Invercargill via The Catlins to Dunedin

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En route we stopped at Waipapa Point which has an historic lighthouse. It's also a nesting spot for sea lions but we were there too early to see them coming ashore for the night. Next stop Mc Lean falls, which was lovely. We also stopped at Slope Point, the southernmost point of the South Island, and the furthest south I will ever travel! (Short of an expedition to the South Pole! ) At Curio Bay, at low tide, we saw a forest of fossilized tree trunks dated to be middle Jurassic, about 180 million yrs old! There is also a colony of yellow eyed penguins which come ashore here but again we were too early to see them. We stayed in Papatowai in Hilltop Cottage which was in a beautiful farm location on top of a hill overlooking the sea. It had 1 double room with ensuite and a second room with 2 bunk beds, lounge and kitchen. On the first night we had 3 young English travellers join us for the night but the second night we had the house to ourselves. So nice to be able to cook without having to share a kitchen! Our first destination next morning was Cathedral Cove. It's only accessible at low tide after a 20min walk down to the beach through private land. The sea has created a massive arched cave which you can walk through which is quite spectacular. From here we visited Lake Wilkie created by a glacier which shows how the trees are reclaiming bog pools. The lake is very pretty with some lovely reflections and the information about the forest and its different stages is really interesting. Our next stop was Jack's Blowhole. The 30 minute walk turned out to be 30 mins each way and all uphill! I'd like to say the journey was worth it but it wasn't very impressive, especially having seen Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki. The views on the way were good however and we even saw albatross. The Matai falls and Horseshoe falls were also worth a visit and only a short distance from the road. Our final destination for the day was Nugget Point, where there is a light house and a viewing platform to watch seals and yellow eyed penguins coming ashore at night. We saw some seals and the penguins were beginning to appear in the sea but it was getting too cold to wait for them to come out of the water! after our final night in Hilltop we set off for Dunedin. We stayed at the Farrys Motel which was a short stroll to the Octagon, the centre of Dunedin. It was not the best afternoon to be sitting outside a bar whlie England were being shown how to play cricket by the Kiwis! On Saturday we took the Taieri Gorge Railway to Pukerangi. It took 4 hours and the seats weren't the most comfortable! The journey does however offer some stunning views of the gorge crossing bridges, viaducts and tunnels and is a testament to the early rail pioneers determination. In the afternoon we did the 90 minute Speights brewery tour which was really informative; talking about the history of beer, taking you through the process and of course finished with the obligatory tasting! Unfortunately we had to compete with a group of young people who were 'pre-loading' and determined to get their $25 worth! On Sunday Tom walked up Baldwin Street, the world's steepest residential street, while I bravely waited at the bottom with the camera! From there we had a leisurely drive around the Otago Peninsula which would be a lovely place to live. Lots of people out jogging and cycling on a sunny Sunday morning.The scenery is amazing and changes from cove to cove. We drove out to Taiaroa Head along the coast and then drove back over gravel tracks, past Larnach Castle to head out to the airport to fly back to Auckland. We flew out of Auckland for Adelaide early the next morning. thoughts on New Zealand? It's an amazing country in many respects and we've had an amazing 5 weeks. The scenery is breathtaking and so varied, the people are lovely and uniformly welcoming. The way of life seems so much more relaxed than in the UK and driving is easy and stress free. Would I come back? - definitely! However, Australia beckons!!

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Photos

Waipapa Beach
Tom in search of well hidden seals!

Curio Bay
Fossilized tree forest at low tide

Curio Bay
Example of fossilized trees dating back to the Jurassic period.

Dunedin Train Station
A bit of Scotland down under!