“On a Mish” #255 Mavora Madness – Part Two. Mavora Lakes. 14.3.2021. Just to be clear I have no issue with people getting a little bit rowdy, and having a good time. I have been known to sink a few gold cans (Jim Beam & Cola 8%) and get turned up. However when it gets to the point of complete self indulgence, and there is little to no concern about the other people around you who are not involved in your celebration of life, then we have got a problem…
As the afternoon rolled into night the group beside us grew in numbers. Car after car of people would roll up, sometimes with 90% of the vehicle’s occupants hanging out of the windows. We discovered after chatting with a few of the people that they were all from ‘Queenstown’ and their group had a large variety of accents. From English to Austrian, Spanish, German, French, you name the place and there was probably someone from there! The global gang seemed like a good bunch, and they took a liking to Mark’s Ubco electric bike. The party continued on after the sun had disappeared behind Mt Eldon(1625m), and then long after the Ruru / Moreporks had begun their nightly routine. We had joked about the party probably dying down at about 2am, but it was less of a joke when a large group decided to head to the lake (directly past our campsite) at about 1.30am. With no regard for anybody but themselves they moved through the campground like a squad of drunken elephants.
The morning arrived with very little sleeping achieved, and we did think about playing loud music and repeatedly slamming the toilet door much like they did at 2am. We didn’t, and instead chose to leave the scene in silence (thanks to the Ubco electric bike). The amazing bike is not only silent, but can also carry up to 150kgs. This is really convenient as it means we can both fit on the bike, and together cover ground quickly. We zoomed our way past the other campers, and then hit the 4wd track that runs along the eastern shores of North Mavora Lake. In no time at all we had bounced our way through deep ruts on the track. Slipped and slid through deep sand / shingle on the lakes edge. And also dodged breech trees while flying through the open forest floor. We found an epic spot on the lake’s edge for a camp-style breakfast of eggs and mushrooms, and the issues of the previous night disappeared like the low cloud around the mountains in the early morning. We got back to the campsite a couple of hours later, and weren’t surprised to find some of our noisy friends looking a little worse for wear. We held no grudges and wished them all a good morning, then packed up camp. The mission was still an epic one, and I think next time we head there we will make sure we camp beside people who look like they aren’t there for a party!!
