Murchison to Hokitika
Off in good time as all vans must vacate motorhome park by 10am. The day's route was to take us to the West Coast & then following the coastline down to farming friends just outside of Hokitika.
Turning left out of the drive we headed along deserted roads westwards. The twisty road followed the contours of the Buller River, narrow bridges, gorges & an amazing pieces of road blown from the cliff face.
There was nothing here except outstanding nature. No villages, towns, traffic nothing. We had the roads to ourselves only occasional seeing another vehicle.
Signs lead off the main road advertising white water rafting & other bare knuckle extreme adventures.
As the coastal area grew closer, the landscape changed from raging rivers & dense forest to dry scrub brush.
We finally reached that Tasman Sea, stopping for lunch at Woodpecker Bay. One of the most beautiful places l have as yet to visit. Soft sand strewn with huge chunks of driftwood, curvaceous rocks worn smooth by the constant pounding of the ocean. The beach backed by dense drifts of bright blue agapanthus. There was even a small beach cottage for sale, the first house we had seen since leaving Murchison!
The weather was again hot, vast blue skies & the deep blues of the ocean which hugged the side of the road as we continued south. Roadside signs warned us of penguins crossing: they were on vacation somewhere in the southern ocean.
We saw no one, or hardly anyone until we hit the outskirts of Greymouth. People, shops, cars, civilisation at last. South Island is not densely populated & the west coast is l guess the least populated area. There are long drives before you hit a township & garages! How long you ask, well hours like in several!
Greymouth came & went, the road by now had become straight following the coastal plain, the railway running along side & occasionally crossing the road in some bizarre Kiwi fashion.
Our route was taking us to Hokitika passing the Glow Worm dell then turning left up past the Westland Milk Plant on out into the flat grasslands alongside Kaniere-Kowhitirangi Road whose back drop was the 'Misty Mountains' or in real life the mighty Southern Alps.
So here we were to spend a couple of nights, on our friend's dairy farm, pedigree jerseys. A chance catch up on the news & gossip from the past 30 odd years when we had all last met on a Young Farmers exchange visit.
Total mileage = 149 miles
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