The drive north from Westport along the Tasman Sea was
spectacular. Forest-covered mountains spill down to a narrow coastal plain of
pasturelands. The forested hills are filled with fern trees; everything is
green and wet. Lots of mud; people wear rubber boots here. The road left the
coast and climbed a small mountain; another narrow, twisty, wet road that I had
to drive with both hands on the wheel. On some of the curves and bridges, we
had less than 0.6 m (2 ft) on either side of the caravan. Amazingly, 20-wheel
commercial trucks with double trailers navigate the one-lane bridges and
one-lane blind curves (with stop lights no less!) carved out of the mountainside.
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| Karamea Highway along the Tasman Sea south of Little Wanganui |
