THE WASHUP
A fantastic trip that is recommended for golfers and non golfers alike. Golfers can experience fantastic courses all providing stunning views and a variety of challenges. Just remember to give Balmacewen in Dunedin the beer & sars - there are plenty of other good courses to play over there.
The scenery really is special and rates up there with Western Canada and The Rockies. One gobsmacking view after another.
We thought that dining out at night generally gave good choices though the cost on occasions was higher than expected. Stay away from Korean and Mexican restaurants and eat up on the fantastic lamb every opportunity you get. Lots of variety in the local beers and all the ones we tasted were to an acceptable standard. Australian wines were plentiful and reasonably priced. NZ pinot noir is plentiful but not cheap.
Don't get a big hire car if there is only the two of you - the little ones fit better on the narrow winding roads. Watch out for the crazy local drivers and travel the scenic routes wherever possible rather than sticking to the highways.
Make sure either the hire car company or your tour operator give you a reasonably detailed map and accurate directions to your particular destinations. Otherwise be prepared to be hornswaggled.
We found the local people everywhere we went to be very friendly and helpful (increasing the further south you go).
Don't miss it! It really is a great trip.
Paul & Jean
2007
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
New Zealand South Island (Day 16)
DAY 16 CHRISTCHURCH TO MACKAY SUNDAY 18.2.07
The final day and a pretty lazy one planned. Packed, checked out and headed into the city for a look at the city sights. For a Sunday morning the place was packed. Parking was nearly impossible and people were everywhere. After a lengthy search eventually found a park just over the road from a trendy little place serving late breakfast. Best breakkie of the trip.
Went for a walk down to the inner city for a mervyn . Crossed over the Avon with the tourists punting along under the bridge and on to Victoria Square.
(Punting on the Avon River)
(Avon River)
The final day and a pretty lazy one planned. Packed, checked out and headed into the city for a look at the city sights. For a Sunday morning the place was packed. Parking was nearly impossible and people were everywhere. After a lengthy search eventually found a park just over the road from a trendy little place serving late breakfast. Best breakkie of the trip.
Went for a walk down to the inner city for a mervyn . Crossed over the Avon with the tourists punting along under the bridge and on to Victoria Square.
(Punting on the Avon River)
(Avon River)
(Queen Victoria Statue - Victoria Square)
A trip to the souvenir shop for some last minute gifts & it was time to try and find where we had parked the car and head on out to the airport. With the car safely returned and the baggage checked in we headed to the duty free to puchase the compulsory alcohol limits and then went to grab some refreshments to carry us through the trip home. What a hopeless arrangement this is for an international airport. Only one place to get food & drink, queues of 50 people either side, insufficient tables and chairs and food that would choke an emu. Lucky G&T comes in tins.
Then back on the big silver bird for a relatively comfortable and uneventful trip back home.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
New Zealand South Island (Day 15)
DAY 15 CHRISTCHURCH SATURDAY 17.2.07
There aren't many easy holes here. It requires accurate hitting due to the tight rough (velcro) around the greens, the tiger country rough bordering the fairways and a splash of water on about 15 of the holes. Having safely negotiated these obstacles, the greens are diabolical with breaks and speeds beyond comprehension on occasions. A four put double bogey for me was a clear indication of the problems I suffered with the greens. A truly magnificient golfing experience that saw me reach a century before lunch. Jean pars the last to beat me by one & square up the trip 3 all. Course rating: a really tough but enjoyable course. A must play in the South Island. We rated it a 9 out of 10.
Visit: www.clearwaternz.com
(Clearwater Accommodation & Housing)
(
(Entry Drive Clearwater Resort)
Clearwater Resort - the home of the NZ PGA. Aptly named - the spring fed lakes are crystal clear. We had never seen water as clear and, unfortunately for me, pretty bloody plentiful around the course. Designed by Bob Charles and Bob Derby, this 6526m (tiger blocks) is a true championship course featuring rough you could hide a car in (which was no doubt grown that much longer for the PGA to be played a fortnight later).
There aren't many easy holes here. It requires accurate hitting due to the tight rough (velcro) around the greens, the tiger country rough bordering the fairways and a splash of water on about 15 of the holes. Having safely negotiated these obstacles, the greens are diabolical with breaks and speeds beyond comprehension on occasions. A four put double bogey for me was a clear indication of the problems I suffered with the greens. A truly magnificient golfing experience that saw me reach a century before lunch. Jean pars the last to beat me by one & square up the trip 3 all. Course rating: a really tough but enjoyable course. A must play in the South Island. We rated it a 9 out of 10.
(Clearwater Accommodation & Housing)
(18th Hole Clearwater)
Back then to our motel to be picked up by our local guides - the Blackwells. Drove on to their old stamping ground of New Brighton and took a stroll along the pier.
(New Brighton From The Pier)
A day at the beach for the locals with lots braving the chilly conditions for an ocean dip. Then on down the spit that is South New Brighton Beach & out to the tip which brought us out opposite Redcliff and Sumner where we had breakfast on day 2 so long ago.
(Looking Back Over The Estuary Towards New Brighton)
Backtracked along the spit before a slight detour to have a look where Deirdre lived as a teeny bopper and on through Te Hungi Manu Wildlife Reserve to Bromley and up into the hills to look at some new estates. Boy are these estates brilliant with million dollar views up the coastline over New Brighton beaches, Avon and Heathcote Estuary.
A return then to familiar territory with a drive along Summit Road (as per day 2) through to the Sign of the Kiwi and on to another of the mountain roads we hadn't seen, before stopping at various points along the way to experience more sensational views.
(Blowin' The Froth Off a Couple)
A roller coaster ride back down from the hills brought us to some out of the way pub with a comfortable outdoor beer garden where we blew the froth off a couple of cold beers - yet another type we had not tried before.
Then headed back through Governor's Bay to Lyttleton to meet up with Deirdre and Darell's relatives for dinner at a nice little harbourside restaurant. A very enjoyable repast provided by the retired gent's expense account.
After dinner we returned back to the city via Lyttleton Road Tunnel and enjoyed a late night tour of the city lights. Our kind hosts then delivered us back safe and sound to our motel for our last night before returning to Australia tomorrow.
After dinner we returned back to the city via Lyttleton Road Tunnel and enjoyed a late night tour of the city lights. Our kind hosts then delivered us back safe and sound to our motel for our last night before returning to Australia tomorrow.
New Zealand South Island (Day 14)
DAY 14 DUNEDIN TO CHRISTCHURCH FRIDAY 16.2.07
Woke to a drizzle of rain - the sort you would have to stand still in for 10 minutes to get wet through. Headed off down the street to get some sustenance, a final stroll around the city, then checked out and on the road north to Christchurch.
