The Kiwi's will signpost anything as a view!!

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The road down to Invercargill was meant to be very scenic. The map failed to show just how bendy it was. With speeds of little of 40km/h this trip could take all day (and it did).
This area had a whole section in the guide book dedicated to beaches, waterfalls, lookouts etc etc etc….
It turned out that although there were some lovely beaches the New Zealand tourist board had gone over the top with what they considered to be worth seeing. Each place of interest would normally be found by turning off the road and continuing for miles down gravel roads. After one very long gravel road we reached what was described as a breathtaking waterfall. 10 minutes of walking and we arrived or at least we think we did. We did have to check that we were at the right place as water pouring out of an overflow pipe could have been more interesting.

We stopped at a fossilised forest on the coast which to be honest just looked like a beach of rocks. Anything remotely interesting had been stolen over the years prompting the tourist board to put up signs saying the beach was under video surveillance. Well unless the cameras were strapped to seagulls there was no videoing going on. On our way back we met this old man who asked if we had enjoyed the beach of fossils, we of course lied and said yes. He then insisted that we follow him a mile up the road to his house for coffee. With visions of being taken hostage and held for ransom we said yes. Turns out he’s the local vicar which could have been even worse if he’d tried to start preaching. Luckily the only thing on the agenda was coffee and biscuits.
It turns out that him and his wife had stolen most of the fossils as their house was littered with them.
After spending ages talking to him about Scotland and England I decided it was time to go. If Carol Anne had been on her own she would still be there now, far too polite to find a way to leave!!

When we got to Invercargill we remembered what some people had said about it and realised it was true. “Invercargill the arse end of the South Island.”

The town was just a sprawling mass of old buildings and suburbs. No building was over 2 stories high and the whole lot was laid out on this very unimaginative grid.
On the plus sign the hostel we stayed in was very nice. It was called Southern Comfort and was a lovely old house. There were only about 6 other people so it felt like a home for the night.

The next day we were travelling over to Stuart Island via the port of Bluff. We asked if there was some where to park in Bluff and leave the car for a few days. I didn’t want to get there and find it to busy. The man said if you fired a gun down the high street of Bluff you would not hit anyone. Sounds like most of the towns we have passed through.

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