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Published: December 9th 2013
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Thursday 5th December, 2013. Southern Scenic Route Te Anau to The Catlins
Today had been largely set aside as a travelling day. We were going to continue driving some more of the Southern Scenic Route (SSR). However, we first went back to the wildlife park to watch the Takahe feeding at 9.15 am. M chatted to the conservation woman (a different one from yesterday). She told us that the fertile eggs that were being incubated by the Takahe in the next pen were not, in fact, eggs belonging to that Takahe couple. The couple were infertile but their eggs had been removed and replaced with two eggs taken from clutches belonging to wild birds. Apparently they won't know the difference.
We continued on our drive along the SSR, retracing our steps to Manapouri. After this it was all new. Our first stop was the Rakatu Wetlands, which is a wetlands restoration project in progress. The area covers 270 hectares including open wetlands, streams and waking tracks as well as areas set aside for farming and forestry. NZ has lost a staggering 96% of its native wetlands. These wetlands acted like sponges and discharged water in times of drought and
held it in in times of flood. The Department of Conservation are trying to restore these delicate ecosystems so they can again perform these vital functions. We did the 20 minute walk to the view point. On the way there D made use of the toilet facilities. He was so impressed he had to take a photograph. We were miles from anywhere in the middle of a field, several kilometres from the road and the loo was immaculate, flushing with toilet paper and soap! No graffiti either - wouldn't last 5 minutes in Europe.
We followed the SSR until we came to a place marked on the map as "Historic Bridge". We weren't sure exactly what this would be but decided to stop and take a look. The bridge was called The Clifden Suspension bridge (D then recalled had read about it in the guide book). Living in Bristol, the home of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by I K Brunel we had to stop and take a look. The Clifden Bridge is recognized as a NZ Engineering Achievement of Outstanding Heritage Significance. It was designed by Charles H Howorth (1851-1945), a Southland County Engineer. It was the first
bridge over the Waiau River and had the longest main span (111.5m) in NZ at that time. It replaced the Waiau ferry which crossed this dangerous stretch of river. It took 10 months and cost £5007 to build and was completed in 1899.
After we had visited the bridge we went out of our way slightly to visit the Clifden Gorge and caves which were signposted from the main road. We took some pictures of the gorge and D went into the caves and took some photos. M didn't attempt it. D fell over on the way out and bashed his chin - not for the faint-hearted (sensible people) like M.
Next stop on the SSR was a town called Tuatapere. This was a veritable metropolis by NZ standards. We pulled in to the Museum and paid the $5 entrance. It was very interesting and told the story of the early settlers and loggers who lived in the area.
We continued until we hit the east coast, where we headed north. The coast was absolutely stunning. First we stopped at McCrackens Rest. Here was a wonderful beach with a sign showing the nearest other inhabited places.
Next was yet another beautiful beach called Gemstone Beach. Storms cause this beach to be constantly changing. Sometimes the stones are piled high, then the next tide will reduce it to sand again. Some of the gems that can be found here are Hydrogrossular, Jasper, Garnet Sands, Rodingite, Epidote, Fossil Worm Casts, Idocrase, Sapphire. Hydrogrossular was used by early Maori as hammer stones in the production of stone tools.
Monkey Island was next. Known by the Maori as Te Puka o Takitimu, this rocky knob becomes an island at high tide. It is the anchor stone of the legendary Takikimu Waka (canoe) which was wrecked in Te Waewae Bay. The island was a traditional Maori lookout for Whales. In the mid 19th century interest focused on another treasure - the gold dust which lay on thelocal beaches. The district's first gold mining settlement was built near this site.
We eventually entered the Catlins - the area of NZ which was our destination for the next couple of nights. We arrived at a town called Riverton. We decided to follow a part of the Riverton-Aparima Heritage Trail which was outlined in a flyer we had picked up at Tuatapere
Museum. First we went to visit the Howell Memorial Gardens. Capt John Howell (1809-1874) was the founder of Riverton. He was born at Fairlight, Eastbourne Sussex and ran away to sea age 12. He arrived in NZ and married a Maori Chieftainess Kohi Patu. Her dowry included a lot of lalnd. He built his first home at Flints Bush which he named "Eastbourne" after his home in England. Sadly Kohi Kohi died young leaving him with 2 young children. He remarried Caroline Brown of Codfish Island and they had 17 more children!!!!! - Makes D look positively celibate! He made a lot of dosh and was buried at the Riverton Cemetery. Many (many many ....) of his descendants still life in the Riverton area to this day.
We followed the trail to The Rocks which is a posh area of Riverton on the coast. It was absolutely stunning. We took some pictures before continuing on to our destination which was Curio Bay. We had no accommodation booked for tonight and D had decided on a place called the Lazy Dolphin Backpackers. We arrived there and got the last twin or double room available. There was nobody on reception but
a note saying if there was a room on the whiteboard with no name against it - write your name on and move in - so we did. How laid back is that?!
We drove back to the previous hamlet where there was an information/museum place to find out where we could shop. Turns out nowhere apart from the camping site where we could get some essentials - or drive back for 20 minutes to a small supermarket. D decided that we could make do with the camp site. Unfortunately spaghetti hoops and frozen pies weren't what we had in mind so we bought 4 eggs at 60 cents each (egg on toast - we had some bread already). We returned to the Lazy Dolphin and met Glenda - the warden. She was great and advised us on when to try to see the penguins, on a local walk and how to get to the Petrified Forest. She also sold us a couple of roast dinners for $12 each - so sod the eggs on toast. we would have them for breckie tomorrow!
We walked back up to the campsite and took some photos of the wave-cut platform.
We looked out for seals and Hector's Dolphins but didn't see any - too windy apparently. Then we walked on to the Fossil (or Petrified) Forest. This is the fossilised remains of an ancient forest and is exposed at Curio Bay during low tide. This is one of the most extensive and least disturbed examples of a Jurassic fossil forest in the world and stretches about 20 kilometres from Curiio Bay, south west to Slope Point. We could clearly see the shapes of the tree trunks across the bay, and when you looked at the 'rocks' you could see the grains of the wood. We had also come here to see the Yellow-Eyed penguins (Hoiho) which are currently nesting on the beach. There were none in evidence so we did the forest walk recommended by Glenda. It was really good and out of the wind. It was a loop walk so we tried again to see the penguins at Curio Bay when we got back. We saw one - miles away. D took a grainy, zoomed photo. The stupid Chinese were trying to follow it. Of course the poor thing just tried to run away!
It was freezing, so
we gave up on the penguins and returned to the Lazy Dolphin. Ate the roast dinners, chatted to a couple from Devon and then we went to bed.
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