Verdict: Dunedin is a lovely place with some beautifully preserved historic buildings. Another day here would have been welcomed as there was much more to see and we barely scratched the surface. All they need to do to make this a great place is build a decent golf course.
The drive to Christchurch was fairly average. Saw a tourist drive sign advising that the Moeraki Boulders were next turn right so we pulled in to have a squizza at them. Parked and walked a couple of km along the beach all the while being sandblasted by airbound sand driven in front of a 30 knot wind originating from the southernmost parts of the world. We didn't know what we had expected to see but frankly they were disappointing. Maybe if we were geologists we would have found these orb shaped hunks of tessellated rock vaguely interesting but it wasn't worth being sandblasted and frozen to the bone to see. Even worse when we found there was another carpark to a tourist hut and restaurant right at the site and we could have parked there and taken a short walk down to the beach.
Woke to a drizzle of rain - the sort you would have to stand still in for 10 minutes to get wet through. Headed off down the street to get some sustenance, a final stroll around the city, then checked out and on the road north to Christchurch.
Verdict: Dunedin is a lovely place with some beautifully preserved historic buildings. Another day here would have been welcomed as there was much more to see and we barely scratched the surface. All they need to do to make this a great place is build a decent golf course.
The drive to Christchurch was fairly average. Saw a tourist drive sign advising that the Moeraki Boulders were next turn right so we pulled in to have a squizza at them. Parked and walked a couple of km along the beach all the while being sandblasted by airbound sand driven in front of a 30 knot wind originating from the southernmost parts of the world. We didn't know what we had expected to see but frankly they were disappointing. Maybe if we were geologists we would have found these orb shaped hunks of tessellated rock vaguely interesting but it wasn't worth being sandblasted and frozen to the bone to see. Even worse when we found there was another carpark to a tourist hut and restaurant right at the site and we could have parked there and taken a short walk down to the beach.
(Moeraki Boulders)
Followed the east coast up to Oamaru - a large township featuring many magnificient well preserved historic buildings and beautiful street gardens.
(Oamaru War Memorial)
View : www.oamaruonline.com
Next was Timaru, an unimposing place with an absence of parking. Eventually found a parking spot (in a loading zone) on the outskirts of town and had the dining experience of a lifetime at a suburban Mexican restaurant. What possessed me to choose this place? It provided the worst eating experience of the trip - even topping the Korean in Queenstown. Jean ordered a spicy beef burger the size of a large pumpkin that contained a kilo of beef rissole that repeated on her for the rest of the afternoon. I ordered a seafood bisque which turned out to be an eating experience I will never forget. It consisted of washing up water made on a sour cream base with a couple of miniscule mussels and shreaded seafood sticks. Virtually inedible. I took it as a personal attack on Aussies as we had recently beaten them in the tri nations & he was taking the opportunity to get square. Anyway, we left most of it there so he would have plenty to catch some other unsuspecting victim, and went to look for another dog.
www.beds-n-leisure.com/Timaru.htm (* this site may have to be typed in)
Rolled into Christchurch mid afternoon and checked back into the same motel and went in search of Clearwater Resort, the scene of tomorrow's game. We found it about 15mins away and took the opportunity to have a look around the resort. This is a very well maintained resort featuring a links style course which was in top condition as it was being set up for the NZ PGA in a fortnight's time.
Returned to the Kingsgate for a couple of cleansers (taken for medicinal purposes in an attempt to get the lingering lunch taste from our mouths) then off for another early evening stroll in search of a fine dining establishment. Lots of choices in this part of the city and we settled for an Italian one chosen simply because it was full and looked the goods. Had to wait for a table and were shown to the bar where the owner bought us a couple of drinks and filled in time with a pleasant chat. By this time the attempted poisoning from earlier in the day was forgotten and we again sat down to an enjoyable dining experience before calling it a night.
Sunday, 27 May 2007
New Zealand South Island (Day 13)
DAY 13 DUNEDIN THURSDAY 15.2.07
Challenges - what an understatement. Drove straight to the course without being run off the road & booked in to play. Noticed the names of four other Mackay golfers a few groups in front of us. Proof you can't sneak away anywhere to play up without getting caught.
We were looking forward to Balmacewen as the blurb described it as the oldest golf course in the Southern Hemisphere with such notables as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Gene Sarazen & others having graced its fairways. They must have taken a wrong turn or been booked in by their manager after ingesting something halucinatory. What a dogtrack. This would be a great place to do a residential development and put the land to better use. Without a doubt the most dangerous course I have ever played. Now I know where Ned Kelly got the idea for armour.
The first hole is a testing par 5 and all seems to be in order. Then you have to cross a public road - no marked crossings or signs warning traffic of disillusioned golfers crossing by foot or in carts. For those that make it successfully, they are treated to 4 unimaginative holes running parallel to each other with balls raining down on each fairway from the adjoining fairways. The survivors of this test are then directed back across the public road to the 6th tee. It is unfortunate that the directing signage doesn't actually point you in the correct direction and sends you off at a point where there is no egress from the public road to the golf course. Yet another attempt to reduce the visiting golfer numbers after having already extricated the green fees from them.
Having overcome this obstacle I then proceeded to achieve a Bradmanesque prformance on the 6th. I think the life threatening experiences encountered on the previous few holes had taken toll on me. But de fun don't done yet! From here the course turns in to mountain goat country with a lot of holes played over crests of hills. This is very dangerous & on a lot of occasions we were at risk of being taken out by flying cannonballs fired at us by the following group. Probably not their fault as they had no way of knowing where we were once we had crossed the crest.
Cop this though - the 8th hole tees off from an area which is aligned to the 7th green. As I was about to hit off, the woman playing that hole stepped off the back of the green to read her put - straight into the path of where I was meant to drive. Had I hit the ball low I would have flattened her (at least saving her the misery of having to play the rest of the course). We finished the first 9 holes but at this course the 9th hole doesn't come back to the club house so you can't get a stiff drink to calm your nerves. No, they have more challenges planned for you.
Like the tee off next to the practice green where the locals walk in front of you as you are preparing to hit off. By my calculations NZ has zero population growth when you take into account the migration to Bondi, the road toll from their maniac drivers and those killed on the course at Balmacewen.
Best advice I can give about this course - forget it. Life's too short to waste it here. As you can guess Jean won this match comfortably and she trailed 2/3 with one game to go. Course rating 1 out of ten.
