Beaches, sea lions and a lost gypsy

With 3 days on my hands before undergoing eye surgery, I jumped in the car and headed south to the Catlins. This is a coastal strip south of Dunedin which stretches from Balclutha to Slope Point, the southernmost tip of the South Island. The main town of Owaka is an old timber logging town. Now, most of the forests have been cleared and there is now rolling hills dotted with sheep and cows. Small coastal communities hug the numerous river estuaries, but are predominantly empty holiday homes, known as "cribs" in these parts. Sleepy would be an understatement, more like comatose....

The coastline is rugged, and home to NZ seals and sea lions, as well as yellow eyed penguins and numerous other seabirds. The next landmass south is Antarctica, and this coastline, like that I encountered in south western Australia, was once part of ancient Gondwanaland. Unfortunately the large trees and forests that once covered this land are long gone....

The Catlins do get their fair share of tourists, but not in the numbers other regions get because most people are on their way to or from Fiordland and have little time to linger. Not me...

First stop on the Southern Scenic Route was Taieri Head, which is only just south of Dunedin. Just over the bridge on the southern side is the start of a beautiful walk up the river estuary for about 8 km to Henley. I walked as far as John Bull Gully before returning the same way. I was serenaded by a Tui, and enjoyed the fern lined trail and small streams flowing into the Taieri River.

From Taeri Rivermouth I continued south through Balclutha, chuckling at the Glasgow themed street names: Lanarch, Renfrew... brought back some memories...

Then it was back to the coast at Kaka Point and along the rugged shoreline to Nugget Point Lighthouse. Perched on the edge of a precipice at the end of a narrow peninsula, this lighthouse is a photographic icon. There's also lots of seabirds and seals down on the rocks far below.

Being late in the day I took the opportunity to visit the hide at Roaring Bay to watch yellow eyed penguins returning ashore. These penguins are a lot larger than I expected, but I didn't manage to capture any decent photos.

The next morning I headed further south over rolling hills with views across expansive surf beaches, through the little hamlet of Papatowai and turned inland to visit McLean Falls. I do love an impressive waterfall, if only to photograph some moving water.

Following a lunch of seafood chowder at the nearby Whistling Frog Cafe, I headed back north again for some more forest walks. First off Lenz Reserve, which is a bush reserve managed by Forest and Bird Organisation. At the bottom of the reserve is a display of the old logging cableways they used to haul timber from the forests, using tractor engines, but these days it's a bird watcher's paradise. There's a three hour loop track that I plan to return to do, to enjoy more of the beautiful birdsong.




Next I visited Lake Wilkie, a perched lake similar to the lakes you find on Fraser Island in Queensland, but quite uncommon here. A nice boardwalk with explanations of the emerging vegetation makes it worth the detour but for real entertainment it's time to stop at The Lost Gypsy in Papatowai. The creation of one very curious man it should be on everybody's itinerary. So many little contraptions to enjoy, some powered by renewable electricity, others by manual winding. A total delight!!

A relaxing coffee and chat with the locals later I continued to Purakaunui Falls. Less imposing than McLeans, but certainly photogenic, especially late in the day when the light is less harsh.

My final visit of the day was to Jack's Bay, and the half hour walk to Jack's Blowhole, a massive sinkhole connected to the ocean by a 200m long underground cave. It's pretty impressive, although photos hardly do it justice.

My third day in the northern Catlins I went for a glorious walk from Newhaven, along Surat Bay and over the headland to the end of Cannibal Bay. This wild coastline is home to NZ sea lions, which are fairly common along this stretch of the South Island. Quite a few male sea lions were sunbathing on the beach during my walk, but later I watched them swimming and frolicking in the surf. What a joy to watch wildlife so close.

My final stop on the way back to Dunedin was Tunnel Hill, an old disused railway tunnel which was built by hand. They sure were tough in the old days...

Returning to Dunedin for my eye surgery with a great sense of peace and contentment, I knew I would be back. As much as I love the mountains, my soul is a salt water spirit. Catlins, I will be back....