Rolled downstairs for a coffee in the Saints & Sinners bar (unlimited access to all 'liquids' for $2) and was then told I could grab any of the other brekky items too (normally $7). I guess it was close to clear up time as the barman offered me the last of the bacon too. After a quick session in the internet cafe it was time to don the shadow for a short walk to Lichfield Street and Apex car hire.
Well we have ourselves a 1999 Sunny which is automatic (took a few bunnyhops to get the hang of this again) and a half tank of fuel. Soon we navigated our way from the city and were heading across the Canterbury Plains towards the distant mountains. John's iPod provided and excellent selection of music as we climbed Arthur's Pass and the monument to the man, Arthur Dobson, originally from Islington, who who surveyed the route for the road.
On the other side there is a sharp descent, through snow shelters and a fern clad gorge, to the west coast. Petrol was a bit low by now but we found some just before turning north on the coast road. The road is good, save for place where both the road and the railway share a 500m single track bridge over one of the glacial valleys. This place is a geography teachers dream. It goes without saying that the whole drive was picture postcard. Firstly like the Scottish highlands, then like the Icelandic ring road (with regular single track bridges), and finally like the heavily forested misty north coast of Hawaii. It's tree fern heaven and thay dwarf the specimen in my garden back home.
Soon after finding Greymouth we are in search of Monteith's Brewery and their highly acclaimed brewery tour. Once in the shop at 4.30pm we book for the 6pm tour which, for $25, includes tastings and a bus to a nearby hotel for a sausage BBQ and a free pint. John also asks about accomodation and we are directed to the nearby Global Village hostel. This in preference to a place called Neptunes which we had been aiming for.
The place is beatuiful, very homely, with gardens, and African themed lounge with huge maps which only encourage more wanderlust. The kitchens and bathrooms are the best I've seen by a mile so far. I mean matching tableware, cups and plates - c'mon.
Soon its time for the tour so we haed down to Monteith's where we are soon joined by tour groups from Magic Bus. Phillipa gives an overview of the mashing, the heat exchange process and we see the huge mash tuns and bottling plants. Questions are fewer as we head for the bar and the tasting session -seven beers in all. John races to the front most times as we work from the Original to the Black (his favourite). After this we are all give 10 minutes to be let loose on the pumps oursevles. I will not be getting a job in the bar trade just yet - my efforts were all head and no beer.
A minibus is soon ferrying us to the Railway Hotel for the BBQ and free pint 6 at a time. As there are 30 on the tour we hang back and keep sneaking extra beers from the pumps (they are only minatures - about 1/3 of a pint by the way). Jeff, the baseball cap wearing guy from California, is foremost in these illicit beer runs -good on him. He's starting to really enjoy himself and has become an older mascot for 5 of the girls on his tour.
At the pub the sauasages are consumed but its not to long before we begin to decant to the Irish Bar in The revinton Hotel after hearing its still open at 10pm. This is a bit of a 9-5 town with 5-9 pubs and they open and close at will it seems. Well Jeff is truly corrupted before we leave the first pub and is smoking away out the back with the best of them.
In the Irish Bar John dares me to remove Jeff's hat as I walk past. He has been caught twice trying to do this himself already. I succeed only to reveal that he is bald as a coot - but he takes in in good humour. Jeff baiting beocmes the theme for the rest of the night. John has taken a shine to Jeff's Monteith's carrier bag (he bought a T-shirt at the brewery). John has lost his own bag as he's wearing his new shirt already. Jeff won't hand it over but it inevitabley gets stolen when he's in the bog. When Jeff finally leaves he is most confused and wanders off with his young fan club, shirt under his arm and a bemused look on his face. And he didn't get our "Jeffery from Rainbow" gags either. Exellent night!
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