In my last two posts I wrote about beautiful Dunedin, New Zealand, where I headed for a week's holiday to visit my niece at the end of September last year. While Bethany was busy with classes, I hired a car for a couple of days to see a little more of the wonderful countryside and the gorse-covered hills I had glimpsed on my drive from the airport.
It was a bit of a toss up which direction I would head, but I decided to follow the Southern Scenic Route south. The road led through a region known as the Catlins, which features idyllic countryside and spectacular coastal scenery, with picturesque bays, lighthouses and wonderful wildlife.
My aim was to get to Invercargill on the first night, and from there, take the ferry for a day trip to Stewart Island. As I headed south, I couldn't have asked for better weather, and I was blessed travelling as I was in early Spring: it was lambing season.
First photo stop was the beachside township of Brighton, about 20 km southwest of Dunedin, and from there it just kept getting better.
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| Brighton |
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| Otokia Creek |
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| Taieri Mouth |
The coastal road is bookended by two lighthouses: Nugget Point in the north, and Waipapa Point in the south.
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| Nugget Point |
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| First glimpse of the distant lighthouse at Nugget Point |
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| I just loved the bumblebees on the Pride of Madeira Echium candicans |
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| Roaring Bay |
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| Tautuku Bay |
All good things must come to an end, and the weather didn't smile on me quite so kindly when I drove back through the Catlins after my stay in Invercargill and my trip to Stewart Island.
It looks relatively benign in the final photos from my Catlins adventure, but it was truly bleak - windy, wet and freezing.
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| Waipapa Point's historic lighthouse |
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| Hooker's sea lions |
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| More sea lions frolicking in the shore break |
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| Near Niagara Falls (NZ) |
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A forlorn chimney - all that remains of a settler's homestead
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Next post we visit Stewart Island.
