Day 28

Mariau Springs to Reefton 58km

Downhill was a real nice change from the day before. I had my first major encouter with sandflies in the morning. Nasty little vampires. I had camp folded up and was on my way in record time with quite the array of welts on my lower legs. Once beyond the reach of the bloodsuckers coasting through the beechwood forest was a real treat. It reminded me a lot of coastal Oregon with peaks reminiscent of the Colorado high country.

I found Edgar and Ellie at the Reefton holiday park. They had also decided a short downhill day after the previous day's climbing was a good idea. I had a nice long talk with them where I learned Spain is comprised of four distinct ethnic groups each with their own language. I knew of the Basques, but was unaware of the Gaelics and the Catalonians. Ellie is apparently from Catalonia and doesn't speak Spanish all that well. A Spaniard who doesn't speak spanish, what do I know. Of course I was most grateful of their ability to speak to me in entirely adequate English.