We cycled about 20 miles today in various directions. We left the Youth Hostel campsite since the hostel is popular with night owl youth who came back, giggling and loud, at 1.30am and 3.30am. We moved to the Westport Holiday Park at the back of the town on Dommett St. This is both cheaper ($14 as opposed to $15) and better (quieter, more spacious) than the youth hostel - if you are camping.Cycled out to Cape Foulwind, the excellent name being from Captain Cook who got stuck here with storms and contrary winds. Today the very functional lighthouse (looks like a large mains pipe on end with a light stuck on it) was gazing out over blue seas buta large-ish swell. We walked along the coast path to see the seals at the point, NZ fur seals (their most northerly colony), coping with the swell with no problem.Later that day we noticed that the cliffs near the Cape are on the label of Pig and Whistle ale from Harrington's. Perhaps it's Pig and Whistle Point.Visited the West Coast Brewery and sampled five beers including Green Fern Lager (good but I'm not much of a lager drinker), Session Ale (ok), Draught (good, much like a good bitter), Lager (I don't know why people drink this sort of beer so I can't really award points) and Dark (good but lager style fermentation which reduces the sort of burnt chocolate flavours that I like). So a decent range but a bit too much focussed on lager for my taste buds.We chatted to the brewer who certainly impressed us - and he was in the midst of brewing a wheat beer but that won't be ready until after New Year. He's worked at Sharpe's and at a brewery in Maui. The brewery is a pleasant place to sit and chat about beer with other tipplers. A Surrey family were also sampling (well, OK, dad was sampling) and we compared notes on Surrey and Yorkshire beers (Hopback or Sam Smiths). It's a bit unfair because Yorkshire has several times the area and many times the breweries of Surrey.Shopped and had dinner. Then we cycled out to the end of the Buller River, a pair of breakwaters made out of the quarried rock of Cape Foulwind. The end is a very elemental place with strong currents and ocean waves sliding into the fast flowing river and disappearing. The light at the end of the eastern breakwater is surrounded by plaques commemorating people, often Westport sailors, who have died at sea. A large memorial (with an old anchor) commemorates the local ship MV Kaitawa, overwhelmed at Pandora Bank near Cape Reinga on the 23rd May 1966, with 29 people listed as lost at sea - click on the link to see the plaque. For such a small town, the tragedy must have seemed an overwhelming loss back in 1966. Finally back to the campsite to drink Pig and Whistle Ale. We also have tried to work out where we go tomorrow - given that the day after is New Years Day and shops will be pretty much closed. We remain uncertain where to bike to... Punakaiki, Charleston or Greymouth?
We cycled about 20 miles today in various directions. We left the Youth Hostel campsite since the hostel is popular with night owl youth who came back, giggling and loud, at 1.30am and 3.30am. We moved to the Westport Holiday Park at the back of the town on Dommett St. This is both cheaper ($14 as opposed to $15) and better (quieter, more spacious) than the youth hostel - if you are camping.Cycled out to Cape Foulwind, the excellent name being from Captain Cook who got stuck here with storms and contrary winds. Today the very functional lighthouse (looks like a large mains pipe on end with a light stuck on it) was gazing out over blue seas buta large-ish swell. We walked along the coast path to see the seals at the point, NZ fur seals (their most northerly colony), coping with the swell with no problem.Later that day we noticed that the cliffs near the Cape are on the label of Pig and Whistle ale from Harrington's. Perhaps it's Pig and Whistle Point.Visited the West Coast Brewery and sampled five beers including Green Fern Lager (good but I'm not much of a lager drinker), Session Ale (ok), Draught (good, much like a good bitter), Lager (I don't know why people drink this sort of beer so I can't really award points) and Dark (good but lager style fermentation which reduces the sort of burnt chocolate flavours that I like). So a decent range but a bit too much focussed on lager for my taste buds.We chatted to the brewer who certainly impressed us - and he was in the midst of brewing a wheat beer but that won't be ready until after New Year. He's worked at Sharpe's and at a brewery in Maui. The brewery is a pleasant place to sit and chat about beer with other tipplers. A Surrey family were also sampling (well, OK, dad was sampling) and we compared notes on Surrey and Yorkshire beers (Hopback or Sam Smiths). It's a bit unfair because Yorkshire has several times the area and many times the breweries of Surrey.
Shopped and had dinner. Then we cycled out to the end of the Buller River, a pair of breakwaters made out of the quarried rock of Cape Foulwind. The end is a very elemental place with strong currents and ocean waves sliding into the fast flowing river and disappearing. The light at the end of the eastern breakwater is surrounded by plaques commemorating people, often Westport sailors, who have died at sea. A large memorial (with an old anchor) commemorates the local ship MV Kaitawa, overwhelmed at Pandora Bank near Cape Reinga on the 23rd May 1966, with