Beattys Overseas

Once we crossed the Cook Strait to the South Island of New Zealand, I had big plans for us to enjoy one of the country's littlest and most scenic national parks, the Abel Tasman N.P.  Unfortunately, a series of events* which led to the two of us being rather cranky veered us further south in our trusty little rental car (another red Toyota!) to Westport. 

The drive south towards Westport took us along many one-lane bridges while we crossed the Buller River, the home of New Zealand's longest swingbridge.  A swingbridge is a semi-stable bridge that moves when you walk over it; FYI.  Next to the swingbridge, there's a rip-cord where you can sit in duo-swings and race back over the river or lay in a 'Superman' sack and go head first.  We opted for the duo-swings which were fun, as our combined weight made for a faster zip over the gorge.  Hilarious!

The I-Site Tourist Center in Westport referred us to the Chelsea Gateway, a motel on Westport's main drive that was the Comeback Kid for us with South Island's lodging.  We got a 1 bedroom apartment for two nights at a fantastic rate WITH internet access!  Jackpot!  We loved it there and told the owners Roger & Lynne that they will have many more American visitors following this blog referral. (We love referring!)  With a full kitchen available to us, we made two home-cooked dinners and spent a few nights doing laundry and updating BeattysOverseas.com. 

While in Westport, we took a day to do some Blackwater Rafting, a very groovy experience involving a trainride through the rainforest, a little hike to the top of a cave, and a 90-minute walk through the interior of the massive cave where piles of calcium carbonate gather on the roofs and floors to eventually join into immense columns that actually look like wet wax.
That's a whole bunch of calcium corbonate!After all this, you hop into an old-school black innertube and float backwards down a river inside the pitch-black cave, looking at a huge colony of golwworms that live on the ceilings of the cave.  They glow from a chemical in their bellies and live completely nocturnal lives, eating insects that fly into their spider-like web strings.  Once we exited the cave, we innertubed more down the Nile River (New Zealand's, not Egypt's Nile!), and took some silly pictures going over little rapids.  It was a very cool day, and the company that runs the tour were amazingly enthusiastic about their work and about preserving these caves for many generations to come.

After our Underworld Rafting, we went to Westport's best restaurant, the award-winning Bay House Cafe,  which was packed with a group of motorcycle hobbyists.  Seriously, the line of bikes leading up to the restaurant made us think the place would be a crazy biker hangout.  Instead, it was the polite over-60 crowd. 
We REALLY liked our food!Mostly couples, from Nelson, a town about 2-hours north famous for it's Pinot Noir.  We chatted with one of the bikers for a bit then ordered some of the most scrumptious food we've eaten in months.  John said it was the best lamb he's ever had - and he always has lamb.  Seriously, the chef earned four thumbs-up from us.  Our waiter Peter was a sweetie pie, and treated us well despite the slammed crowds.  With a view of the peaceful Tauranga Bay from our patio table, we had little to complain about. 

* The series of unfortunate events involved a rather inefficient "resort" accommodation in a lovely little seaside town called Kaiteriteri, referred by the Visitor Center staff who were nice enough to help us after they had locked the door for the evening. Once we got there, though, the place was a circus with no one manning the reception area and a 'room' that was an old cabin down the road from the rest of the property.  If you ever visit Kaiteriteri, do not waste your money at Kimi Ora.  It claims to be a health spa & resort.  The healthiest thing we did was drive away from that place after 1 uncomfortable night. 

- Whitney