The Catlins

Black Kelp
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We started the drive from Invircargill the next morning nice and early in order to be able to take in some of the many stops on the way to our hostel.

Our first stop was Waipapa Point which has a rusting lighthouse to view and a very sandy beach which just so happened to have a sea lion sleeping on it's shores. These things are really big in person and I tended to heed the warnings to stay far away as although they may seam like large fat blobs they are actually able to move quite fast and can bite. I'll keep my distance, thanks! Not only was this my first sighting of a sea lion it was also my first sighting of the large black sea kelp that was washed up in piles all over the place. I found it to be really beautiful.

McLean Waterfalls
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From here our next stop was Curio Bay, home of a petrified forrest. At first I couldn't quite discern where the trees were but when I climbed back to the top of the cliff and read the rather informative signs I was able to understand what it was that they were talking about. next time I'm going to have to read the signs first! While I was on the beach, fortunately the tide was out so we could see the petrified trees, I turned the corner and became mesmerized by the masses of the black sea kelp that I had seen at Waipapa point only this time they were in a long channel in the water being swept back and forth with the waves. Unfortunately by this time the sky had started to darken and by the time we drove to our next destination, Porpoise Bay, it was starting to look rather threatening. We sat in the car on the point overlooking the bay searching in vain for dolphins, but with no luck unfortunately.

Forest Canopy
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From here we drove on to McLean Falls and decided to take the walk in the rain, as it was only lightly raining at this point. I'm glad we decided to take this walk as once we got on the trail we were in dense forrest and we were quite dry. The native forrest here is incredible, you really feel like you have entered another time when you are walking through. The falls were pretty although we were told that there hadn't been a lot of rain lately so they probably weren't running at full capacity.

The most beautiful hostel ever!
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Next stop was Lake Wilkie, an interesting developed path that took you through the native plant life that was part of a lake system that developed after the land shifted and trapped the sea water. It was appropriate to be in the rain forrest during the rain, it made it all so authentic! Ha!

So by this time we decided that it was time to find our lodging so we passed a few stops on the way since we really didn't want to do them in the rain. We arrived a bit early at Wrights Mill, where we had made reservations but no one was there. The town of Tahakopa didn't seem to be much more than the 12 or so homes that were on a small stretch of road that we had to drive on a gravel path through a beautiful valley to reach. There was a note to call the caretaker if no one was home and I was excited to finally be able to use my cell phone but it was also the first time that I had no signal! Isolation is good only on certain occasions. We took the time when we were waiting to walk around and explore the extensive gardens that surrounded the old home that we were going to stay in. The caretaker drove by and saw us waiting so she let us in after a little confusion as it seemed that she didn't know that we were coming. A little misscommunication on the owner's part we later found out. This place is really charming and it would have been fun to stay longer especially if you wanted a little peace and relaxation.

Sea Lion on the beach
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The next day we decided to backtrack in order to see Cathedral Caves, which we had missed yesterday due to the tide schedule. We arrived in time and were fortunate to have a sunny day so we made the trek through the woods, passing our Aussie friends from Manapouri along the way, and out onto a wide expanse of beach. The caves were fun in that you were constantly checking to see if a wave was coming since they have a couple of waves that come in even when the tide is out and I had on my hiking boots, which I didn't want to get wet.

Lighthouse at Nugget Point
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From here we made our way to Jack's Blowhole. I had never seen a blowhole before, this one was quite large, check out the stats on the photo! The walk to get to this was not pleasant as you were walking through sheep fields and it was impossible to avoid the piles of poop! I think that the sheep enjoy pooping all around the trails just to make sure you get some on the bottom of your shoe.

The next stop was Surat Bay, home to lots of sea lions. They were all over this beach! Once again I kept my distance.

View From lighthouse
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The next point of interest for us was Nugget Point, which has a funny name. The road to get here followed the shore and at the end was on the side of a cliff where you had to park your car and walk out to the lighthouse. This was a short trail but you could look down along the way and see seals playing on the rocks. The views from the point were incredible. This was our last stop on our way to Dunedin. Even with a day of rain the previous day I still really enjoyed this area.