This morning we awoke to the sound of rain again. It seems that the weather has followed us from Milford Sound but since we were told it was a western front from Tasman Sea coming in we were not too surprised – just disappointed. (Tonight we checked and learned that Milford Sound had sunshine today even though it was forecasted to be rain so we really are disappointed and upset that we left when we did – but chances are it could still have been raining hard so who knew?)
No matter, we headed off down the Southern Coastal Scenic drive which was recommended. This took us through the Catlins coastline and we had a fantastic drive along the coastline stopping at several places along the way to enjoy sightseeing. Our first stop was at South Slope which is the most southerly point of New Zealand.
We found ourselves driving along a gravel road and wondering what we got ourselves into as we bumped along. Then we came to the sign indicating the trail to the cliffs where there is a automated lighthouse and the signage. To get to the lighthouse and signage we had to walk through a sheep pasture and out through a gate at the end close to the cliffs. Then we followed the trail along the cliffs to the lighthouse and signs. The wind was blowing and it really was interesting to wonder how much wind could we stand up in, but we managed today. We also noticed someone walking down to the beach carrying a surfboard and we wondered who would be crazy enough to try to surf in this wind. We did not ask.
We left the South Slope and headed back down the gravel road only to discover that it was being graded. The grader had taken one swipe down one side leaving a ridge of gravel down about 2/3 across the road. It was fun trying to figure if driving straddle the ridge was worth the sound of gravel scraping the bottom or chance driving on the wrong side of the road (which felt kind of normal to me actually). We drove on the wrong side and switched only when we met a car. Our van has a lot of clearance and I am not sure how any car would have managed – maybe they didn’t.
Our next stop was at the Petrified Forest at Curio Bay. Curio Bay is a coastal embayment best known as the site of a petrified forest some 180 million years old. Curio Bay is one of the major attractions in the Catlins. The now petrified logs, from ancient conifers closely related to modern Kauri and Norfolk Pine, were buried by ancient volcanic mud flows and gradually replaced by silica to produce the fossils now exposed by the sea. Although we are told there are Yellow Eyed Penguins in this area we did not see any. Apparently the best time to see the penguins is later in the evening when they return from fishing off shore.
We continued on our journey with some really great views along the drive. I have taken some pictures to share but what we also noticed as we drove was that we seemed to be just ahead of the dark clouds and rain that threatened to overtake us each time we stopped. It is very interesting weather here in New Zealand.
Our next stop was at Nugget Point. Nugget Point is one of the most distinctive landforms along the Otago coast. It's a steep headland with a lighthouse and a scattering of rocky islets (The Nuggets).
A ten minute walk takes you to the lighthouse, where you'll enjoy amazing views along the coastline in both directions. As we looked down onto the rocks directly below the lighthouse, we saw fur seals lolling about, playing in rock pools and generally having fun. The wind was blowing still but we enjoyed the sunshine and the views of waves crashing into shore while the wind was blowing the sea spray back out to sea. As we got back to the van to leave the parking lot the clouds had blown in and the rain started to fall. We left just in time to once again race ahead of the rainstorm that had been following us all day.
Our final stop on the highway was unplanned. We came across a herd of cattle being moved and they really were not sure which gate to go back into so the ‘cowboys’ on foot and motorcycle were rounding them up and moving them forward. We simply stopped and watched the cows walk first towards us, past us and then back up ahead of us into the field of choice. We felt right back at home except these were dairy cows.
We finally arrived in Dunedin and got a place for the van at the campsite. As we sorted things out the weather caught up to us again and this time we are sitting it out as the wind continues to blow and the rain falls down. Tomorrow we hope it will be better weather so we can go and find the yellow eyed penguins. In the meantime I finally have a good internet connection so have several days of blog to get posted. Time flies you may have noticed.
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