But from here the day got much better. Dunedin is situated at the top of Otago Harbour & the Otago Peninsula was the target for this afternoon's travels. A very easy city to find your way around in once you have a map that correlates with the road signs. We drove out of the city and headed out towards Portobello. It was a drive along a rather narrow tightly curving road cut into the hillside on the edge of the bay - this meant you had the sheer face of the hill on one side and the bay on the other. In most places 2 large vehicles would not be able to pass comfortably on a bend. Once again the road was built up to within a couple of feet from the edge but at least the drop off here was only 1 to 2 meters. A tight squeeze on one occasion when we met a bus coming the other way around a blind bend. By the time we moved over, Jean reckoned she couldn't see anything between us and the drop off.
We turned off at Broad Bay and joined the tourist crowd heading toward Larnach Castle. The castle is situated on a very large parcel of land positioned at the top of a hill offering 360 degree views over Dunedin, Otago Harbour, the eastern coastline and pastoral lands. It was built by William Larnach for his first wife with construction begining in 1871 with 200 workmen labouring for three years before the the family moved in. The building phase was finally completed in1887 with the addition of the ballroom - a gift to his daughter for her 21st birthday. The current owners bought the castle in 1967 when it had lapsed into a sad state of disrepair and had been stripped of all original furnishings. Thus began a labour of love to restore it to its former grandeur even to the extent of acquiring the original pieces of furniture.
The castle is built over 4 floors with a spiral stairway leading to the butresses on the roof with sensational views in all directions. For us though the pinnacle was the amazing gardens. The centre piece is the raised lawn incorporating a fountain within a circular drive at the main entrance to the castle. Directly opposite is a pool and pergola positioned in such a way that from the front steps of the castle you look through the pergola, over the pool and across Otago Harbour. Other sections of this magnificient garden included the Flower Garden, South Seas Garden, Patterned Garden, Rainforest Garden, Wishing Well and Cupola etc etc. The Cupola is beautiful with the glass coming from the sailing ship "Zealander" in 1927. As well as tours of the castle you can also stay here in either the lodge or the stables. Well worth the look.
On the way back down the hill you are treated to a continual series of gobsmacking views. We drove on then out to Taiaroa Head at the tip of the peninsula. This is an albatross hatchery with the air filled with gazillions of different species of sea birds.
On the way back from there we stopped into a privately owned sheep grazing property from which the owner had donated a large area of coastal dunes as a sanctuary for the yellow penguin - the second rarest penguin in the world. The operators have done this very well with protected walks leading to constructed hides for viewing of the star attractions. We were fortunate that day as sometimes the adults don't get back from fishing till late at night and all you get to see is the chicks around the waterholes situated throughout the dunes. This day, as the guide said, "Uts ell epinum" (It's all happening). We saw them come in from the surf, lumber up the beach, over the dunes and down to the chicks. After identifying the whereabouts of their chicks, they chase off any that aren't their own, and disgorge their catch of fish into the chicks mouth. It was so interesting that time had again slipped away from us and by the time we drove the bay road back at grand prix pace (ie. the local speed) it was passed 8pm. This was one of Jean's trip highlights as she had always wanted to see penguins.
Decided that we would just try the restaurant over the road from our lodgings & we were shown to a table out on the balcony. Some poor girl had chosen that night to start work so we welcomed her with every obscure question we could muster about the menu as well as seeking translation of her South island accent. Hillarious and taken in the right spirit. People at other tables joined in with us for a chat and we enjoyed the convivial atmosphere with great food. A chat and a glass of port with the owner and we tumbled back over the road to our cot.
Challenges - what an understatement. Drove straight to the course without being run off the road & booked in to play. Noticed the names of four other Mackay golfers a few groups in front of us. Proof you can't sneak away anywhere to play up without getting caught.
We were looking forward to Balmacewen as the blurb described it as the oldest golf course in the Southern Hemisphere with such notables as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Gene Sarazen & others having graced its fairways. They must have taken a wrong turn or been booked in by their manager after ingesting something halucinatory. What a dogtrack. This would be a great place to do a residential development and put the land to better use. Without a doubt the most dangerous course I have ever played. Now I know where Ned Kelly got the idea for armour.
The first hole is a testing par 5 and all seems to be in order. Then you have to cross a public road - no marked crossings or signs warning traffic of disillusioned golfers crossing by foot or in carts. For those that make it successfully, they are treated to 4 unimaginative holes running parallel to each other with balls raining down on each fairway from the adjoining fairways. The survivors of this test are then directed back across the public road to the 6th tee. It is unfortunate that the directing signage doesn't actually point you in the correct direction and sends you off at a point where there is no egress from the public road to the golf course. Yet another attempt to reduce the visiting golfer numbers after having already extricated the green fees from them.
Having overcome this obstacle I then proceeded to achieve a Bradmanesque prformance on the 6th. I think the life threatening experiences encountered on the previous few holes had taken toll on me. But de fun don't done yet! From here the course turns in to mountain goat country with a lot of holes played over crests of hills. This is very dangerous & on a lot of occasions we were at risk of being taken out by flying cannonballs fired at us by the following group. Probably not their fault as they had no way of knowing where we were once we had crossed the crest.
Cop this though - the 8th hole tees off from an area which is aligned to the 7th green. As I was about to hit off, the woman playing that hole stepped off the back of the green to read her put - straight into the path of where I was meant to drive. Had I hit the ball low I would have flattened her (at least saving her the misery of having to play the rest of the course). We finished the first 9 holes but at this course the 9th hole doesn't come back to the club house so you can't get a stiff drink to calm your nerves. No, they have more challenges planned for you.
Like the tee off next to the practice green where the locals walk in front of you as you are preparing to hit off. By my calculations NZ has zero population growth when you take into account the migration to Bondi, the road toll from their maniac drivers and those killed on the course at Balmacewen.
Best advice I can give about this course - forget it. Life's too short to waste it here. As you can guess Jean won this match comfortably and she trailed 2/3 with one game to go. Course rating 1 out of ten.
But from here the day got much better. Dunedin is situated at the top of Otago Harbour & the Otago Peninsula was the target for this afternoon's travels. A very easy city to find your way around in once you have a map that correlates with the road signs. We drove out of the city and headed out towards Portobello. It was a drive along a rather narrow tightly curving road cut into the hillside on the edge of the bay - this meant you had the sheer face of the hill on one side and the bay on the other. In most places 2 large vehicles would not be able to pass comfortably on a bend. Once again the road was built up to within a couple of feet from the edge but at least the drop off here was only 1 to 2 meters. A tight squeeze on one occasion when we met a bus coming the other way around a blind bend. By the time we moved over, Jean reckoned she couldn't see anything between us and the drop off.
