Trains, Cars, Waterfalls, Seals and More

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Trains, Cars, Waterfalls, Seals and More

The Catlins National Park

We figured that we would leave the booming town of Invercargill and spend a day or two in the Catlins National park which is on the south east corner of NZ’s south island. This area is known for beautiful seascapes and inland waterfalls. What more can you ask for on a beautiful Saturday afternoon than beautiful beaches and waterfalls?

After driving for about an hour on the fabulously twisty and windy roads (why can’t they create straight roads? I ask this question every day. I often wonder if the highway department in NZ is filled with budding artists instead of engineers.) that lead through the area, we came to our first major checkpoint, Waipapa Point.

Four kilometers off the paved road lies a windswept beach and a lighthouse. These sights have become rather commonplace to Kel and I at this point which is a huge statement about the beauty of NZ in general. When beautiful sights become normal you must be in a beautiful country.

The cool thing about Waipapa point was the wildlife. We parked in the parking area and walked less than ten feet before we came across a male and a female fur seal laying in the grass right off the path. Both of them were peacefully taking a nap. The warnings should always be heeded when dealing with wildlife. In this case the warning has to do with the incredible speed of these animals over short distances. You may think they are lumbering animals and get closer than the recommended 15 to 20 feet and find that a seal’s bite can be very nasty. We obviously kept our distance but enjoyed watching them lounge the day away.

We decided to explore the beach before getting back in the car and were lucky enough to come across a resting sea lion. These large creatures are really dangerous when they want to be, so once again we gave this guy wide berth. After enjoying the sun, surf and sea lion for a few minutes we decided to move on with our day mostly because of the swarm of sand flies that had decided to make us into lunch.

Our next stop was the much hyped Curio Bay. This area is renowned for its petrified logs, stumps and wildlife. Kel and I were really excited to see it after everything we’d read about it. Mistakenly we expected to see an actual petrified forest standing at the sea side. Instead what you get is a volcanic rocky area with a few fallen logs petrified in the stone. Not anywhere near as cool as we had been lead to believe. If you head this way and are really interested in fossils, check it out, otherwise find something more interesting to do with your time!

Our next, and final stop in the Catlins was Mclean Falls. Set about 5 kilometers off the paved road and another twenty minutes of hiking is one of the more gorgeous falls that we have been lucky enough to stumble across. Unlike the falls near Milford Sound, Mclean Falls was worth every step of the hike. The water rushing over the moss green rocks is stunning and awe striking. Check out the pictures, they tell much more about the scene than I ever could.

Dunedin: Land of Partying Students

After seeing Mclean falls and a few beaches we realized that we didn’t really need much more time in the Catlins. We easily could have stopped and seen a bunch more waterfalls and beaches, but after a while they start to blend together. We figured instead we’d take the hour and a fall drive to nearby Dunedin (pronounced dun-E-din). Dunedin is one of the largest cities on the south island and is well known as the home of Otago University (or University of Otago, all the same to me). It is a fun college town with tons of students and a few really cool things to do.

We rolled up into Dunedin as we’ve done throughout the south island, e.g. with no idea what to expect and a few ideas of hotels to choose from for a place to stay. In this case we were extremely surprised to find almost every hotel in town booked solid. After driving to our top three choices only to find their friendly neon signs outside stating NO Vacancy, we finally stopped at one to ask what was going on. We figured they would be able to let us know if we would need to move on to the next town to find accommodation. Thankfully, the nice people behind the counter went a step beyond our expectations and called around until they found us a room after informing us that there was a graduation ceremony at the university and a big rugby game going on in town.

