23.1.2018: French Pass - off the beaten path

It's not exactly comfortable. Especially for my knee, spending the night in the car is not ideal. I woke up often, changed positions, killed 3 mosquitoes, and by sunrise, when the cicadas started their daily concert, the night's rest was over.

After a quick breakfast from a Tupperware instead of a cereal bowl, I can start. It's a 33 km journey to French Pass, and according to my guidebook, the last 24 km are unpaved. But since then, things have changed, the asphalt extends several more kilometers before turning into a gravel road. To my surprise, this is the best unpaved road I have ever travelled on. You can easily drive 40-50 km/h. And someone at the campsite actually said it's extremely narrow and the trip to French Pass is an all-day adventure. The weather forecast promises sunny weather both in Okiwi Bay and French Pass, and it's not lying, but apparently, the elevated road is not part of the forecast. Dense, low-hanging clouds obscure all the views that the Scenic Drive is famous for. The visibility is only a few meters. I can only hope for better luck on the way back. Just before reaching the destination, the fog clears up and a lookout invites me to take a break. It's only 750 m to the place that was once a nightmare for sailors. The visible small whirlpools and currents speak for themselves. Just a few meters away is a small, secluded beach that I have to share with no one but many blue jellyfish. Wonderful! But I don't feel like swimming at the moment, although I've packed my bikini and towel just in case.

Fortunately, the fog has cleared on the way back, and the visibility is only impaired in some places, so I have stopped more frequently for photo stops. Since as a driver, you can only enjoy the view to a limited extent, I make a detour to Elaine Bay. At the very end, well hidden behind the shipyard, the Archer Track begins, which is mentioned favorably in both my German and English travel guides. Allegedly, it offers more views than the popular, 70 km long Queen Charlotte Track. Although the harbor area doesn't give the impression that parking is allowed here, at least there is no sign prohibiting it. Still no shaded parking spot for my Toyota, but it will have to endure.

My personal highlight awaits me after just a few minutes of walking. At an extremely short stretch of beach, where you can barely spread out your towel, a stingray actually swims past me, but by the time I dig out my camera, it's gone. I can't remember ever seeing a stingray outside of an aquarium. The rest of the track doesn't impress me much; the best views are served on a silver platter right at the beginning, otherwise, the view of the sea, the small wooded islands, and countless bays is mostly blocked by bushes and trees. I don't walk the track all the way to Deep Bay, which is recommended to be 5 km away, because I still don't have accommodation for tonight and no reception to take care of it. I only catch a glimpse from a distance of the lonely bay with its turquoise shimmering water. Back at the car, even the two flies trapped inside have died from the heat during my two-hour absence.

At 5:15 PM, I find myself back at the campsite, where I spend another night. Luckily, I found a can in my food bags that I can warm up in the microwave. Today, for a change, I try sleeping on the back seat...