Tag 28 - West Coast Wilderness Trail (Part II)

The night on the sofa bed was excellent! Even though Bryan and Dave's friend's living room seems a bit strange. He is a hunter and apparently pursues his hobby quite intensively. Instead of a 'normal' carpet, there are cases of two foxes that he shot in Europe, as a replacement on the floor, and on the wall, there is a stuffed deer head. Breakfast was short for me as I had a few kilometers to go to Hokitika or Ross today. Since I'm finishing my bike tour in Christchurch, I will meet Bryan there again.

The way to Cowboy's Paradise initially followed a large lake and later a stream, before it became significantly steeper. Upon arriving at the farm, I enjoyed the view of the valley with a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, on the descent on the gravel road, I overlooked a deep pothole, which caused a screw on the rear luggage rack suspension to break. Fortunately, the screw head broke off and did not cause any damage to the frame. I rode the approximately 30 kilometers to Hokitika 'with the handbrake on'. Unfortunately, all shops were closed on Sunday afternoon. So I asked at the local gas station. The young owner went into his private cellar and brought out a suitable screw. With that, I could continue the missing 26 kilometers to Ross. There I camped between the highway and a hotel. The sanitary facilities looked terrible, but oh well. You also have something like that. As it was getting dark, I asked the owner if he had something to eat in the pub attached to the hotel. He took me to the hotel dining room and said I could have the leftovers from the hotel guests' buffet for 5 dollars. It was a veritable feast compared to the past weeks! Salted potatoes, broccoli casserole, and venison goulash, along with a soup as an appetizer. I spent the evening playing darts with three other Germans and a New Zealander.

Tomorrow I will continue towards Ross.