Hokitika

From Motueka which is at the northern end of the south island along Tasman Bay we headed southwest with the objective of getting to the west coast to then journey south along hwy 6 towards the southern Alps. The roads are largely two lane, twisting and turning with no shoulder to speak of. Passing lanes are infrequent but slower vehicles are given the opportunity to pull over to the side to allow faster traffic to pass by. These are needed as there was seldom the opportunity to see far enough ahead to know it was safe to pass. This trip took place on Friday Feb 10th and while I was still not able to comfortably stay in a sitting position, my horizons were expanding beyond the confines of my own body and our campervan turned out to be the perfect vessel to make it possible to do this in comfort. Lying on my back with my head propped up a bit I was able to see out the back window which was very large and thus was able to watch in comfort as the miles spooled out behind.

Sometimes it was enough to just admire my toes

 The road could be a bit rough at times and while Kim was being as careful as she could to minimize the affects of the bumps I assured her that those brief moments of weightlessness were sufficient compensation for the extra g-forces I would experience as the van rose up to claim me again. Had I been upright these could have been spine destroying. In any event, it is difficult to describe the ever-changing landscape without the aid of a few photos (I have them but still haven't sorted out why I can't upload). Changes in landscape and topography are rapid. It seemed like one minute were were driving along an arid plain and then the next minute would be driving through dense jungle then the next through treeless hills and valleys.

 Despite hours in the van we never tired of the scenery as it changed so quickly and so often. Once reaching the coast the road hugs the ocean and for miles and miles we saw nothing but waves & deserted beaches.

Looking north towards Cape Foulwind on the Tasman Sea

Sunset was approaching as we neared a place called Hokitika and so decided to spend the night there. Kim had returned from India with some curry spices and so that night we enjoyed a lamb curry. Mmmm. The beach was perhaps 100 meters away and the muffled thump of the breakers seemed to help lull us to sleep after a long day's drive.