quick update - Day 3 and Day 4

only had 50km to ride to Makarora, so started a bit late....  Fail!!  this was not the section I was expecting high winds, especially head winds!  but I got 'em...  by the time I got to the Lake Hawea Lookout it had really kicked in and only got worse as the day went on...  dust in ya face as well....
needless to say it was a total struggle and well before I was trip fit!!  there were times when I had to get off and walk as I couldn't make head way into the wind.  even going down a steep hill I could only manage 12kpm...  groan...  there were times when standing with my back to the wind, I was blown at least 2 steps before I could correct.  so steady head wind and mega gusts...  needless to say I was exhausted by the time I rolled into Makarora - 8 hours later...  thought I had booked a female only dorm bed - but that's only in peak season - so ended up with young Polish guy who's been hiking around NZ and must chatter about everything!!!  grrrr.....  so this was the low point of my trip and hoping there is no competition for that...  spoke to another young cyclist who said he too was wasted yesterday and didn't think he would make it to Makarora...

but that is all now behind me... it rained last night and this morning, there were low clouds around the hills and 9C...  today I was expecting a climb up over the Haast pass then a long cruise down, then into another head wind...  tick the climb over the pass was high, the cruise down was glorious, but it just kept going!  and going!!  laughing...  a tad of wind, but just around some corners...  and cruised into Haast just before 5 - 80km tick!

so here - there's a pub, a supermarket, 2 cafes, several backpackers and motels and that's it!  no mobile phone connection and buy wifi for $5 for 500mb...  so not sure there'll be photos loaded...

room to myself tonight!  sweet - Monteiths Golden Ale + salad and roaste vegies and chips + carrot cake = am just about ready for bed...  am going to post this now, just in case anyone is wondering where I might be...  holed up in Haast - right on the West Coast, bar a coupla kms. 

tomorrow to the sea then north to Lake Paringa - about 50km...  hoping no wind!!  fingers crossed!!

hope all well!!!