By the numbers
18,019 steps
12.47kms
Today is the day that I leave Whakatane and head to the next
place of Huntly. The morning was cloudy and slightly chilly. I soon went
hunting down food and coffee where on my return found that I had been locked
out. Luckily one of the cleaners let me back in asking if I had been given a
keycode and I said no and that today is my last day, which is true. I do go
within a couple of hours on the bus that takes me all over the country side. I
am still reading the Sword of Shannara and luckily I left that in the room.
Consulting the website for the Whakatane Motel, I found I was meant to be
charged a $20 key deposit, which I was not. Needing to check the bus services
to see if everything was alright and found that the bus going from Christchurch
to Picton was going through the Lewis Pass. It does look very scenic and now I
want to go through. Seems a few things in Wellington are shut at the moment, so
luckily I am not going through here like in my original plan that was to stop
in Wellington and go up. The cleaners came back asking if they could vacuum my
room out as they did not have much work to do. I let them as I was nearly all
packed and that I had also stripped the bed for them too.
Waiting for the bus was actually a little funny when it
started raining and everyone moved to the shelter to wait. The driver once he
had arrived gave off a laugh when I told him I was going to Huntly. The ride
was following the rain most of the way until we stopped in Rotorua and I
actually seen a Spyder that had the name Red Baron. I only knew this as I
stalked the bike around the corner from the information centre. There wasn’t much
to do on the bus other than giggle at a tantrum throwing kid as the father was
getting frustrated. I had someone besde me since Rotorua and when we stopped
for a pee break in Hamilton we changed sides so it would be easier for me to
get out at Huntly as he was going to Auckland.
The trouble began once I got off the bus in Huntly. It wasnt
the town itself, but the hotel I was staying at. I had my reservations about
this place as I had received a strange email back with just room 25 and the
dates that I had wanted. The guy at reception asked if I had been given a price
and that I could be charged anything. Turns out it was a booking, but the owner
thinking they were helpful got to the email before everyone else. The system
did not record the booking so there was not anything other than what I had with
no signature. I was beginning to get a little worried, but hoped something
would get sorted out or else I would have to sort something else out and I do
not know what this other plan would be. The room number that I had been given
had given to someone else so I was given a room with six single beds nicknamed
the party room and this place was not a hostel either. Plus I later found I had
towels with all shower accessories. I was happy with this though at least I
have a room for two nights, but that was not the end of the drama that I would
discover.
I wanted to get a decent map and a little out of town was a
information centre though I didn’t mind the late afternoon walk. It just meant
that I had to keep an eye on the time or else it would be dark before I knew
it. The people in Huntly do seem to be a strange lot. The first thing on my way
I found was a memorial to the Ralph mine disaster in 1914 and a building had
been built right next door over the mine entrance as a memorial, which was
different. I did find the information centre five minutes before it closed. I
learnt the museum that I wanted to visit was now closed. I didn’t quite believe
the lady until I found the museum, yet it never said anything on the website.
The land the museum was on was for sale and the information on the door said it
was closed for around 3 years. The afternoon wasn’t really a loss at all since
I wandered the cemetery wondering what a red and a yellow flower was around certain
graves. I did have another poppy flower to compare them with, but these were
not poppies as they were pointing out the location of the Ralph mine disaster
in 1914 as it was just over the centenary of the event. It made the whole thing
easy to find the graves and it was different to those who had died during a war
and not what I was expecting.
The town of Huntly is interesting, although I have heard
that tomorrow will be will be pretty wet. If it is like that then I will have
to stay inside as I don’t want to get wet and there isn’t that much to do in
Huntly, but I was told about a walk I can do and have a map so will see what is
local or just have a rest day if the weather is actually wet.
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