Day 23: St. Arnaud - Westport

Stayed in the backpackers accommodation at the Alpine Lodge in St. Arnaud last night and again got a room to myself. The only other occupant in the whole place was Frank, a veteran touring cyclist from Hamburg who knows this area well. In typical touring cyclist style Frank was very independent, refusing both my offers of a cooked dinner last night and a cooked breakfast this morning. A sandwich and a cup of coffee were clearly a better option than my cooking ;)

Rather than driving straight to Westport I took a pleasant detour up the Rainbow valley first, with great mountain views as you follow the river upstream and cross several fords.

I then had a quick look at one of the Nelson Lakes before driving through the mountains then beside the Bulmer river down to Westport on the coast.

Got checked in to the backpackers, another laid back place, then got out for a couple of hours on the bike, exploring the coast and estuary.

Rode back through Westport which has some interesting buildings which are very old but look like they were reconstructed yesterday.

Then there's a brewery 100 metres from the backpackers ;)

Treated myself to a meal of local whitebait and chips at the restaurant around the corner before taking a needed early night. Goodnight from the top of the west coast, with today's "panorama of the day".