Nite Drive 2004

Somehow I got talked into the setting up the night drive for this year. Well it should not be too hard, I am a Taxi driver and Nelson being set up when horses were the fasted thing next to bullets, I started thinking. I planed a start at one end with lots of back narrow streets with ups and downs, with Nelson people's usual parking it should be fun on tar seal for the first part. The second part was to be Fringe Hill, Sav offered to do the off road bit which helped a lot.

Well, I spent a couple of Sundays going around Nelson with bits of paper and two new members (Colin Lewis and Sue Langdon-lane), writing down streets and discovering things to do. With help I got them typed up and then got my son in-law with his lap top computer to sit it the front seat as we checked the route over two or three nights as his computer battery would fail after an hour or so. Any way I got about two or three hours worth of driving planed.

I got hold of the fellow at the counsel for approval to use the Marsden Valley track to Paramona, Bishopdale, Brook and Brook to Fringe. Bishopdale to Brook was declined because it would no be a fair contest between pushbikes and 4wds front bumpers. Come to think of it I suppose a bike and rider stuck in the grill would make a quite a talking point for the after trip piss up. I got the OK for Hira forest from Carter Holt with out problem. I also picked up the club Bar-b-queue with Coffee-Tea box that had all sorts of good stuff in it.    

Saturday dawned with rain coming down and worry started as I got out of bed that morning. Sav rang and arranged to pick up the key for the forest but he couldn't get in there till after 4pm as they were still working there. I drove the course and realised it was far too long and we would be up half the night so decided to do some pruning. On the way home, I picked up the Sausages from the Gail and Ray Warne's place as they had spent a long enough time in their freezer, (About six months I think.)

Well I chopped from six pages to four and started to print the instructions. This was my next problem as my Cannon bubble jet printer that was fine when Nelson was first settled, but was going to take longer than the time had before the start of the event. Well the I got the first two pages done  when Collin came to get the Bbq, I sent him to the start of the course with pages one and two as I sat around waiting for page three. That finished and I jumped in the mighty Nissan Safari with an extensive black cloud of diesel smoke set off for the start while the printer produced pages four.

The start at Sewer Side Drive by the sewerage ponds with a bouquet all of its own with some high cloud overhead. With three of the four pages they needed off they went, about 18 wagons in all. I arranged to meet them on route to give them page four, printer permitting. They did three bits in Atawhai before having to find someone in the Miyazu Gardens that could help with some muffler bearings. Next was a trip around Cleveland Tce to St Mary's, then a ride around Mount Street, up the track to Princess Drive to meet up with page four and fizz drink on top of water tank.

When I got to the water tank at 351 Princess about there was about 6 wagons waiting and I knew I had chopped a bit much off the run. We gave them a fizz drink and page four and gave them the answer to hubcap filler glue was sticky air. Some how I remembered that I had forgotten the bread and butter for the B-b-q so a quick trip to Countdown and a dash to Masden Valley to find everyone waiting and a Van parked in front of the Track that I had the key for. I called it off and we all set off for the Brook camp and track to Fringe Hill.

Scotty went first as I decided to wait for the last one to arrive. He got lost a couple of times as I forgot to ask if he knew the way. Colin had the key for the top gate so I stopped and got him near the front of the queue. The last wagon was the V8 powered Safari that needed a large dose of jungle juice as it doesn't go far between drinks.

At the top Colin and Sue got things underway in the car park. They got the Bar-b-q and hot water going as the rest did some sightseeing at the top. I joined the cooking party and the fun began. I had forgotten tongs, scraper teaspoons and butter knifes. We did have one sharp knife and that onion cutting sausage turning and serving on to bread with out butter. But with mild mustard, tomato sauce and fried onions dinner was served. Tea and coffee took longer with most doing without. It was pleasant with everyone enjoying the social atmosphere in the middle of nowhere. I was presented with a tooth that was found in one of the sausages, makes you wonder who the victim was….

Back on the trail after dinner as the darkness fell and the dampness on clay made where the tyres touched (mixed with gravity) for a strange and disturbing driving experience. We then made our way down to the Maitai River with Sav in front and me at the back, through the water and up the valley to goat hill. Some did the fire break but most like me did the road, and a few more bits as well before we came out at Sharlands creek. It was about nine thirty PM so off to the Pub.

Sav collected all the questions and we set off for the Prince Albert Pub for debriefs and my case of Rum and coke. After forgetting my wallet on the bar and getting smokes out of a rip off vending machine I settled down to do some marking. There were two winners, Steve and Tony so their prize was to buy me a Rum and coke. At least they will remember me. Thanks to all who took part and out of the gloom came a good day out.   My next assignment is the Christmas Party.          

The Hillbilly
Re-tyre'd