Day 36

Lake Parangia to Haast Village 54km

What an excellent day today. After a very long, very restful sleep in the non-Bates motel I made my way through some of the most scenic terrain of the trip down the west coast. The sun was out again today after two overcast days and the southern Alps were quite spectaular. The views the previous two days would have been awesome if the mountains hadn't been shrouded in clouds, but all thinhgs considered its been an amazing trip down the usually drenched west coast.

Today I got some of the best pictures of the whole trip. I really haven't succeeded in capturing the granduer of this amazing place with the camera. But I think I got a few memorable ones today.

After a comparatively gentle climb up to the coastal bluffs of knight's point I stopped for lunch and came across one of the 'supported' cycling tours I've heard about. For these cyclists a well equipped van carries them, their bikes and luggage tot the top of a summit where they all get out, put on their gear and coast to the bottom of the next hill. Incidentally this group included the first Americans on push-bikes I've come across. A very nice couple from California seemed quite impressed that I'd pedalled my bike up the puney hill they were about to descend. Admittedly cycling the ups along with the downs throughout NZ is probably not the best idea without a good deal of prior experience.

Anyway, I had my peanutbutter and banana sandwich and was off before loosing too much precious blood to the vampires. After descending the last of the three hills of knight's point--the supported cyclist heading north had stopped, or I should say started, at the last of the hills--I came upon across a trailhead leading to what looked to be a pleasant coastal walk. I pulled in and was getting my hiking shoes out when a backpacker bus roared in trailing a thick plum of dust and began disgorging its loud, backpack festooned occupants. So much for a quiet walk on the beach. Oh well, the road was comparatively quite so I set off to listen to the birds.

Upon arriving at Haast Bridge I went to the i-center to assess the camping options, but the place was full of enornous tourist buses and dozens of their sunburned tourists stopping for insect repellent and soveneirs. I sounds like I'm complaining but I've obsevered many toursit in my time here. Many, many camper vans, and rental cars and tourist buses, and backpaker buses and even with the ubiquitous uphill parts I think, for me, cycling is the best way to see this amazing country.