relaxing on the catlins coast

nugget point - frothy

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We ended up staying on the Catlin's Coast longer than expect.  This whole area is probably the remotest part of the NZ road network, and few New Zealanders know where it is.  To us it was a bit like Cornwall with penguins.  Lots of coves, cows and sheep.

Our first couple of nights were spent on a very basic (and pretty busy) campsite at Purakaunui Bay, a nice relaxing place, right on the beach and lots of sunshine.

We then drove up the road a little to Papotowai, a village of sorts.  We had organised a tramp on a private walk called the Catlins Top Track, $35 each is quite a lot for a walk, but it did include a night's accommodation in an old bus, which a local farmer had towed to the top of the hill.  We got rained on a little in the last hour of the walk that day, and the bus's gas fire proved very welcome, unlike the outdoor (and open) shower that I tried.  Very cold, but the first shower (other than going in the sea, and I'm not sure that counts) in 3 days.

relaxing in the hotel garden

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The following day we continued the walk inland from the coast, and through some native forest, before worrying a few sheep, and going back downhill to Papatowai.  Must have been the hottest day of our trip in NZ so far, very warm.

We had another couple of nights on camping on the Catlins Coast, the final one being up at Curio Bay.  There are lots of things to see on this part of the coast, and yet, there is very little infrastructure to support it, just one campsite, and a few backpacker places, but we saw dolphins surfing in the waves in Porpoise Bay (obviously), and in Curio Bay itself we nearly got trodden on by a yellow-eyed penguin that crept up on us, and had a bit of a wander around an petrified forest on the beach (we like them, see 'some very old trees' entry from Argentina).

a top bus driver

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In fact we had seen lots of penguins now, we had seen either blue ones of yellow ones every day for the past week.

On our way out of the area, we stopped at Slope Point, the most southerly point of the South Island, and as far from England as we were going to get on our tour.  So almost a year after leaving the UK we were now on our way home, and only about 12 months to get back...