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Published: December 11th 2013
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Saturday 7th December, 2013. The Catlins - Day 2
We woke up after the best night's sleep in a hospital bed either of us had ever had! After breakfast we made our way to the Okawa Museum which Nigel (the Warden) had told us was excellent and would also be able to advise on when it was best to try to see the Yellow-Eyed Penguins (YEP's).
The museum was a very modern building for such a small town. Here we discovered that the Catlins were first inhabited by the Maori from around 900 to 1700 AD. It is believed that moa hunting drew them here. The first Europeans to see this coast were the crew of Captain Cook's endeavour in 1770. Whalers and Sealers arrived between 1800 and 1880. Vast areas of the Catlins were covered in mature Podocarp forests. Podocarps are a family of large coniferous trees found mainly in the southern hemisphere. The logging of these trees and farming was what first attracted the 1st permanent European settlers. A railway was built to service the logging industry and the communities associated with it.
The human population of the Catlins has declined steadily and is currently around
1200. About 400 people live in the main town of Owaka where we are staying. Tourism has helped the local economy, which otherwise relies mainly on farming and fishing. Once considered the "forgotten coast", the ruggedly beautiful Catlins now enjoys reputation as one of NZ's 'must see' locations.
We sat and watched a movie about two separate ship wrecking incidents off the nearby coast. The first one was absolutely terrifying. The captain of the Otago ran aground and tore a hole in the hull. A ship passed by but he threatened death to anyone who raised the alarm. After the ship started filling with water he had all hands to the pumps (including women) - plying them with gin to keep them going. After it was obvious that this was futile he set all the lifeboats afloat (save for one for him and the officers on board). The crew mutinied and ferried the passengers ashore. The captain was later jailed for being drunk and reckless.
The second film was about the TSS Manuka. On the cold, wet Monday night of December 16, 1929, the Union Steam Ship Company steamer T.S.S. Manuka hit a reef off Long Point (Irihuka)
in the Catlins, South Otago. Awaiting the 173 passengers was a long night in an open boat off an unfamiliar and deserted coastline. Once the news of the wreck spread this normally quiet corner of New Zealand became the focus of national attention. No lives were lost but the story of how everyone rallied round to help the passengers has become infamous. The captain was blamed for the disaster and retired in his early forties. For those of you who might be wondering - yes Manuka Honey comes from this region! The museum had many relics from the ship including the figurehead. The saddest thing about the whole story was that the passengers never got to retrieve their belongings - they were all auctioned off with the other flotsam and jetsam from the ship. For many of them these items were the tools of their trades and their means to earning a living. Before we left the museum we took advice on where and when it was best to try to see the YEP's.
We left the museum and returned to the last stop on the drive yesterday which we had missed because it was getting late. This was
the Purakaunui Falls which are supposed to be the most attractive. They are a cascading waterfall rather than a drop from a high point to a lower one. We met some people who were obviously doing the same route as us yesterday. We had our picture taken together at the falls.
We returned to the car and drove towards Long Point - the point off which the Manuka had struck the rocks. We stopped first at Helana Falls Beach which is one of the nesting grounds for the rare YEP's (who are nesting at the moment). We couldn't see any penguins but we saw plenty of penguin footprints (reminded us of the quest to find a tiger last year in India - plenty of footprints but no beasty!). We could also hear the chicks calling but the nests were very well hidden. We continued up to Long Point where we parked the car and set out on the 40 minute walk to the point. It was very uncomfortable as it was on a downhill slope and you felt like you were going to twist your right ankle the whole way. It was the same on the way back except
this time it was your left ankle. At least they both hurt the same at the end.
The next stop on the itinerary was Jack's Beach and Jack's Blowhole. We arrived at the beach and then started the walk to the blowhole. The blowhole is 55 metres deep, 144 metres long, 68 metres wide AND 200 metres inland from the sea.
For the uninitiated a blowhole is formed as sea caves grow landwards and upwards into vertical shafts and expose themselves towards the surface, which can result in blasts of water coming to the surface - in this case 200 metres from the sea. It was a long haul up and down to get to the blowhole - but it was worth it as it is a truly magnificent example of the phenomena.
We continued on to Surat Bay where we saw a couple of sealions on the headland. We admired an old Morris Minor car and were advised by the owners to check about the best time to see the YEPs. We checked and were advised to leave immediately for Nugget Point. Another white knuckle ride and we arrived. We got to the car park and started
the walk to the lighthouse. Then the heavens opened. We sheltered under a tree for a while but decided we had to go for it as it didn't show any sign of subsiding. We got absolutely soaked and stll hadn't seen a YEP! Despite the fact that we were wet through M insisted we stop at a place where a "hide" was signposted. D stayed in the car and M walked the 600 metres to the hide. There joy of joys she saw a solitary YEP through the binoculars! At last!! Another one off the Bucket List!
We returned to the Youth Hostel stopping to take a quick photo of Teapot Land on the way. We dried off, had a shower and a good meal. Tomorrow we head for Dunedin.
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