Wetlands, bridges, and monkeys?

Where's the sausage factory, mate?
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Just a quick note on the lodging at Manapouri that slipped my mind until reminded by Mark, the motor camp had a large collection of Morris Minors and other old cars.  It seems the camp owner is a collector, not a restorer, just a collector.  The placement of the vehicles and general condition of them lends the feeling of an abandoned car yard to the campand a bit of scary charm.

Monkey Island
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Waitangi Day is a significant day in the history of New Zealand It is a public holiday held each year on 6 February to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, on that date in 1840. (*Sentence lifted from Wikipedia).  It also means that some places aren't open (like repair shops that could take a look at our ailing car) and those restaurants that are open charge an extra 15% on food.  But is a great family holiday and the weather was perfect.

Tuatapere is the sausage capital of New Zealand and has a billboard proclaiming it

First stop of the day was at a spot called the Rakatu Wetlands just outside Manapouri. Information on the track told how the wetlands came to be (it is a restoration project in a sheep paddock). Takes about an hour and is a good way to stretch your legs but in my book give it a miss, unless you are truly interested in these sort of projects.

We enjoyed (too strong a word for what lunch was - perhaps "ate lunch" is the best description) at Clifden Suspension Bridge on the Wairou River. The bridge was in its day one of the longest suspension bridges in New Zealand.  This is now just a tourist destination that may be losing its status as a tourist destination.  The hut near the bridge that would normally have brochures about the bridge and other spots has a broken lock, one or two brochures about the southern scenic route and general air of neglect about it.

We stopped in Tuatapere for petrol and possibly a coffee and while the Yesteryear Cafe was charming, the coffee machine was a push-button affair and being the coffee snobs we are, we moved on. But on the way out of town we discovered that Tuatapere is the sausage capital of New Zealand and has a billboard proclaiming it.  Too fun.  Here's a link to site about Tuatapere, it seems that there is a hell of lot around there but we just didn't take the time.  Oh well next time.

Our next brief stop was at the beach called Monkey Island.  According to Maori legend Monkey Island (Te Puka-a Takitimu "is the anchor stone of the great canoe Takitimu, which as legend tells, was wrecked on the bar of the Waiau river). A favourite with the children, this attractive beach is safe for swimming, picnicking, rock fishing and wind surfing, Hectors dolphins are often seen here. Facilities include toilets and a changing shed."  We saw no dolphins, saw heaps of kids, and no one seemed brave enough to use the toilets. But the view from the top of the little island is very nice and the water is pretty shallow and on a hot day it's probably warm enough for adults to swim in.  Kids don't care about that and they were having a great time.

We finally made Invercargill and found lodging at a downtown backpackers.  We only spent one night and did no real looking around in this tidy town, home of the "world's fastest Indian", and a really good netball team, Southern Steel.