We reluctantly (despite the cold!) left Dunedin and headed southwards. We were heading for an area down the southern coast of the South Island called the Catlins and on the way we passed over the Clutha River. The Clutha looked fairly docile for what is NZs largest river but its output, in terms of volume of water, is only 18 % less than the Nile, a river that is 150 times larger (the Clutha catchment area is only 2.2 million hectares compared to the Niles ballpark of 334 million hectares).
We were trying to take the coastal roads wherever possible and stopped briefly at Kaka Point to have a look
There was obviously good pickings offshore judging by the number of crayfish pots that were drying out
We drove down a dirt track to Nugget Point which is an unusual place in that Hooker seals, NZ fur seals, elephant seals and sea lions all live together on the same rocks in harmony. We could see them down on the rocks and the elephant seals were just massive although all made a huge amount of noise. The sea around the point is crystal clear and you can see huge clumps of bull kelp, swaying in the tide, seals ducking and diving around in the water.
The bushes and trees told of a wilder side to the point as they all grew on an angle, a giveaway that high winds sweep from the sea up the hillside.
Something I have noticed down here are the huge clumps of native flax. The flax is in flower at the moment so attract loads of Tui, a native bird that is has a way-out flying style and even more way out range of sounds.
This is the view from the lighthouse and after we took the photo we realised that the air was so clear you could see the curvature of the earth on the horizon. The rocks off the end of the point were comprised of vertical layers of sedimentary rock that had come up out of the earth and tilted 90 degrees.
From Nugget Point, it was onwards into the Catlins, a bit further down the coast. The drive through the Catlins is a fantastic drive and its one area where you can see original native forests rolling over the hills right down to these wild stretches of sandy beaches.
One point we just had to stop at (another of Jen's recommendations) was Curio Bay, a fossilised forest.
The fossils aren’t huge but it is pretty special to be walking over fossilised tree trunks and stumps over 180 million years old scattered about the place on the sea bed (you have to go at low tide).
I was so taken with the fossils that I didn’t even see the penguin that was dozing on the rock right in front of me. This was one of many and they were so cute and didn’t seem fazed by visitors at all.
We went a wee bit close (unknowingly) to this Oyster Catchers nest and she came out, squawking away at us, jumping up and down on this rock to scare us away. She followed us until we were out of range but she was a pretty gutsy bird!
From the Catlins we went to the southern-most point of NZ – Slope Point. Another wild place with not a lot there except for some very wind blown trees on a farm. From the front, this just looks like a shed with a bunch of Macrocarpa trees around it
but take a look behind the trees and it was a completely different story. These trees really were blasted, to the point that they had been growing on an angle for years then given up and died. The trunks and branches exposed to the wind were actually growing at a 90 degree angle.
All the trees on that coast were wind-blasted. It’s a very wild exposed place.
Bluff was another must-see, home to the famous Bluff Oysters. It wasn’t oyster season (Euan was pretty happy about that as he doesn’t like them and they were on the list of NZ food to try!) but we visited nonetheless and while there are some great hikes around the point, the views were worth the short trip down there.
There didn’t seem much else to see in Bluff if I’m being honest although you can catch a boat to Antarctica if you want (and have the money). London was on the signpost though!
The sea is always a draw-card for me, wherever we go
and there was a good clear view of Stewart Island, just off the coast of the southern most tip of the South Island.
We stayed the night in Invercargill, where my Nana was born. Invercargill is a bit of a joke in NZ and people take the mickey out of it and those that live there mercilessly. Unfairly I think and while we weren’t there long, the people we came across were nice enough and it was no different to any other small NZ city. Another Jen recommendation for this part of NZ was to eat blue cod fish and chips. Jen was born in Invercargill and had mentioned that her parents were fish and chip buffs so I knew they’d know a great place to go. One problem though, I didn’t know their names or phone number. I called every number in Invercargill that was listed against Jen's surname and eventually got hold of them. Their recommendation was great and we sat in a park and had fish and chips made with the freshest blue cod. Yum.
Next stop was Riverton to see Nick and Sally, old chums of mine. I met Nick through Solis (they went to school together) and we all used to bomb around on motorbikes when we were at university. Sally isn’t into motorbikes but used to come with us on our weekend forays and it was nice to have another girl around! I’ve not seen Sally and Nick for years, the last time was in the UK where they lived for a few years. Since moving back to NZ, they’ve had two girls and Cate, the four year old, looks like a little cherub with loads of curly blond hair and big blue eyes. Don’t let that fool anyone as I don’t think I’ve met such a bossy four year old in my entire life! It was brilliant! She had Euan sussed – we came back out from making tea and I think Euan was a bit shell-shocked to have a little girl talking non-stop at him!
Nic and I tried to catch up on news and ended up in the same bed thanks to Cate and Sara who had decided it was our bedtime. Euan was not cooperating (was sneakily taking photos) and at one point Cate gave up on him and stalked away muttering “naughty, naughty, naughty” under her breath. Very amusing.
Then there was the announcement that no photos were to be taken (but it was a bit late, sorry Cate!)
This is Sally and Cate (Sally had the cheek to tell Cate that this Kate was also known to be bossy too…but she knows me too well).
It was great to catch up with them and if you’re ever in Riverton, stop into the pharmacy there that they now own. Sally is an excellent pharmacist and has helped me out loads over the years, even from a distance.