We turned off at Broad Bay and joined the tourist crowd heading toward Larnach Castle. The castle is situated on a very large parcel of land positioned at the top of a hill offering 360 degree views over Dunedin, Otago Harbour, the eastern coastline and pastoral lands. It was built by William Larnach for his first wife with construction begining in 1871 with 200 workmen labouring for three years before the the family moved in. The building phase was finally completed in1887 with the addition of the ballroom - a gift to his daughter for her 21st birthday. The current owners bought the castle in 1967 when it had lapsed into a sad state of disrepair and had been stripped of all original furnishings. Thus began a labour of love to restore it to its former grandeur even to the extent of acquiring the original pieces of furniture.
The castle is built over 4 floors with a spiral stairway leading to the butresses on the roof with sensational views in all directions. For us though the pinnacle was the amazing gardens. The centre piece is the raised lawn incorporating a fountain within a circular drive at the main entrance to the castle. Directly opposite is a pool and pergola positioned in such a way that from the front steps of the castle you look through the pergola, over the pool and across Otago Harbour. Other sections of this magnificient garden included the Flower Garden, South Seas Garden, Patterned Garden, Rainforest Garden, Wishing Well and Cupola etc etc. The Cupola is beautiful with the glass coming from the sailing ship "Zealander" in 1927. As well as tours of the castle you can also stay here in either the lodge or the stables. Well worth the look.
On the way back down the hill you are treated to a continual series of gobsmacking views. We drove on then out to Taiaroa Head at the tip of the peninsula. This is an albatross hatchery with the air filled with gazillions of different species of sea birds.
On the way back from there we stopped into a privately owned sheep grazing property from which the owner had donated a large area of coastal dunes as a sanctuary for the yellow penguin - the second rarest penguin in the world. The operators have done this very well with protected walks leading to constructed hides for viewing of the star attractions. We were fortunate that day as sometimes the adults don't get back from fishing till late at night and all you get to see is the chicks around the waterholes situated throughout the dunes. This day, as the guide said, "Uts ell epinum" (It's all happening). We saw them come in from the surf, lumber up the beach, over the dunes and down to the chicks. After identifying the whereabouts of their chicks, they chase off any that aren't their own, and disgorge their catch of fish into the chicks mouth. It was so interesting that time had again slipped away from us and by the time we drove the bay road back at grand prix pace (ie. the local speed) it was passed 8pm. This was one of Jean's trip highlights as she had always wanted to see penguins.
Decided that we would just try the restaurant over the road from our lodgings & we were shown to a table out on the balcony. Some poor girl had chosen that night to start work so we welcomed her with every obscure question we could muster about the menu as well as seeking translation of her South island accent. Hillarious and taken in the right spirit. People at other tables joined in with us for a chat and we enjoyed the convivial atmosphere with great food. A chat and a glass of port with the owner and we tumbled back over the road to our cot.
New Zealand South Island (Day 12)
DAY 12 INVERCARGILL TO DUNEDIN WEDNESDAY 14.2.07
Another fine day with a comfortable temperature. The guide map shows the distance between Invercargill and Dunedin as 217 km however this is by way of the No 1 highway and we were going there by continuing along the Southern Scenic Route. Additionally we stopped off at various spots accessable only by way of gravel roads. All in all it took a few more hours than driving the direct route but it was really worth it.
After leaving Invercargill we travelled to the tiny town of Fortrose where we turned off on gravel and drove through miles and miles of beautiful sheep grazing country down to Slope Point which is the southernmost point of the South Island. A lot of the roads in this area are closed during spring which is the lambing season. The track on from here had the benefit of superb views over the coast including Curio Bay, Haldane Bay & Porpoise Bay.
Somehow stumbled back on to the bitumen & drove through yet more sheep grazing country to another hamlet called Papatowai where we again turned off onto the gravel and headed cross country to have a look at the Purakaunui Falls. These falls feature 4 or 5 drops each of a couple of meters of crystal clear water. The whole area was well maintained with the walk through the beech and podocarp forest to the falls. Fa fa fa fairly cool in here. A good chance to stretch the legs and give the car shockies a break.
I had noticed that the wheel trims of the hire car were affixed with cable ties on each wheel and driving some of these corrugated dirt roads soon brought home the reason for this precaution. Some places had a collection of wheel trims on their fences and we often saw people pulled over searching for their lost trims.
Back onto the main track we drove through Niagara (absolutely nothing there) and up to the thriving 3 house town that is Owaka. I should mention that all this area between Invercargill and Balclutha is known as The Catlins. After Owaka we again turned off towards the coast to see Nugget Point. What a gem - one of the best scenic views of the whole trip and my favourite. Unfortunately I feel that our photos don't do it justice. From the carpark there is a gravel walking track leading up to a lighthouse perched atop a cliff overlooking a number a rock formations jutting out of the ocean like giant teeth. Absolutely spectacular!
The ocean below the lighthouse lookout is home to NZ fur seals, southern elephant seals, sea lions, yellow eyed penguins and squillions of sea birds. Saw (and heard, as they are very noisy) lots of seals (though I don't know what type) but no penguins. The area also has a couple of different types of kelp growing along the rocky foreshores. The largest of these, bull kelp, appeared impenetrable. The bay on the prevailing side of the walking track was rough as guts and looked like the giant's washing machine whilst the protected side featured a bay flat as a dunny carter's hat.
The whole of this area can be further looked at on the sites:
www.southernscenicroute.co.nz and www.visit.southlandnz.com/
www.catlins-nz.com/setup.html and http://www.newzealandlighthouses.com/nugget_point * and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nugget-Point
(* This link may need to be typed in)
All of these enjoyable distractions had chewed up the hours so we thought thought we better get a move along. Back to the main highway at the attractive township of Balclutha. The balance of this trip through to Dunedin down the highway was pleasant but unspectacular.
Arrived in Dunedin (without a street map) and went looking for our hotel that went by the imaginative name of 526 George Street. Walked up to the tourist info shop in the city centre and grabbed a map only to find George Street was one of the main streets leading off the city centre (known as The Octagon) and I was practically standing on it. Our boutique hotel looked like a converted large house and our suite was large and extremely comfortable. Coupled with its central location, this accommodation is well recommended however don't expect to eat there other than a piece of toast and a cuppa in the morning.
Tomorrow we were to play the historic course of Balmacewen and we thought we should try to find it in daylight and avoid panic stations in the morning if it was hard to find. Just as well we did because it took a bit of finding as the map with directions referred to streets named differently to the signposts. Eventually worked it out despite some crazed Beema driver overtaking us at twice the speed limit on the inside on a turn. Nearly had to go back to the hotel to change. Confirmations of my earlier suspicions that these people learned to drive in an arcade game.
