Cape FoulWind
Date : 23rd Jan 2011
The wonderful rainy road drive started from Kaiteriteri. A total of 241 kms of pure pleasure with that cloudy weather. When I started working out for this day, I kept westport as the place for the stay. However, we didn’t have much to explore in that small westport town, so kept Cape Fouldwind itself as our destination for the day. Buller river is the only thing that will accompany the second leg of this journey. This is a highway, however with lots and lots of bends which will definitely make your hands cramped.. 😀
We have plenty of viewpoints (“Lookout” as they call) over the drive. This journey made me to feel the entire road stretch was laid for me and was easily surpassing 110 and kept a steady wheel at that speed. I didn’t dare to cross further as the road looked totally wet. Imagine this, a cool weather outside, total lush green, comfortable conditioned air inside the car, smoothly cruising at lovely speeds and the road is totally deserted. If I can think back those days as bits and pieces, I feel proud that I really faced, lived that moment. Am glad. ;).
We gotta stop at one of the most famous of all where the Muller river ran quietly covering just half of what it can with pebbles ruling the next half on a beautiful big curve with a bridge.
Meanwhile, I managed to use my thumb drive to play my songs using the AUX slot. While she took periodic naps as usual, driver (me) had to drive so careful with the never ending curves.
We got the symptoms that we were nearing the sea with the clear weather with long peculiarly patterned clouds. I was fully aware that I wont get anything to eat at Cape Foulwind. So decided to check the cute little town of Westport before going to the Cape Foulwind. We fueled at one of the fuel pumps and that’s the only place I could see ‘faces’. Road looked plain and exactly like a haunted town. Except that ‘feeling’, I liked that place.
A further drive shown us an Indian restaurant. Priya Restaurant – that served most of the north Indian dishes. We got in with a little doubt if its open or not. Luckily it was open and I ordered a complete course. 😉
It took ages to get and we had to pack the veg biriyani as we couldn’t eat. Guess what we ate. 😛
Later, we drove to Cape Foulwind which is around 5 Kms from the Westport. Am not sure whether I was lucky or the default colors out there were that good. With those colors, I definitely wanted to see the sunset. However, I had like minutes for that. So stopped the car at the most possible place near Cape Foulwind Track and almost ran to that Cape Foulwind lighthouse. I told her to follow me to that small plain meadow and I ran with all my energy. Meadow looked easy from the parking place but on top, it made me to run another 1 kms to the lighthouse and that’s just the start to the breathtaking distant sea and the lively colors.
I ran and ran (ensuring that she is following), and made it to the edge. From there, its just a vertical dive to the beach. Yes, it was perpendicular cliffs with lots of holes and dangerous rocks. Jinx followed here too, as I didn’t have a clean sunset which I yearned for. However, clouds formation was one of the most beautiful canvases I have ever seen. Imagine a sky as an colorful canvas which changes every minute.
She joined slowly and I almost dragged her to to jump a fence to show another cliff which looked so amazing that evening in such a way she was even scared to see that beauty. 😀
After a short while, we started to walk back to the car park as it was creating little uneasiness with that silence. We had plenty of companions all the way and they were Kiwis – The national bird of NZ. They were so quick to run and hide into those bushes. Those sounds were so odd to give a chill once in a while.
We stayed at Omau Settlers lodge which is a quite superb location and built quite simple with the basic but lovely things. We got into the sheets and lost in one of the dreamless tired sleeps.
Download Cape Foulwind slides here
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