The Catlins
We had mixed feelings about going down to the Catlins. Some people had told us it was not to be missed and others that it was a bit ho hum. But being so close we thought we should take a punt.
We were not disappointed, however it was not what we expected. A couple of hours south of Dunedin we thought the coast would be more rugged, maybe we were just lucky as there was hardly a breath of wind, however the bushes and trees told stories of wild wind that had shaped them into shapes only to be found in Dr Seuss illustrations. We drove through Kaka point out to Nugget Point, a narrow metal road the clings to the side of sheer cliff faces. Spectacular scenery and the odd bunny.
At the top we took the well maintained path (with no barriers) 900m to the lighthouse. I mention no barriers because one stumble left you no second chance, you would be a smashed body on the rocks below. You can imagine then how hard it was for me to keep my mouth shut when some tourists had their very small tots running down the path ahead of them. My bum was squeezed as tight as my mouth and I just had to hurry away from them. On the walk we could hear the seals and sea lions calling like small children below, and when we stopped and spent a moment focusing on the rocks we could see what we first thought were rocks were seals flapping about.
The light house look out was spectacular. The colour of the kelp contrasting with the green blue sea and the swirling as the waves washed in was mesmerising. Almost like watching a painting in motion. The rocks were stacked like bricks and in an oblong shaped inlet with symmetrical frilly seaweed edges Lance spotted a huge elephant seal. Honestly it must have been huge as we were miles up on the rocks and it looked like a hippo lounging in a squishy bath.
Lunch was had at Owaka, a tiny place, but it had a lovely Cafe called the Lumberjack. Home made vege soup and a lovely spot.
Back on the road with a stop at Cannibal Beach where we found a lone sea lion basking in the sand. We got pretty close for a photo and left him sleeping soundly. As we walked away I called out to Lance (those of you who know Lance well will know that he never walks with me, always 10 steps ahead) to stop so I could take a photo of him. As I stopped to take the shot he called out "watch out, the sea lion's coming". You can imagine how I jumped, turning and ready to run. The bugger, the sea lion hadn't moved, but I certainly had and Lance was incapable from moving because he was laughing so hard. Back in the car and yes I was still speaking to him, and last stop the Purakaunui Falls. A short but beautiful bush walk along side a small river and down to the terraced falls.
Back to Dunedin, a nap for Lance and I went through Larnoch Castle on an app that I meant to purchase before going to the castle. If you have visited Larnoch Castle and enjoyed it then I recommend you spend $5 (that's only the price of a coffee) and take the tour and enjoy the stories on the app. We had a really lovely meal at Pier 24 looking out across the water at St Clair Beach, then wandered home to watch Breaking Bad on the IPad.
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