridge! Hoping it stays dry tonight as the ceiling is bulging where the damp patch is..........  The only TV programme C could find initially was the muppets!!

We walked up to the only small supermarket and were unable to construct a meal from its contents that could be processed on the ancient equipment provided - the promised stovetop and oven are conspicuous by their absence.  As a result we had to go to the local hotel to eat and sample some local beer / wine. It's a hard life but someone has to do it!!  I was going to give you some snippets from the local paper but Chris appears to have trashed it with a collapsing nectarine, so I will leave that for now except to report that the only crime worthy of note (????) in the last month was that of 2 cars going off the road (allegedly) but failing to be found after 2 hours - police, fire service, ambulance and a nurse attended, which is the entire emergency personnel of the area.  You find your fun where you can round here........ 

Photos include the West Coast's answer to the West End, Granity Library, an interesting bike stand, coffee stop at the Old Boiler and some scenery