The road to Waiuta

After packing up our things, we headed north to Westport to get some breakfast. On the way, we saw a sign for a seal colony, so we took a slight detour to go and see a colony of New Zealand fur seals. This was a nice break, and it was fun trying to spot the babies in among the rocks, but it wasn't too long before we were back in the car. Westport is a tiny town, just one main street really, but we got a great feed and I had possibly the nicest fruit juice drink I've ever tasted - apple, lemon, and Manuka honey. Tangy and thirst-quenching - I'd nearly go back to Westport just to get another one.

The aim of today was to get to Waiuta, a former mining town which is now just a ghost town because the mine collapsed and there were no jobs left to keep the people there. We were told that there was nothing much there, so it seemed like the perfect place to camp, chill out, and look at the stars. Honestly, if I had had any idea of what the road to Waiuta is like, we would never have gone near it, but ignorance is bliss, so we set out. The guide book had warned us that the road included several miles of unsealed gravel road, which sounded like we'd have to go slowly but it was nothing to really worry about. Ha! What the guide book should have said was that the road included 6km of one-lane gravel track, winding up the side of a mountain, with no passing places and nowhere to reverse. Once we started going up, there was no going back, and I honestly don't know what would have happened if we had met another vehicle coming towards us. Thank God we didn't. It was the worst driving experience of my life and I haven't the slighest intention of ever repeating it. Having said that, Waiuta itself was pretty cool. We got there and there was only one other car, which drove off in a different direction a couple of minutes after we arrived. There is only one house left, which still appears to be inhabited, and lots of mining equipment. All the mine shafts are closed off because they're dangerous, so we didn't see much of that, but it was lovely to be so isolated and in such a pretty spot.

Unfortunately, Skry was being tortured by the insect life. He is a magnet for sandflies - his legs are dotted with red bites like he has the measles - and even insect repellent wasn't helping. As well as the sandflies, he was being chased by bees, and it just didn't make for a relaxing time. In the end we had to give up and go back down that awful road (thankfully not meeting any traffic) and to Reefton. We spent the night in Reefton Motor Camp, $20, and had a lovely night there anyway. Reefton is a very pleasant little town where everyone seems to know each other, and everyone is very friendly. So it wasn't such a loss to not stay in Waiuta anyway, and we ended up finding somewhere that we would otherwise have driven straight through.