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Published: October 16th 2007
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Nugget bay
Because the rocks look like golden nuggets. Nugget Point We drove to The Catlins as we had arranged to stay over at Nat's family farm. We visited Nugget Point and walked along the peninsular to take a closer look at the lighthouse. We spotted lots of selas playing in the rock pools below us and swimming around the kelp forests around the headland. We drove back down the hill and pulled up at a beach for lunch, where we spotted a massive Hooker sea lion sitting near the dunes. We dashed down for a closer look and he eyed us sleepily as we sneaked up to take a closer photo (leaving his path back to the sea clear just in case!). We left him to his siesta and drove to Jack's Blowhole, but unfortunately the path over the fields was closed for lambing (which is the best excuse, so we didn't mind). We continued on to Purakaunui Falls, which were very pretty!
The Francis Farm The falls were only around the corner from the Francis Family farm, so we drove up to meet Nat's folks, Debbie and Ray, who were lovely and friendly and made us feel very much at home. We stayed in the backpackers and
had a lovely real bed in the cosy farmhouse for the night. Rach couldn't stop grinning when Debbie asked us to help feed the pet lambs, Rosie & Blossom that lived in a little pen next to the backpackers. They were gorgeous but very greedy and their bottles soon disappeared! A German couple and a British couple arrived and shared the house with us that night. Soon, Nat's brother John arrived after a hard day's diving, fishing and hunting, so we had a natter and decided to stay an extra night so we could have a proper chat (nothing to do with Debbie being a tad hungover as well!).
Glow worms! After dark, Debbie told us we could find glow worms down by the falls. Armed with a torch, we decided to check them out! It was a bit eerie walking around the forest in the pitch black with a little maglite, but it was well worth it. When we turned our torches off and allowed our eyes to adjust, lots of little blue lights appeared in the hedges! We found lots walking back from the falls and perservered trying to gets pics of them with our torchlight, narrowly
missing spiders lurking in the darkness! We went back to the farmhouse and had a couple of glasses of wine with the British couple.
Farm Tour The next morning we had the perfect start to the day: fresh boiled eggs and soldiers courtesy of the hens! We spent the day at Cathedral Caves, McClean Falls and the Petrified Forest (see next blog!). After our busy day, we met up with Ray who gave us a bottle of Speights and told us to hop on the back of his truck for a tour of the farm. With Bear in the front seat and Jase on gate duty we headed off up the hills. We toured their huge farm, clutching the roll bar with one hand and our beer with our other hand (Jase found a third hand to take some photos - go, go, gadget hand!). We went up and down steep hills, passing some of their 5,500 sheep (of which 3000 are cute little lambs ahhhh!). A few silly ones insisted on running in front of the truck, but not as silly as Jase who nearly shut himself in the wrongside of the field, closing the gate...ha ha! We
came across a ewe giving birth and witnessed a little lamb pop out steaming hot! Unfortunately, we think it was stillborn as it didn't really move. We came across another unfortunate ewe, lying upside down with stiff legs in the air! (stop sniggering Jase!). We picked up a few passengers on the way back, little dead lambs destined for the glove factory. The realities of working on a sheep farm.
BBQ When we got back off our tour, the BBQ was ready to go! We sat back chatting away, sipping our Speights and nibbling at stuffed olives, before a feast of paua (abalone), blue cod and wild venison. All of which John had dived for, fished and hunted the day before. You don't get fresher than that for a BBQ! It must have made a difference, because we found it delicious and we don't normally enjoy fish or seafood. We retired to their living room and chatted about Africa (John did the trip last year) and hilarious childhood stories.
If the kitchen's a rockin... We left the Francis family and went back to the farmhouse. We were sitting in the kitchen when all of a sudden we felt
the room shake and noticed the fridge started dancing around the floor, and the book shelves swayed. Our first earthquake!!! Apparently it read 6.2 on the Richter scale (not the Wrister scale you Rodge & Podge fans!) a few hundred kms away in the Auckland Islands. All in all, a fantastic stay at the farm. A big thank you to Debbie, Ray & John for looking after us!
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