Buller Gorge, NZ: Pathway to the West

I can't ever recall if I ever traveled along the entire length of a river, from its headwaters to where it empties to the ocean.  But now we can say we have.  The Buller River begins where it spills out from Lake Rotoiti in the Nelson Lakes National Park.  It continues for 170 kilometers to the seaside town of Westport.  And the best part of biking along Highway 6, which parallels the river, is it was all downhill.

The beautiful stillness of morning, downstream of Murchison.

Multiple bridges cross both the main Buller River and its tributaries.  Many are one lane bridges, and bicyclists are well accommodated on the longer ones.

John cycling in the shadow of Hawks Crag, like so many travelers before him.

As we approach the coast, clouds wrap themselves over the ridges.

Flowing, flowing, to the sea.

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