To Greymouth and Lake Mahinapua

Greymouth’s claim to fame is that the train that crosses Arthurs pass coming from Christchurch ends here. So it is one of the places where you can start a tour with Kiwi Experience.
The other thing that is important for us is that this place is home to three thriftshops.
Why is that important – You might ask.

Well on our next stop it is tradition to have a costume party and the motto has bee decided yesterday. This time it is “Halloween”. (Not the most original one but it leaves more possibilties for the cosumes.)
The whole outfit for two of the guys I trailed along with was supposed to cost 5 Dollars each at the Salvation Army. They decided that this was a little bit too cheap and gave the same again as a donation. I think this is a nice thought.

The hostel at Lake Mahinapua is located between the sea and a lake which is surrounded by a forrest, sheltering it from the road. That way you can decide if you want the water to be salty or sweet.

Some people decided to have a go at the lake and take a swim.

The lake was pitch black and you couldn’t see what you jumped into. Conveniantly there was a jetty that we used to get into deeper water.
This lake was actually warmer than the lake the day before – but still cold.

After we had enough and dried up there was only time for a short walk to the sea before was time for dinner. This time dinner and breakfast was was included in the price for the accomodation. Unfortunately the price was a little bit higher. (If you wanted to eat very cheap.) Dinner was good and we didn’t manage to get rid of everything. So it seems there was enough as well.

The party was supposed to start later. So after some work on greenstone I made my way back to our hut. Just in time to experience the finishing touches on the costumes of the guys I went to the thrift shops with.
They had a speech prepeared for their entry and everything.

Off they went to the party and actually managed to pull the whole thing off.
Came in, the music stopped, the speech was delivered and a the precedence was set.
Their costumes? A mixture between Bravehart (kilt and bag and naked upper body) and 300.