Back to the hacienda to freshen up, a couple of traffic calmers and a stroll up to the Octagon to find an eatinghouse. A fair few restaurants, pubs & fast food joints. We eventually chose a seafood restaurant and had yet another type of beer before a table became vacant. It wasn't too bad but if you opened a good seafood eatery there you'd make a killing. Anyway, a leisurely stroll back to 526 walked off dinner and gave the oldfolks the chance for a good nights kip before facing tomorrow's challenges.
Sheepses
Southernmost Point Sth Is.
Haldane Bay
Porpoise Bay etc
South Eastern Coastline
Purakaunui Falls
Purakaunui Falls
Nugget Point Lighthouse
Giant's Teeth - Nugget Point
Nugget Point
Rock Formations Nugget Point
Suds - Giant's Washing Machine
View From Lighthouse
Bull Kelp
Another fine day with a comfortable temperature. The guide map shows the distance between Invercargill and Dunedin as 217 km however this is by way of the No 1 highway and we were going there by continuing along the Southern Scenic Route. Additionally we stopped off at various spots accessable only by way of gravel roads. All in all it took a few more hours than driving the direct route but it was really worth it.
After leaving Invercargill we travelled to the tiny town of Fortrose where we turned off on gravel and drove through miles and miles of beautiful sheep grazing country down to Slope Point which is the southernmost point of the South Island. A lot of the roads in this area are closed during spring which is the lambing season. The track on from here had the benefit of superb views over the coast including Curio Bay, Haldane Bay & Porpoise Bay.
Somehow stumbled back on to the bitumen & drove through yet more sheep grazing country to another hamlet called Papatowai where we again turned off onto the gravel and headed cross country to have a look at the Purakaunui Falls. These falls feature 4 or 5 drops each of a couple of meters of crystal clear water. The whole area was well maintained with the walk through the beech and podocarp forest to the falls. Fa fa fa fairly cool in here. A good chance to stretch the legs and give the car shockies a break.
I had noticed that the wheel trims of the hire car were affixed with cable ties on each wheel and driving some of these corrugated dirt roads soon brought home the reason for this precaution. Some places had a collection of wheel trims on their fences and we often saw people pulled over searching for their lost trims.
Back onto the main track we drove through Niagara (absolutely nothing there) and up to the thriving 3 house town that is Owaka. I should mention that all this area between Invercargill and Balclutha is known as The Catlins. After Owaka we again turned off towards the coast to see Nugget Point. What a gem - one of the best scenic views of the whole trip and my favourite. Unfortunately I feel that our photos don't do it justice. From the carpark there is a gravel walking track leading up to a lighthouse perched atop a cliff overlooking a number a rock formations jutting out of the ocean like giant teeth. Absolutely spectacular!
The ocean below the lighthouse lookout is home to NZ fur seals, southern elephant seals, sea lions, yellow eyed penguins and squillions of sea birds. Saw (and heard, as they are very noisy) lots of seals (though I don't know what type) but no penguins. The area also has a couple of different types of kelp growing along the rocky foreshores. The largest of these, bull kelp, appeared impenetrable. The bay on the prevailing side of the walking track was rough as guts and looked like the giant's washing machine whilst the protected side featured a bay flat as a dunny carter's hat.
The whole of this area can be further looked at on the sites:
www.southernscenicroute.co.nz and www.visit.southlandnz.com/
www.catlins-nz.com/setup.html and http://www.newzealandlighthouses.com/nugget_point * and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nugget-Point
(* This link may need to be typed in)
All of these enjoyable distractions had chewed up the hours so we thought thought we better get a move along. Back to the main highway at the attractive township of Balclutha. The balance of this trip through to Dunedin down the highway was pleasant but unspectacular.
Arrived in Dunedin (without a street map) and went looking for our hotel that went by the imaginative name of 526 George Street. Walked up to the tourist info shop in the city centre and grabbed a map only to find George Street was one of the main streets leading off the city centre (known as The Octagon) and I was practically standing on it. Our boutique hotel looked like a converted large house and our suite was large and extremely comfortable. Coupled with its central location, this accommodation is well recommended however don't expect to eat there other than a piece of toast and a cuppa in the morning.
Tomorrow we were to play the historic course of Balmacewen and we thought we should try to find it in daylight and avoid panic stations in the morning if it was hard to find. Just as well we did because it took a bit of finding as the map with directions referred to streets named differently to the signposts. Eventually worked it out despite some crazed Beema driver overtaking us at twice the speed limit on the inside on a turn. Nearly had to go back to the hotel to change. Confirmations of my earlier suspicions that these people learned to drive in an arcade game.
Back to the hacienda to freshen up, a couple of traffic calmers and a stroll up to the Octagon to find an eatinghouse. A fair few restaurants, pubs & fast food joints. We eventually chose a seafood restaurant and had yet another type of beer before a table became vacant. It wasn't too bad but if you opened a good seafood eatery there you'd make a killing. Anyway, a leisurely stroll back to 526 walked off dinner and gave the oldfolks the chance for a good nights kip before facing tomorrow's challenges.
Sheepses
Southernmost Point Sth Is.
Haldane Bay
Porpoise Bay etc
South Eastern Coastline
Purakaunui Falls
Purakaunui Falls
Nugget Point Lighthouse
Giant's Teeth - Nugget Point
Nugget Point
Rock Formations Nugget Point
Suds - Giant's Washing Machine
View From Lighthouse
Bull Kelp
New Zealand South Island (Day 11)
DAY11 INVERCARGILL TUESDAY 13.2.07
Weather overcast and chilly for our fourth golf outing. Checked with a cabbie (who was a fellow golf tragic) for foolproof directions and found Otatara Links (aka Invercargill Golf Club) easily. Nobody at the pro shop but the keys to the golf cart were in an envelope with our name on it and stuck to the door.
A real surprise this course. A great layout with magnificient tree lined fairways. A fantastic course - we both loved it. Only thing was we got a bit lost around the course as there was no signage on the holes. Ended up stopping to ask someone who advised us that all the signage had been taken away the day before to get redone for a tournament coming up in a couple of weeks. Made it even more of a challenge. We both played well with another win to PP in the best score of the trip. On a country course basis you would rate it 9 out of 10 but on our comparison yardstick we considered it as 7.5. This course is so pleasant I would strongly recommend anyone coming to the Sth Island for golf should go out of their way to come here & play it - maybe even twice. The highlight of Invercargill is undoubtedly this course and regretably the area didn't have much else going for it. A disparaging remark from a previous traveller renamed this fair city "Inverarsehole".
