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Published: March 12th 2017
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The upper reaches of the mighty Buller River " Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did." Mark Twain Friday 10th March 2017 As one travels a few things fall into place tidily which makes it all so much easier and more enjoyable. One of them is information and believe me, there is tons of the stuff available. Early on we would pick up more brochures and maps than we could read in a lifetime and they simply piled up on the floor of the HBS. The solution was found and we now devote our attention solely to "AA Traveller Visitor Guide" and there is one for every region in NZ. Hugely informative about the region one is travelling through with pointers to all places of interest and all in one publication. To back this up the Lonely Planet Guide ads the little cherries on top as it has been written by young journo's with mostly a wicked and warped sense of humour so one gets the whacky aspect of towns and areas. Then the accommodation thing was solved when we joined the Top 10 Holidays Club as they have camping parks throughout NZ
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Just in case one gets lost at Cape Foulwind (www.top10.co.nz). For a membership cost of $40.00 one gets a 10 percent discount on all bookings meaning that staying in the very best camp parks in NZ costs $36.00 per night (R345.00). The facilities are superb and free wifi is thrown in. To date we have not had a problem getting into any of their camps bearing in mind it is not peak NZ holiday time.
Right, so with the AA booklet in Sue's hand and a booking made at Carter Beach Top10 camp at Westport, we duly set off from the Tasman Park region. The journey of roughly 210 kms would take us from the east to the west coast of South Island. Not far from Montueka on highway 6 are signs to ski areas which is mind boggling, meaning in winter you can spend the morning on the beach (may be chilly) and then go snow skiing in the afternoon. The route meanders through endless vineyards and fruit orchards before a steady climb into a mountain range which is the start of the separation between east and west plateaus. Roughly half way to Westport is the town of Murchison which also heralds an introduction to the mighty
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Impressive coastline with rocky outcrops and steep cliffs plunging to beaches below Buller River which has spawned all manner of outdoor activities like white water rafting and kayaking. It is a truly spectacular river and the road follows it's path for at least 60kms through deep valleys and gorges and constant views of fast flowing water. I must repeat.....kudos to the guys of NZ who built these magnificent roads. Once upon a time this was a wild gold mining region and there are still some die hards out there panning for their fortune. The Maori name for the Buller River is "Kawatiri" which means "deep and swift". Spot on. We stopped at an access point to the river for lunch and it was then that we had our first encounter with the famed sand flies of South Island. We had heard about these little critters earlier in our travels but little did they know that "Sandfly Sue" was up to the challenge! Out came the most potent spray available and for good measure Sue had the post bite ointment handy, just in case. A quick google provided this little gem. James Cook, the intrepid explorer, in 1773 wrote the following " The most mischievous animal here is the small black sandfly, which
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Our Happy Black Sheep surrounded by some vehicles of lesser social standing are exceedingly numerous, wherever they light they cause a swelling and such an intolerable itching that it is not possible to refrain from scratching and at last ends in ulcers like the small pox". Beware! The thing about them is they are tiny and I spotted one on my unprotected foot. Didn't feel a bite but as I despatched it, blood (mine) popped and I had a very itchy foot. Sue's potion, thankfully, prevented the pox.
As we neared the coast the first glimpses of the Southern Alps (with snow on their peaks) came into view. Westport, situated where the mighty Buller meets the sea, is a small harbour town of roughly 5000 people having relied heavily for it's early existence on granite, coal mining and timber logging. Now it's a sleepy backwater that attracts it's fair share of tourists working their way down NZ's rugged west coast. The Carter Beach campsite is located about 2 km from the town across the road from a huge sandy (greyish) beach. Some regional dog show was taking place over the weekend and the doggie fraternity were, thankfully, located at the opposite end of the park. A stroll along the beach late afternoon put us in touch with many of the doggie brigade taking their pooches for a pre show strut. Beautiful collection of dogs but what was noticeable was the marked similarity between the looks of the dogs and of their owners. Sundowners held in rainy weather but did not in any way spoil the moment. Rain all night long making for a noisy night with the roof of the HBS only about two feet above our heads.
Walking is a great way of seeing and experiencing where one is and in light rain we set off the next morning on a 6 km round trip to Cape Foulwind (says it all about the wind that can blow there) and viewing of a fur seal colony. The walkway is managed by the NZ Dept. of Conservation (doc) who do a great job managing all the wilderness areas across the country. I had visions of the Tasman Sea on this west coast being a seething, heaving and angry ocean smashing into the rocks and cliffs along it's length but on this morning it was serene and calm. The coastline is similar in many respects to that of Ireland and Scotland with high cliffs and steep drop offs to the rocks and beaches below. Just offshore are jagged, protruding rocky islands which are a reminder that NZ is probably nothing more than a massive rocky island that burst forth from the depths of the oceans aeons ago.
The one thing that will definitely happen in NZ is rain. And lots of it. Whilst here we have heard about major flooding on North Island in the Bay of Plenty area. Missed that but the forecasts are ominous in that heavy rain is due to continue on South Island. Consider this. The West Coast has rainfall of 2600mm on average per annum.That's a lot of rain...in fact twice Durban's annual rainfall and we thought it rained a lot there. Interestingly the rain does not deter the good folk of NZ from pursuing their outdoor activities. So, the dog show went ahead and there were plenty of people out cycling or walking...in the rain. Sadly our cricketers couldn't play day 5 of the test in Dunedin which was washed out. With all of this in mind, and ignoring an irritating drizzle, we steered the HBS to the mouth of the mighty Buller River where I would once again try and catch an increasingly illusive fish. Two fish could be caught here so chances were improving. The one being sea run brown trout and the other, a Kahawai (Australian salmon species which I had caught on fly off the Tasmanian coast in 2009). For once I dropped the purist fly fishing thing and did some spinning with a pink spinner bought at a local fishing supply shop (and an assurance that it was a "killer" lure). Short story....no fish although it looked promising.
Right next to our campsite was a true links 18 hole golf course built on the gentle slopes just off the shoreline. Tempted but with no clubs this was a non starter.
Bedding down for night two at our campsite, the weather was looking dodgy with grey skies and a slight drizzle falling. Fortunately there are communal kitchen/lounge areas where one can escape to if needs be. Scanning the AA guide is part of the forward planning activity and our next target is Greymouth about 110 kms further south and the largest town on the West Coast.
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Jeanette
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All so interesting Tim. Hope that sun comes out soon. Big snowstorm coming here on Tuesday when I leave for London and Cape Town. Fingers crossed. Love JandJ