I
went to Murchison and managed to get a list of local guides at the information
place. They were just closing. Murchison has two pubs, a third
restaurant, one gas station and an excellent coffee shop! They are in the
process of getting a bank and have a few lodges and antique shops. It is
essentially a two street, one horse town! The history is interesting.
Got it's real start with gold mining and one of the more prominent hotels was
once owned by an Australian Bank Robber that was recognized by the local
constable and arrested. In 1929, there was a severe earthquake resulting
in near destruction of the town. A rock 4 stories high landed on a house
and killed all the occupants.
One
of the local river beds was raised over 20 meters high creating a waterfall.
The top of a local mountain fell off causing a dam on the river which creating a
lake. The dam soon let go and washed away most of what was left of the
town! So I wander into town trying not to look too much like a lost American
Tourist and stop at The Rivers Cafe for a cup of java and to make some calls to
the guides. I end up connecting with Mike Buchanan who happens to own one
of the local lodges, The Coch-y-Bondhu Lodge. This beautiful lodge is
right on the Buller River. Mike is still out guiding and his wife takes my
number and says she'll have him call me back as soon as he is in. I decide
to drive around and check out another river, the Matiri. During the drive
to the Matiri, I travel through a Station that raises deer and the breeding
stage had been placed in with the does for obvious reasons. Now this was
one big brute of a stag. Eat your heart out John!! I wish they
hadn't cut off his horns. The velvet is sold in China as an aphrodisiac ad
is actually worth more then selling the deer for table stock! The Matiri
is a beautiful with reasonable access and I decided that it would be worth a
look at some point in the future.
Mike eventually called me back and says he'll agree to guide me for the day and that it'll be $450, cash. Now I don't have any cash to speak of, don't have a credit card and don't have a cheque even if he'd accept one. He doesn't take "EFTPOS" which is a debit card. You almost never spend cash in this country but you almost never purchase anything on credit! With no bank in town, I wondered how I could get enough cash to pay him for the days adventure. He suggested I go to the pub and ask for a cash withdrawn on my EFTPOS card at the bar. So I walked into The Commercial Hotel, strolled up to the bar, ordered a plate of lasagna for $8 and a pint. I then asked for $100 cash on my card with was quickly given to me without question. Well, I thought I was off to a reasonable start. Next, I filled my vehicle with diesel, but the attendant wouldn't give me any cash back. OK, over to the next pub where I purchased another pint and asked for cash back. The bartender asked my how much I'd like and I replied, "how much can I have?" $50 was the maximum. So, I was still three hundred dollars short! One final pub to go. I staggered over there, ordered another pint and asked for $300 cash in return. The bartender didn't bat an eyelash and gave me the cash. What a great country, I've downed 3 pints of excellent draft and had $450 cash in my pocket! I drove the Bighorn around to the back of the Hotel and crawled in the back and started to sleep it off.
At 7:00 am, I was at Coch-y-Bondhu Lodge drinking coffee and getting ready for the day out. I met an interesting woman, Mary Smiley who runs Worldwide Fishing Destinations out of Montana. She is here scouting more destinations for her clients. Check out her web site: www.fishntravel.com for a complete list of her destinations but she has some interesting spots. She is also looking for a partner in her business and I'm giving it some serious consideration!! She had been out with Mike the day before but missed some strikes and didn't manage to land a fish. I had more hopes for myself having been in the company of some excellent fly fishermen in America!! So off we went to some un-named rivers to try our luck.