After lunch we headed south to Bluff for lunch.This could be the place that time forgot. It is the oldest continually settled community in pre treaty terms in NZ. The other thing it is known for is the start (southern end) of the national highway from Stirling Point (Lands End).This is one of the most photographed sites with a sign post depicting distances to various cities world wide. Found a pleasant diner overlooking the sign and took the picture window seat with views out over the Southern Ocean (Foveaux Straight). Antartica is over the horizon from here.
A couple of ice cold sherbets and a bite to eat & we were ready to roll again. Walked off lunch with a stroll down to Lookout Point. Only walked a few hundred meters or so as we only wanted to see what was happening on a fishing boat anchored in the bay. What a commotion with hundreds of sea birds circling and diving for fish scraps as they cleaned the catch. I don't know what the catch was but the fish frames being tossed overboard were 18 to 20 inches long and there was plenty of them.
There are a lot of walks in this area but most of them were too strenuous for us oldies. Back to the chariot and off up to Bluff Hill Lookout. Excellent 360 degree views from here especially out over Foveaux Straight to Stewart Island. Quite windy up here with the southerly off the ice cap being sufficient to freeze the balls off a golf course. Couldn't stay too long up here for this reason. Looking back over Bluff is rather depressing as the township gives the feeling it is closed for business and the huge former food processing plants have been closed down and are in advanced stages of disrepair. In short, the only reason this place keeps going is through misguided tourists such as ourselves coming to visit Lands End.
Back to the Kelvin Hotel to thaw out in a hot shower and following recharging we strode off up the main street to find an interesting restaurant for that night. Out of luck. There wasn't any. Thai (choice of plenty, though none appealing), kebabs, Chinese (fake) and buggar all else. Decided the best and safest option was to dine in house again at the restaurant that served us so well the previous evening. This time we got to try the famous Whitebait fritters (described by Jean as tasting fishy). Another thoroughly enjoyable meal followed by a nightcap before retiring to the cot.
Visit: www.bluff.co.nz
Otatara Links
Otatara Links
Highway 0 Km Sign
Lands End
Cleaning The Catch
Bluff Estuary
Lighthouse Off Bluff
Weather overcast and chilly for our fourth golf outing. Checked with a cabbie (who was a fellow golf tragic) for foolproof directions and found Otatara Links (aka Invercargill Golf Club) easily. Nobody at the pro shop but the keys to the golf cart were in an envelope with our name on it and stuck to the door.
A real surprise this course. A great layout with magnificient tree lined fairways. A fantastic course - we both loved it. Only thing was we got a bit lost around the course as there was no signage on the holes. Ended up stopping to ask someone who advised us that all the signage had been taken away the day before to get redone for a tournament coming up in a couple of weeks. Made it even more of a challenge. We both played well with another win to PP in the best score of the trip. On a country course basis you would rate it 9 out of 10 but on our comparison yardstick we considered it as 7.5. This course is so pleasant I would strongly recommend anyone coming to the Sth Island for golf should go out of their way to come here & play it - maybe even twice. The highlight of Invercargill is undoubtedly this course and regretably the area didn't have much else going for it. A disparaging remark from a previous traveller renamed this fair city "Inverarsehole".
After lunch we headed south to Bluff for lunch.This could be the place that time forgot. It is the oldest continually settled community in pre treaty terms in NZ. The other thing it is known for is the start (southern end) of the national highway from Stirling Point (Lands End).This is one of the most photographed sites with a sign post depicting distances to various cities world wide. Found a pleasant diner overlooking the sign and took the picture window seat with views out over the Southern Ocean (Foveaux Straight). Antartica is over the horizon from here.
A couple of ice cold sherbets and a bite to eat & we were ready to roll again. Walked off lunch with a stroll down to Lookout Point. Only walked a few hundred meters or so as we only wanted to see what was happening on a fishing boat anchored in the bay. What a commotion with hundreds of sea birds circling and diving for fish scraps as they cleaned the catch. I don't know what the catch was but the fish frames being tossed overboard were 18 to 20 inches long and there was plenty of them.
There are a lot of walks in this area but most of them were too strenuous for us oldies. Back to the chariot and off up to Bluff Hill Lookout. Excellent 360 degree views from here especially out over Foveaux Straight to Stewart Island. Quite windy up here with the southerly off the ice cap being sufficient to freeze the balls off a golf course. Couldn't stay too long up here for this reason. Looking back over Bluff is rather depressing as the township gives the feeling it is closed for business and the huge former food processing plants have been closed down and are in advanced stages of disrepair. In short, the only reason this place keeps going is through misguided tourists such as ourselves coming to visit Lands End.
Back to the Kelvin Hotel to thaw out in a hot shower and following recharging we strode off up the main street to find an interesting restaurant for that night. Out of luck. There wasn't any. Thai (choice of plenty, though none appealing), kebabs, Chinese (fake) and buggar all else. Decided the best and safest option was to dine in house again at the restaurant that served us so well the previous evening. This time we got to try the famous Whitebait fritters (described by Jean as tasting fishy). Another thoroughly enjoyable meal followed by a nightcap before retiring to the cot.
Visit: www.bluff.co.nz
Otatara Links
Otatara Links
Highway 0 Km Sign
Lands End
Cleaning The Catch
Bluff Estuary
Lighthouse Off Bluff
Saturday, 26 May 2007
New Zealand South Island (Day 10)
DAY 10 TE ANAU TO MILFORD SOUND & INVERCARGILL MONDAY 12.2.07
Up at sixish for an early drive out to Milford. This place comes with rave reviews so we were really looking forward to it. Grabbed some tucker on the run from the bakery and were away on the road before 7am. All the tour guides advise you to get going early as the tour buses leave Te Anau from 9am onwards. About 4oo thousand people visit Milford each year with the majority obviously going there in summer as the road is often closed in winter.
The journey from Te Anau to Milford and return (along the same route) is 240 km. Because of the winding road conditions the recommended travel time for the 120 km trip out was 2hrs 20mins. The first part of the trip was pretty ordinary by the NZ standards we were used to seeing. As soon as we neared the area known as Fiordland though the scenery was breathtaking with snow on the Alps, despite it being the middle of summer, waterfalls from melting snow and magnificient tree lined winding roads offering stunning views. We took time out for a few stops for pics including Mirror Lake, Monkey Creek, The Divide and a couple of others. People we had spoken with about this trip had suggested that you are better off doing the sightseeing spots and walks on the way back to avoid getting caught in all the traffic on the way there. We were well ahead of any traffic and made good time so we were able to stop at these places and virtually enjoy them by ourselves. On reflection this was a better idea as we found out on the way back just how busy this road gets.
