Molesworth...To The Front Gate!

It's 100km from the Dashwood turnoff on SH 1 to Molesworth

boundary - another 46km for me to go...

(Do click on the photos to enlarge them, the scenery is magnificent)

Another one way bridge... Hope it will hold me up!

But... As ' Rosalia de Castro' said - "I see my path, but I don't

know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what

inspires me to travel it."

The whole 100km through the Awatere Valley
followed the Awatere River,

and the road followed the valley and the river...

Up and down and round about.

I stopped for coffee and dilly dallied just to soak up the

feeling of vastness and  space and silence.

The bigger mountains in the background is the Inland Kaikoura
 range dominated by Tapuae-o-Uenuku and Mt Alarm.

The road rises steeply then dips over deeply incised river gorges.

I've read that the road is easy now compared to the original

one which more or less went up the Awatere river bed and forded

the river many times. At least now there are bridges... And lots

of gates. By myself I had to get out and open the gate, get back

in my bus and drive through, get out and shut it, climb in again

and off again. I walked my 10,000 steps for the day getting

in and out time and again.

In some places the road is a bit like a goat track winding round

the sides of the hills. I'm very careful as no barriers should

I be careless enough to drive over the edge! 

Majestic mountains...

It's a long haul up the valley. I have passed other Marlborough

stations with their own resonance, Blairich, Awapiri, Jordan,

Camden, Upcot, Middlehurst and Muller, next to Molesworth.

Just me on the road!

Beautiful autumn colours. The water level in the river

is very low... So little rain for many months.

I'm nearly there...

Yes, 10km to go... Another gate to open...

Mmmm... Hope the cows are friendly...

The 'front gate' of Molesworth... I was so excited. I had made it 

this far - despite some negative predictions...

How many people over the many, many  years have been pleased 

to reach this gate... Early pioneers,  station owners, stockmen, 

musterers, rabbiters, station cooks visitors...

How many hands have patiently opened and shut it with 

thankful hearts that they are 'home'...

 

The last little bit...

And here I am... Parked in what is now the DoC camping 

ground, by the historic old Cob Cottage, the original homestead.

I have been welcomed by the ranger, invited to help myself

to as much firewood as I want and to enjoy Molesworth.

I have the place to myself, which is unusual I'm told...

And the day is ending, the moon is rising and I am in the

middle of nowhere but I'm 'at home' on Molesworth.

It was an awesome feeling, 900 meters or 3000 feet

high amongst huge mountains and vast open empty

spaces. I just sat outside and walked around absorbing

these feelings until it got dark... And the silence!

On this biggest and most famous farm/station in New Zealand.

Rarangi... Exploring The Coast From Picton...

 I have been in Picton a week or two but while I have 

been here I have gone off exploring round the coast

along the road from Waikawa to Rarangi.

I started at Rarangi and here I am parked at the

DoC camp...

 I was surprised at how popular it was... Apart from

buses and caravans there were vans and cars...

 All parked under the trees and being slept in.

 This is the DoC camp from the top of the hill.

It's an odd shape but because the shingley sand is

soft the areas for heavy vehicles have been

compacted so we don't get stuck.

 I went for a walk across the soft shingle...

 Through the beautiful wild sea coast weeds...

And up the steps of the path in the background of 

this photo that goes over to Monkey Bay.

 

 I got to the top... Slowly. It was all concrete steps,

but I couldn't get down the rough track going down

the other side. But it was a real achievement getting

that far. As  you can see it was cool and misty rain.

 

 Looking down on the rocks, the bull kelp thrashing

around in the rough tide.

 The view along the shingle beach to the hills and

the Wairau Bar which has developed from shingle

washed by the tides from the Awatere River...

All on an information board at the top of the track.

The view of Rarangi and Cloudy Bay from the

top of the hill the next day on the way over to 

Whites Beach... My next stop.