Visualise this if you can..... I am currently sitting on a tree stump on Farewell Spit on the northern most tip of the South Island. This place goes on for about 25km but I only walked about 5 km up and heading back now but needed a chocolate break. I think I must be the only one who is walking this today equipped with lap top , 2 litres of water, half a fruit farm and various amounts of clothing just in case. It will be my full workout for a week both cardiac and endurance!
Anyhow this beach is the weirdest I have seen in a long time. For the first couple of kms there are fir trees growing right down to the sand and the sand littered with wind blown fir cones. You then get to a scrub land area composed of gorse and furze and then there are just dunes which stretch for 20 km. North and in areas up to several hundred metres wide between the two bodies of water.
I hiked my way across the dunes which reminded me of Saudi but the fact of it there was the delight of seeing the sea on both sides. In Saudi there was no water! In addition, before I forget to mention it there was two tide lines of shells forming a path of about 1 metre wide and stretching for the full 20km length of the rest of the beach.
Had to get off the dunes cause the cross winds and the resultant sand storm was sandblasting my freckles and I’d say I lost the top layer of skin from my ankles.
I decided to stay in the Innlet primarily beacuse I put on a huge load of washing yesterday.. (yes I did need all the clothes I packed Kev) and only got to put it on the line at 11pm. I had no intention of being the travelling Chinese laundry today with my smalls waving in the breeze out the car windows as I travelled South. I never heard such glee when I announced this morning that I was staying a second night.. NO it had nothing to do with my magnetic charm or my sparkling personality ....It had to do with the fact that the two French woofers had one less room to clean! Now before any of you get a little upset at my terminology, please note the following.. Woofers are folk who stay in the hostels and do some work or chores for their nights accomodation or even meals etc. Apparently there are grades of allowances depending on the work that you do... eg in Hopewell Julia ( another German but about 18) used to do the laundry so she got her meals thrown in as well as the accom. Really brill idea and should be utilised more widely.. I could do with a woofer to do the most lovable of jobs.. mainly ironing.... and they can stay forever! Hmmm now there is an idea!
So this morning was spent chilling trying to find a good reception spot for my internet and it kept crashing.Some parts of this country are really remote There was one square foot of a location that the signal wavered from poor to none so I had to keep the laptop VERY VERY still. Of course I went outside that sq. foot zone frequently cause of the onslaught of the fecking sand flies who attacked in droves when you least suspected it. Literally you get attacked by about 20 at a time and all I say is thank God for yoga. The little bastards were able to bite my instep, back of knee and behind my ear all in the first attack. My injuries are not from the little buggers but from my own hands slapping this bod everywhere.. The flexibility I have is wonderous! I was like a gorilla on speed with the arms and hands flailing all over the place!!
Anyhow this is a day to me and a complete chillout before the long drive tomorrow through one of the “the top 10 coast drives in the planet” according to the bible. No doubt there will be a few hundred photo opportunities lurking all over. Destination is a hostel called “The Slaughter House” between Westport..( yes there is one here too) and Greymouth.
Oh oh I now have a very uncomfortable feeling in my shorts....ants in me pants I think!! Tar raa till I go fish em out!! False alarm ...it was sand in my crankshaft.
Quick PS... thanks to one and all for the comments and delighted that some of you can now see that I am capable of full recall of events.. this is why I have to do it daily!! Otherwise NNOoooooo chance! Ciara B your notebook is a treasure!!
As you also know cause I have stated it before.. I cant answer the comments as much as I would love to because the technology is beyond me!! I do appreciate them tho.. Keep em going. Have a brill Sunday.
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