Thanks to the friendly motel owners we rushed down the street to our night’s accommodations which were more than a little dated and slightly shabby but acceptable. After checking in and dropping off our bags we grabbed some dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant and then settled in for the night to relax, watch some TV and get some sleep. After about an hour of watching TV things got interesting outside. It turns out that our shabby hotel was located right in an area of student apartments that were alive with graduation parties and craziness. Parents, if your children ever ask to spend a semester abroad in NZ and say they are going to Otago, don’t let them go. These kids really know how to party and it showed. We stood out on our balcony and watched drunk kids party the night away. It was actually pretty funny, but I’m certain some of our fellow hotel guests were less than pleased at the raucous events proceeding across the parking lot from their rooms. It didn’t keep us from getting a good night’s sleep, but it sure was loud.

Taieri Gorge Railway

We took Sunday morning as a cue to get some much needed sleep. Normally we’ve been getting up around 8am but today we slept in until 9:30. I know, we’re crazy kids aren’t we! After getting up we headed towards our day’s main activity, a ride on the Taieri Gorge Railway.

This is yet another activity that has received a ton of press in NZ and in the Lonely Planet. Kel though it would be a fun way to spend our Sunday afternoon. I was skeptical of spending four hours on a train staring at the scenery but I have learned to give in when Kel is really excited about something.

This exciting trip starts in Dunedin at the railway station, one of the most photographed buildings in NZ, and heads into central Otago, which is a relatively unsettled region of the south island, inland from the south east coast. After heading two hours into the middle of nowhere the train turns around and heads back.

We booked our ride at the hotel so that we were sure we had seats and then walked to the train station through the middle of Dunedin. After 25 minutes of walking and breakfast at McDonalds we arrived a full hour before the train left. We got a cup of coffee in a nearby café and read for an hour. One thing you can always be sure of in NZ, every café and bar will have a cappuccino machine because New Zealanders love their coffee and drink copious amounts of the stuff.

When the time came we headed back to the station and boarded our train. We were disappointed to find that our assigned seats were at a table facing two other passengers. As we approached our table and saw the couple we were going to spend the next four hours with, we found ourselves staring at a retired couple from Christchurch. I was figuring it was going to be an dull sort of afternoon, boy was I wrong!!

Kel and I hit it off with the couple we were sitting with, so much so that we spent the whole trip talking instead of listening to the “interesting” tour monologue on Otago history (read that last part as patented Mikey T sarcasm). Judy and Keith, our new friends, provided a great afternoon of conversation which saved us from a train ride that would have been thoroughly uninteresting.

Before I go on with our conversations let me say that if you like this sort of activity, the Taieri Gorge train ride would be a lot of fun. I personally enjoy being a more active participant in my fun activities, so the idea of sitting on a train watching the world go by isn’t as fun as some other things I could do with my day.

We most of the journey talking about our trip, their family background and then got into a great conversation about the differences between NZ cuisine and American cuisine. We all got a real kick out of the subtle differences that set our foods apart: butter on all their sandwiches, some of the ingredients they put together, the heavy use of curry and Thai ingredients in their cuisine, etc. Judy and Keith both got a real kick out of our comments which, of course, were never meant to state that either culture was superior or inferior, just different. As the conversation continued we got to pointing out the things that we felt the need to take home with us. For instance, we have found we like traditional British puddings. The puddings are steamed cakes that are delicious. They have nothing to do with what we call pudding back home, here that is called custard. If you ever get a chance to try pudding (steamed cake) you must because it’s amazing!

Finally Kel and I got to asking about things we hadn’t had a chance to try yet. We have heard a lot of raving about the Pavlova, a meringue desert that was first created in NZ (research has been done to prove that this is a NZ dessert, not an Aussie one; sorry Aussie readers!) Judy proceeded to tell us about how she makes Pavlova and what the ingredients are. Next thing we know Judy and Keith are inviting us to come to their house in Christchurch for dinner. Judy even said she would try to whip up a Pavlova for us, definitely an opportunity we can not pass up. We set the date for Saturday the 12th which is the day before we leave for Australia. We will most certainly give them a call in Christchurch so that we can get together with them. How awesome, a home cooked meal in our new friends’ house!! We will keep you posted!

Hope you are all well at home!

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