We were heading to Te Anau, a small town that is on the edge of Fiordland, one of the most inaccessible areas in NZ. On the way there, we just had to stop at one of the beaches
It was all too much - I couldn’t resist jumping out of the car and tearing off down the beach
View Larger Map
We were trying to take the coastal roads wherever possible and stopped briefly at Kaka Point to have a look
There was obviously good pickings offshore judging by the number of crayfish pots that were drying out
We drove down a dirt track to Nugget Point which is an unusual place in that Hooker seals, NZ fur seals, elephant seals and sea lions all live together on the same rocks in harmony. We could see them down on the rocks and the elephant seals were just massive although all made a huge amount of noise. The sea around the point is crystal clear and you can see huge clumps of bull kelp, swaying in the tide, seals ducking and diving around in the water.
The bushes and trees told of a wilder side to the point as they all grew on an angle, a giveaway that high winds sweep from the sea up the hillside.
Something I have noticed down here are the huge clumps of native flax. The flax is in flower at the moment so attract loads of Tui, a native bird that is has a way-out flying style and even more way out range of sounds.
This is the view from the lighthouse and after we took the photo we realised that the air was so clear you could see the curvature of the earth on the horizon. The rocks off the end of the point were comprised of vertical layers of sedimentary rock that had come up out of the earth and tilted 90 degrees.
From Nugget Point, it was onwards into the Catlins, a bit further down the coast. The drive through the Catlins is a fantastic drive and its one area where you can see original native forests rolling over the hills right down to these wild stretches of sandy beaches.
One point we just had to stop at (another of Jen's recommendations) was Curio Bay, a fossilised forest.
The fossils aren’t huge but it is pretty special to be walking over fossilised tree trunks and stumps over 180 million years old scattered about the place on the sea bed (you have to go at low tide).
I was so taken with the fossils that I didn’t even see the penguin that was dozing on the rock right in front of me. This was one of many and they were so cute and didn’t seem fazed by visitors at all.
We went a wee bit close (unknowingly) to this Oyster Catchers nest and she came out, squawking away at us, jumping up and down on this rock to scare us away. She followed us until we were out of range but she was a pretty gutsy bird!
From the Catlins we went to the southern-most point of NZ – Slope Point. Another wild place with not a lot there except for some very wind blown trees on a farm. From the front, this just looks like a shed with a bunch of Macrocarpa trees around it
but take a look behind the trees and it was a completely different story. These trees really were blasted, to the point that they had been growing on an angle for years then given up and died. The trunks and branches exposed to the wind were actually growing at a 90 degree angle.
All the trees on that coast were wind-blasted. It’s a very wild exposed place.
Bluff was another must-see, home to the famous Bluff Oysters. It wasn’t oyster season (Euan was pretty happy about that as he doesn’t like them and they were on the list of NZ food to try!) but we visited nonetheless and while there are some great hikes around the point, the views were worth the short trip down there.
There didn’t seem much else to see in Bluff if I’m being honest although you can catch a boat to Antarctica if you want (and have the money). London was on the signpost though!
The sea is always a draw-card for me, wherever we go
and there was a good clear view of Stewart Island, just off the coast of the southern most tip of the South Island.
We stayed the night in Invercargill, where my Nana was born. Invercargill is a bit of a joke in NZ and people take the mickey out of it and those that live there mercilessly. Unfairly I think and while we weren’t there long, the people we came across were nice enough and it was no different to any other small NZ city. Another Jen recommendation for this part of NZ was to eat blue cod fish and chips. Jen was born in Invercargill and had mentioned that her parents were fish and chip buffs so I knew they’d know a great place to go. One problem though, I didn’t know their names or phone number. I called every number in Invercargill that was listed against Jen's surname and eventually got hold of them. Their recommendation was great and we sat in a park and had fish and chips made with the freshest blue cod. Yum.
Next stop was Riverton to see Nick and Sally, old chums of mine. I met Nick through Solis (they went to school together) and we all used to bomb around on motorbikes when we were at university. Sally isn’t into motorbikes but used to come with us on our weekend forays and it was nice to have another girl around! I’ve not seen Sally and Nick for years, the last time was in the UK where they lived for a few years. Since moving back to NZ, they’ve had two girls and Cate, the four year old, looks like a little cherub with loads of curly blond hair and big blue eyes. Don’t let that fool anyone as I don’t think I’ve met such a bossy four year old in my entire life! It was brilliant! She had Euan sussed – we came back out from making tea and I think Euan was a bit shell-shocked to have a little girl talking non-stop at him!
Nic and I tried to catch up on news and ended up in the same bed thanks to Cate and Sara who had decided it was our bedtime. Euan was not cooperating (was sneakily taking photos) and at one point Cate gave up on him and stalked away muttering “naughty, naughty, naughty” under her breath. Very amusing.
Then there was the announcement that no photos were to be taken (but it was a bit late, sorry Cate!)
This is Sally and Cate (Sally had the cheek to tell Cate that this Kate was also known to be bossy too…but she knows me too well).
It was great to catch up with them and if you’re ever in Riverton, stop into the pharmacy there that they now own. Sally is an excellent pharmacist and has helped me out loads over the years, even from a distance.
We were heading to Te Anau, a small town that is on the edge of Fiordland, one of the most inaccessible areas in NZ. On the way there, we just had to stop at one of the beaches
It was all too much - I couldn’t resist jumping out of the car and tearing off down the beach
View Larger Map
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