After steady climbing we reached the Homer Tunnel. It was the opening of this tunnel in 1953 that allowed completion of the road to Milford in 1954. The tunnel, which had taken 18 years to build, is 945 mtrs above sea level and is 1.2km long. The tunnel has no lighting so you rely on your car lights. One of the major problems encountered during tunnel construction was from melting snow coming through the fractures in the rock at a rate of up to 10,000 gallons an hour. It is still very wet in a number of places and the walls & ceiling are lined in some places with what looked like a rubber matting to drain the water off the main roadway (you could actually hear the water running off the matting there was so much of it). Even so, we still had to use the wipers now and then. As a result of the road being continually wet the condition of the road surface was very poor with broken bitumen and a number of very large potholes. The car in front must have done some damage as he was stopped with his emergency lights on and the driver was walking back in the darkness towards us. (Either that or he had a fight with his co pilot and had abandoned her). The tunnel is controlled by traffic lights at the busiest part of the day (when buses use the tunnel) but for the rest of the time (eg when we went through it) you just take pot luck with on coming traffic. The tunnel was very narrow throughout and barely enough room to pass. After exiting the tunnel you descend quickly down for the run into Milford Sound. Got there with about 1and 1/2 hours to spare. Parking is about 500mtrs from the terminal. Some cruises were already underway and there were 2 large cruising cats, a smaller mono hull power boat & 2 large sailing boats (the overnight charters) all rearing to go.
We were booked to go on the "Milford Sovereign" operated by Real Cruises however as we prepared to board they changed us to the "Milford Explorer". The boat was brand new and well presented. Milford has a mean annual rainfall of 6,813mm over 182 days/yr. We were fortunate though with a cloudless sky and a comfortable temperature. This enabled us to take up a prime position at the front of the top deck for a great viewing position.
The sound is about 15km in length and reminded us a little of Nara inlet but 4 or 5 times bigger with a couple of large waterfalls, much steeper and higher cliff faces and sea lions laying about on the rocks. The water in the sound is not clear as the sediment is constantly in a state of suspension wth the fresh water runoff being 2 to 3 meters deep and acting as a light filter because of its disclororation. In effect the light at 1omtrs in the fiord is equivalent to 70mtrs on the coast. This means that marine life has had to adapt to live at much shallower depths. Marine life doesn't exist there after 40mtrs.
The waterfalls are quite spectacular and the skipper manouvered up to within 5mtrs of the Stirling Falls so that anyone on the lower decks got a good hosing down. At one point he manouvered up so close to an overhanging 2000ft sheer cliff that when you looked upwards it was overhanging the boat. The other falls that are situated just near the wharf are the Bowen Falls. The trip takes about 1hr 40mins out to the sea and back and costs between $65 & $75 each. Good value and a great experience which would have been even better if we hadn't experienced anything like it before.
Back to the car again and retraced the only road out of Milford. At least this time the traffic lights were working at the tunnel and traffic was only going one way and you didn't have to look out for oncoming traffic. Had a couple of stops on the way back with one being The Chasm. This is a short walk into a watercourse that has cut through the rock and falls away below. Interesting but did not compare with some of the similar sights in Canada. Part of the viewing bridge was closed which may have detracted from it as may have the 8 or nine bus loads of tourists who were trying to look at it at the same time. In fact it was much that way the whole way back so we didn't bother to stop most times. Our recommendation is to get going at first light & do your viewing on the way out. Stops such as Mirror Lake is much better viewed in the soft light of early morning than later in the day (we did both). The buses start to arrive in the first of the sight seeing spots by shortly after 9.30am and unless you want to be part of the stampede you don't want to be there with them. Also, drive yourself so you can pick & choose where you want to stop and not where the bus driver decides to open the doors & unleash the hordes. As a link you can check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_Sound and www.fiordland.org.nz/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/homer_tunnel and
www.meysner.co.uk/index.html (good Pics)
Back to the motel, picked up the luggage and set off to Invercargill. Rather than take the main road (highways 6 & 94) we headed off on the Southern Scenic Route (Route 99). The Southland has the longest daylight hours in the South Island and with daylight saving it remained light till about 10pm. You should have seen just how faded all the curtains were down here.
This route passed through Manapouri on the banks of the lake which bears the same name. Jean took over driving as I was in need of a spell after the earlier driving of that day. The terrain changed significantly from the tight winding roads of Milford Sound and opened up into long straight roads through grazing land. An interesting feature about driving over here is the one way bridges which are prevalent in this part of the island. There is no consistency as to which direction has to give way and it just seems that there is no reasoning as to how they have come up with it.
A couple of stops (including Clifden Suspension Bridge) before we reached the southern coast section of the road. It's always a pleasant drive when you travel along a coastal road and this was no exception. Beautiful sea views and the countryside was magnificient bright green grazing paddocks right down to the sea. Stopped in at Colac Bay (an area with a long history of Maori occupation and a reknown surfing beach - though the waves were having the day off when we were there) and McCracken's Rest (a dolphin viewing spot - apparently on other days).
Riverton is a picturesque fishing village and holiday town and would normally deserve a look around and stop over but it was already late afternoon and we had been going for a while so we chose to press on. This part of the country obviously receives strong southerly winds and the macrocarpa trees are so windblown they looked like a witch's hair while she was riding her broom. Between Riverton and Wallacetown we came across something you don't see everyday (thank God!). Got caught behind a mobile slaughterhouse. Not a pleasant experience as the trailer it was towing was filled with lopped off sheep heads and intestines bouncing around in front of us for a few miles. I've never seen Jean drive so fast when the gap in traffic finally came.
Arrived at Invercargill early evening and went through our usual ritual of trying to find our hotel. Eventually worked out where it was (right around the corner from where we stopped to try to figgure out where it was). Pretty cold that night so we had a couple of dust clearers and dined in the hotel restaurant. Fantastic feed - lambs fry and bacon entree and the best rack of lamb so far. Obviously our earlier experience following the slaughterhouse hadn't put us off. A couple of drinks and a few minutes at the in house "casino" ended a long day.
Visit: www.invercargill.org.nz/
Mirror Lakes
Mirror Lakes
Up at sixish for an early drive out to Milford. This place comes with rave reviews so we were really looking forward to it. Grabbed some tucker on the run from the bakery and were away on the road before 7am. All the tour guides advise you to get going early as the tour buses leave Te Anau from 9am onwards. About 4oo thousand people visit Milford each year with the majority obviously going there in summer as the road is often closed in winter.
