East is East

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The east coast highway is often omitted from many travelers itineraries because it doesn’t really lead anywhere: or anywhere important, anyway. This is a real shame because the scenery is beautiful. So I am told. Torrential rainfall for the previous two days meant that I spent the journey dodging the remnants of rockslides, road slips and flooded rivers rather than admiring the views. When I did peer beyond the constantly operating windscreen wipers I saw only more rain in the distance.
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I stopped off at Brian’s Place, a dear little hostel nestled on a coastal hillside and boasting of a composting toilet and a very friendly cat. For some reason the poor weather decided to skip the village of Tolaga Bay and the sun shone invitingly on the beach. I decided to stick around for a few days. Whilst walking down the timber-strewn sands I came across the best ruins I have ever seen. I am a real fan of wrecked buildings; they seem so much more exciting than inhabited ones. This particular ruin sat in a small valley, had no roof or floor, but did have giant cathedral like arches between which sprouted woodland foliage. Oh yes, and it had a river running through its middle. I had never see anything like this before and felt I would never forgive myself unless I took a record of these remains. I shuffled along the rear ledge, four storeys above the woodland floor (much like Harold Lloyd) and started taking photos. It is always at inopportune moments that technology decides to act up. I realised my camera hadn’t taken a single shot so attempted to fix the faulty equipment from the prone position of an 18inch ledge. With my camera up and running I snapped away before heading back to the hostel and asking Brian about this unusual building. He explained that before it had fallen into disrepair it was a slaughterhouse. In the days before the inland road was built, the only method of transporting the meat was to load it onto boats (hence its position over the river), which then took the carcasses the nearby wharf where they would be shipped to merry old England. Fascinating stuff, if you like that sort of thing; which I do.
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I came across the second rudest man I have ever met whilst at Brian’s place (first prize goes to the man in a Cardiff pub who, upon my entering the pub, called me a knob for no apparent reason). This man, whom I shall call “Mr. Grumps” hailed from Japan, I think. Details are sketchy on this fellow because he decided that during his stay he would ignore me. Completely. When I tried talking to him he simply looked in another direction and carried on doing whatever he was doing. I have been ignored before but “Mr. Grumps” gets the silver medal because he and I were the only people in the hostel. And we were roommates. Fortunately, for me, “Mr. Grumps” decided to retire to bed at 6:30 in the evening, leaving me to enjoy the hostel in peace. Or even more peace.
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Whilst on my travels I stopped at Gisborne and browsed a second-hand bookshop. I have done this a few times in New Zealand and in all the shops I have frequented there is always a copy of “Fatherhood” by Bill Cosby amongst the shelves. Was there was a mass parental crisis in New Zealand during the mid-eighties that they felt only the sweater-wearing comedian could solve. Kiwis, please explain yourselves.

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Photos

Driftwood
Tokomaru Bay

Tokomaru ruin
The ledge

Viaduct
On the way to Napier

Comments

[Jerryo in USA]

the mystery of a ruin is in our mind
Hi Ho..Enjoyed your pictures I spent three months earlier this year exporing NZ and missed that area...Take the Trans Alpine RR and get off at Aurthur for more great shots. South Island has mystery Gold Mines and wonderful isolated light houses...... I will be heading back to Nelson early December and plan to do French Pass..and keep on sharing, you take great photos..