We drove through mountains and along the sea today. Our first stop was at the Bushman's Centre which has a sculpture honoring the ubiquitous sandfly. They are nasty little biting, bloodsucking insects which leave a very itchy welt on the skin. We've both been bitten, but Bob has really been tormented by them. Luckily we brought along lots of repellent and anti-itch ointment.

We stopped in Ross to investigate the gold mining historical exhibits there and compared their present operation to our own gold mine in Victor. However, there was a large nugget discovered in Ross -- the 99oz "Honorable Roddy" was found here in 1907. Today they were charging tourists $10 to try their luck gold panning; I doubt if anyone found anything close to Roddy's size.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at Lake Mahinapua near Hokitika - a lovely spot tucked away in the bush.

We crossed a scary one lane bridge. We are getting used to them, but this one shares the road with the railroad tracks!

Greymouth has a long history of gold mining, too. Its unattractive name comes from the location at the mouth of the Grey River. We stopped to check out the seascape at the Greymouth Seaside Top 10 Holiday Park and decided to spend the night here. It's not a sandy beach and the wind is brisk, but it will be nice to listen to the surf tonight. Maybe it will be a clear night and we will be able to see the Southern Cross.