The journey from Te Anau to Milford and return (along the same route) is 240 km. Because of the winding road conditions the recommended travel time for the 120 km trip out was 2hrs 20mins. The first part of the trip was pretty ordinary by the NZ standards we were used to seeing. As soon as we neared the area known as Fiordland though the scenery was breathtaking with snow on the Alps, despite it being the middle of summer, waterfalls from melting snow and magnificient tree lined winding roads offering stunning views. We took time out for a few stops for pics including Mirror Lake, Monkey Creek, The Divide and a couple of others. People we had spoken with about this trip had suggested that you are better off doing the sightseeing spots and walks on the way back to avoid getting caught in all the traffic on the way there. We were well ahead of any traffic and made good time so we were able to stop at these places and virtually enjoy them by ourselves. On reflection this was a better idea as we found out on the way back just how busy this road gets.
After steady climbing we reached the Homer Tunnel. It was the opening of this tunnel in 1953 that allowed completion of the road to Milford in 1954. The tunnel, which had taken 18 years to build, is 945 mtrs above sea level and is 1.2km long. The tunnel has no lighting so you rely on your car lights. One of the major problems encountered during tunnel construction was from melting snow coming through the fractures in the rock at a rate of up to 10,000 gallons an hour. It is still very wet in a number of places and the walls & ceiling are lined in some places with what looked like a rubber matting to drain the water off the main roadway (you could actually hear the water running off the matting there was so much of it). Even so, we still had to use the wipers now and then. As a result of the road being continually wet the condition of the road surface was very poor with broken bitumen and a number of very large potholes. The car in front must have done some damage as he was stopped with his emergency lights on and the driver was walking back in the darkness towards us. (Either that or he had a fight with his co pilot and had abandoned her). The tunnel is controlled by traffic lights at the busiest part of the day (when buses use the tunnel) but for the rest of the time (eg when we went through it) you just take pot luck with on coming traffic. The tunnel was very narrow throughout and barely enough room to pass. After exiting the tunnel you descend quickly down for the run into Milford Sound. Got there with about 1and 1/2 hours to spare. Parking is about 500mtrs from the terminal. Some cruises were already underway and there were 2 large cruising cats, a smaller mono hull power boat & 2 large sailing boats (the overnight charters) all rearing to go.
We were booked to go on the "Milford Sovereign" operated by Real Cruises however as we prepared to board they changed us to the "Milford Explorer". The boat was brand new and well presented. Milford has a mean annual rainfall of 6,813mm over 182 days/yr. We were fortunate though with a cloudless sky and a comfortable temperature. This enabled us to take up a prime position at the front of the top deck for a great viewing position.
The sound is about 15km in length and reminded us a little of Nara inlet but 4 or 5 times bigger with a couple of large waterfalls, much steeper and higher cliff faces and sea lions laying about on the rocks. The water in the sound is not clear as the sediment is constantly in a state of suspension wth the fresh water runoff being 2 to 3 meters deep and acting as a light filter because of its disclororation. In effect the light at 1omtrs in the fiord is equivalent to 70mtrs on the coast. This means that marine life has had to adapt to live at much shallower depths. Marine life doesn't exist there after 40mtrs.
The waterfalls are quite spectacular and the skipper manouvered up to within 5mtrs of the Stirling Falls so that anyone on the lower decks got a good hosing down. At one point he manouvered up so close to an overhanging 2000ft sheer cliff that when you looked upwards it was overhanging the boat. The other falls that are situated just near the wharf are the Bowen Falls. The trip takes about 1hr 40mins out to the sea and back and costs between $65 & $75 each. Good value and a great experience which would have been even better if we hadn't experienced anything like it before.
Back to the car again and retraced the only road out of Milford. At least this time the traffic lights were working at the tunnel and traffic was only going one way and you didn't have to look out for oncoming traffic. Had a couple of stops on the way back with one being The Chasm. This is a short walk into a watercourse that has cut through the rock and falls away below. Interesting but did not compare with some of the similar sights in Canada. Part of the viewing bridge was closed which may have detracted from it as may have the 8 or nine bus loads of tourists who were trying to look at it at the same time. In fact it was much that way the whole way back so we didn't bother to stop most times. Our recommendation is to get going at first light & do your viewing on the way out. Stops such as Mirror Lake is much better viewed in the soft light of early morning than later in the day (we did both). The buses start to arrive in the first of the sight seeing spots by shortly after 9.30am and unless you want to be part of the stampede you don't want to be there with them. Also, drive yourself so you can pick & choose where you want to stop and not where the bus driver decides to open the doors & unleash the hordes. As a link you can check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_Sound and www.fiordland.org.nz/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/homer_tunnel and
www.meysner.co.uk/index.html (good Pics)
Back to the motel, picked up the luggage and set off to Invercargill. Rather than take the main road (highways 6 & 94) we headed off on the Southern Scenic Route (Route 99). The Southland has the longest daylight hours in the South Island and with daylight saving it remained light till about 10pm. You should have seen just how faded all the curtains were down here.
This route passed through Manapouri on the banks of the lake which bears the same name. Jean took over driving as I was in need of a spell after the earlier driving of that day. The terrain changed significantly from the tight winding roads of Milford Sound and opened up into long straight roads through grazing land. An interesting feature about driving over here is the one way bridges which are prevalent in this part of the island. There is no consistency as to which direction has to give way and it just seems that there is no reasoning as to how they have come up with it.
A couple of stops (including Clifden Suspension Bridge) before we reached the southern coast section of the road. It's always a pleasant drive when you travel along a coastal road and this was no exception. Beautiful sea views and the countryside was magnificient bright green grazing paddocks right down to the sea. Stopped in at Colac Bay (an area with a long history of Maori occupation and a reknown surfing beach - though the waves were having the day off when we were there) and McCracken's Rest (a dolphin viewing spot - apparently on other days).
Riverton is a picturesque fishing village and holiday town and would normally deserve a look around and stop over but it was already late afternoon and we had been going for a while so we chose to press on. This part of the country obviously receives strong southerly winds and the macrocarpa trees are so windblown they looked like a witch's hair while she was riding her broom. Between Riverton and Wallacetown we came across something you don't see everyday (thank God!). Got caught behind a mobile slaughterhouse. Not a pleasant experience as the trailer it was towing was filled with lopped off sheep heads and intestines bouncing around in front of us for a few miles. I've never seen Jean drive so fast when the gap in traffic finally came.
Arrived at Invercargill early evening and went through our usual ritual of trying to find our hotel. Eventually worked out where it was (right around the corner from where we stopped to try to figgure out where it was). Pretty cold that night so we had a couple of dust clearers and dined in the hotel restaurant. Fantastic feed - lambs fry and bacon entree and the best rack of lamb so far. Obviously our earlier experience following the slaughterhouse hadn't put us off. A couple of drinks and a few minutes at the in house "casino" ended a long day.
Visit: www.invercargill.org.nz/
Mirror Lakes
Mirror Lakes
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