(written on the 20th! from notes taken previously)
Nothing super eventful today.
I woke up for the second night in a row at the Fox River freedom camping spot and fairly quickly left the dirt parking lot and drove just slightly south, parking on the side of the main road just before the bridge, so I could walk across the bridge and explore what looked like a cave on the other side of the river.
I walked across the bridge and found my way through the brush on a little path that a few other adventures had worn through the bush to the cave.
The cave turned out to be a large tunnel carved out of rock that I’m guessing was created to provide easier transport for mining?
I don’t know. I haven’t gone up that particular canyon, but that’s the only thing that really makes sense to me, especially given what I’ve already seen from yesterday, but… 🤷
It was high tide, and I didn’t want to wait several hours for low tide to be able to go explore the sea caves on the ocean side of the bridge; so, unfortunately, I nixed that from the day’s exploration schedule.
Since I wasn’t going to be waiting around, I started making my way back down the coast checking out more of the landscape that I missed when I drove directly from the Fox River to Greymouth to get my tire repaired.
I also just wanted to chill for a bit, so I found a little place right where the Pororari River meets the Pororari Lagoon that at first had me completely alone with a beautiful view.
It wasn’t too long, unfortunately, before a handful of cars pulled up, some people coming to sunbathe and others to go kayaking, etc.
After starting to feel a bit crowded out, I left the little spot and headed over to the Truman walking track, a nice, short walk from the main road to a secluded beach cove with a pretty little waterfall and itty bitty rounded pebbles instead of sand.
It was recommended to Chase and me when we were here in New Zealand 3 years ago, but we didn’t end up going then. So I did this time, and it was beautiful.
There were a handful of people there as well, but I wanted to at least see the pretty little place.
I’m not feeling very social right now, if you can’t tell. 🙃
I snapped some pictures there and more along the drive south back toward Greymouth, stopping in Greymouth at the Repco to give one last shot at getting a master cylinder for this little van.
But no dice.
I also stopped off to grab some food from the local New World grocery store. Well… food might be a little strong of a word. Yes I bought cheese, but I also bought ice cream and cookies and soda. 😅
I do believe just about every ounce of self discipline I have has blown away like dust on the wind. 😕
Much to the chagrin of my mid section. 😅
I turned back inland at Kumara Junction, thinking I’d stop for the night at one of the two freedom camping spots that were further inland, figuring they would be less likely to be crowded.
After reading the comments on the one that was nearest to me, how there were so many mosquitoes that they managed to get inside people’s vehicles even with all the doors and windows closed (just like it happened to me way up north in Northland), I decided to go all the way to the one on the south side of Brunner Lake, skipping some potential glow worm stops because it was just way too early in the day, and I didn’t want to risk showing up late to a freedom camping place that was in the middle of nowhere only to find it full, which would necessitate me looking for another place Kama potentially quite far away because I was in the middle of nowhere.
I arrived relatively early at Lake Brunner and, unfortunately, wasted my life away in front of my phone for hours upon hours until my car battery was drained down, and the sun was coming up. 😅
Goodnight? 😅
Lift the world.
Bring it on.
~ stephen
Lift the World 