Carter's Beach Westport

19.01.2010

Evening on Carter's Beach just outside of Westport. Campsite is 200m away from the beach, so still got the sound of rolling westcoast waves in the tent ;)

As I still felt perfectly fine after ~100km, I decided to follow the advice of a local to go for a nice evening ride on the beach. Bought a bottle of ginger beer and a packet of chips first, to have something to do at the end of the beach :)

all along the beach, past that factory, to the end of the beach...

the factory from bit closer

it did a good job today, so it got a photo as well :)

on the way back to the campsite my legs finally realized that it had already been a long day today, so going back on the pressed sand got longer and longer...

Damien rocks the step up @ Sticky Forest Wanaka

those cracks meant the definite end of riding for the next days or few weeks and a very easygoing way back to town only with a front brake ;(

sunset on Carter Beach in Westport after a nice long roadcycling day from Murchison

Should be the last picture of my werks frame then...
Hope the new one arrives here within the next 2 weeks *hopehopehope*

Hi!
First blogpost since last weeks and first one from Wanaka...
Will be able to put some more piucs on for sure next days and weeks. :)

To give a short overview over the last weeks:

Made it from Punakaiki over Hokitika to Franz Jo on my bike (longest dayride so far from Hokitika to FranzJo with 136kms), then twisted my ankle on a hike in Franz Jo and had to by bus over Haast Pass to Wanaka...
After some time of resting the foot and working I went out for very nice bike ride in the Sticky Forest nearby the township here.
Was amazing riding with a Canadian and a French guy i met there till the rear part of my frame where the brake is attached broke...... *doh*

Now I'm waiting for new frame to arrive here within - hopefully - the next few days.
At least the service from Rose was - once again - really good and uncomplicated and they send me a complete new Tusk frame (and a smaller rotor to avoid the same thing to happen again) as it's 10 years warranty on the frames...
Now I'm just really looking forward to hit the trails and tours round here because it's just AWESOME!!!!!! :)

Will stay here at least for this month together with Damien (the French rider) at a nice place almost next to the trail network of Sticky Forest *yeah* and will go on working in the Cheeky Monkey Cafe as a dishwasher...
When the ankle is back to original strength I'll try out the several climbing spot aswell, so it won't be boring here I think ;)


more to come in next days :)

greeeeeeets from the lakeside of Wanaka

HiHo! :)

Still in the Beach Hostel...
I will move on tomorrow or the day after.

I had such a good time here with Nicole, Sabrina, Katie and Gerry (and all the others ;)), so it will be kind of hard to leave and head on, but I still look forward to do the Copland Track (I hope thats works out!), see the glaciers and go over Haast Pass towards Wanaka.
I really hope to meet you down in the south (or whereever) for another time (perhaps some weeks in Dunedin?! ;) )
Another proof of special places - special people!

Thanks for that week, have a lovely trip and cu :)

Here are some impressions of the last days here:

the hostel seen from the beach









Phillip, Matt and Hilke on the beach in front of the hostel




the first stunning sunset @ Punakaiki





















this photo is not faked at all! It really was like that :)








on the left side is the hostel... Is there a better location for a hostel??? ;)
































the famous blowholes of the Pancake Rocks really rock when it's high tide...



















... and look soooooo pretty when the sun is setting ;)







l to r: Nicole, Sabrina, Naomi
thanks for that lovely evening, making the pics possible and the dinner when I came back to hostel at 10 to 10 :)











































I still don't think it's THAT evil... ;)








































chilling on pancakes








































waited several mins till that bird finally made a move... :)

















while waiting for the sun to set finally, the first coffee after 1 week gave me really a hard time... Must have been funny to watch that nervously moving guy standing on top of that rock for no apparent reason ;)











absolutely stunning...



























on the left is the platform you can stand on to look into the blowhole







that was then on the way back to the hostel









it's only a 10min walk back to the hostel from the pancakes
Was in the end bit more than 300 pics up there withing just some hours...




next days we went up the Porarai river (or however it's spelled ;) ) to chill a bit on this rock lying in the river...









...of course not everybody just chilling all the time ;)

btw the water was very chilly aswell :)







some mins along the beach there were those things standing around...






















another stunning sunset
I don't know why everybody tells about the rainy and rough westcoast... We hab 2 rainy days within 1 1/2 weeks and one sunset was more beautiful then the one before :)



your shadow on a pancake (instead of your name on a rice corn) :)






thanks for (almost) not moving for 60secs! :)




















the entrance (or exit whatever you prefer) of the Punakaiki cavern seen from inside...
The glowworms inside were sooo cool :)





... and from outside