Wilderness Trail - Hokitika to Cowboy Paradise – 17 January 2021

 

We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof.  When we looked out the window there was definitely a lot of water falling out of the sky. The weather forecast had it raining for the remainder of our bike ride but skies were clear when we went to bed so we were hopeful that the forecast was wrong.  Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed.  

Staying dry for as long as possible

 The rain eased by the time we walked over to the dining room to get our breakfast.  Apart from a couple of brief bursts of rain by the time we left the accommodation, the rain had eased almost completely.  We were told not to go to Cowboy Paradise before 2pm and we were happy to delay leaving.  So we headed into Hokitika and found a  nice café to have a coffee and catch-up on the news. 

Hokitika River mouth behind Bev

Just as we were leaving the café a couple of local cyclists rode in and one started talking to Bev relating yet another tale about Cowboy Paradise and its owner.  None of which was positive, including a pending drug case, guns and a few other issues.  The man said that he would have lent us a tent on his property (if he had one) rather than recommend staying there.  One of the guests at our accommodation the night before said she had been recommended to be shuttled back to Hokitika  instead of staying there.  So it was with some trepidation and fascination about what our experience would be like that we went to Cowboy Paradise. 

After we left Hokitika we followed the road to Lake Kaniere before turning off at Huruniu Jacks for the off road trail.  There we met three people who were doing the trail and had just been at Cowboy Paradise.  They were more forgiving of the man except that we were warned about his volatile nature and not to discuss Trump or Covid-19. 

The trail took us through some pretty bush and along a water race that fed water to a small hydro system.  It was narrow and we had been told to take it carefully because  some accidents had  occurred when people had met others coming the other way.  We could see why, so took our time to ensure we were safe.  It was quite an engineering feat that had been completed in the 1920’s and is still operating.

The water race track

 

More of the waterace

The track took us out by Lake Kaniere which looked bit grey due to the lack of sunlight. Nonetheless it was rather magnificent. It started to spit then so on went the wet weather gear again.

Lake Kaniere

The track took us up over the pass on a gravel road.  As we progressed the rain got harder and harder and I am sure we may have experienced a bit of hail.  Then it was downhill for a little way.  At Milltown which is on the Arahura river flats we sheltered for a few moments.  The shelter is the only remnant of what had been a milling town. 

After lifting our bikes over an iron gate that would not budge, we began climbing a series of switchbacks again.   This continued for about four kilometres and seemed relentless.  However, the flora seemed like a large garden that had been left to grow wild.  Finally we were on a slightly more forgiving gradient and then Cowboy Paradise hove into view.  The owner (Mike) welcomed us and gave some rules about what we could and could not do.

Looking back toward the Arahura River

Did we ride up that!

After showering we went for a drink and to wait for dinner.  Present in the Saloon were a couple of guys who would not have been out of place in a movie like Deliverance.  One of them said to me as a greeting “you look like a policeman”.  I guess having a bald head, being freshly showered and shaved I could have been mistaken for one, although I would be too old now.

 By the time dinner was served buffet style for four of us, Mike’s mood had changed dramatically  and when one of the other guests inadvertently tipped the salt shaker over and spilt rock salt over the table, he was not that pleased and begrudgingly cleaned it up.  Later I bravely asked about whether the conditions on the track would be ok tomorrow due to the rain he gave a gruff retort: “you can see it is alright by looking out the window”!.  It seemed the fact that it was raining heavily at the time was clearly not an indicator of flooding and I had been impertinent to even ask the question.  Subsequently none of us was very keen to ask what time breakfast would be served.

On the walls of the saloon were a confederate flag as well as a “Trump 2020 Keep America Great” flag.  Clearly asking about his beliefs was probably not advisable.

So Cowboy Paradise is an interesting experience with the host having a  part Basil Fawlty persona and also  being part paranoid Trump supporting conspiracy theorist.  Makes for an interesting place to stay.

Mama Weka with her chick (one of four)