Invercargill, Bluff and The Catlins

Almost there! Practically at the soithernmost end of New Zealand, certainly the southernmost town in the country, Bluff. Not a place to visit for the exciting town life, but there are magnificent walks to do and views to enjoy, like the one above, from Bluff Hill towards Stewart Island, our third biggest island. I must get there again one day. It is a truly unspoilt paradise and people see kiwis( the birds) during the day!

Someone with a sense of humour has built this sculpture of a chain, supposedly making sure Stewart Island does not float away. A similar chain can be found on the island.

From now on, whenever I have sore feet, I will use e lovely Maori expression, Mate-a-Waewae! Very expressive when said with feeling.

At Bluff, Jane and I set off on a gorgeous coastal walk, about an hour, to Maori Point. What a lovely path with views out towards Stewart Island and occasional glimpses of albatross soaring and gliding in the stiff breeze. We watched spellbound by their grace and the ease with which they manoevred.

Looking downwards, we were also thrilled to see gentian clinging to the rocks and growing amongst the vegetation at the side of the path. Very pretty indeed!

As I write this, the rain is pounding on to the roof of our cosy cabin, so different from last night at this time. We have been really lucky with the weather throughout the trip apart from this evening glitch!

Our first stop from Invercargill was Slope point, the furthest south in New Zealand. Pretty close to the South Pole really, though the weather was warm and very pleasant indeed. Nice to think I have been to both the most northern and southern points of NZ in the past 12 months. Very different experiences.

Here the coast is often carpeted with golden tussock leading down to the clifftops. On such beautiful days the contrast of sky, sea, golden beaches and golden tussock is stunning.

It doesn't matter where you stop, the scenery is breathtaking, like this estuary we happened upon. Birdlife abounds here. We saw spoonbills close to shore and also a kingfisher - unfortunately caught on my camera and not ipad! This untouristy spot was so tranquil, a place to truly relax and forget the problems of the world.

A trip to the Catlins has to include Curio Bay. After a somewhat traumatic lunch stop for Jane, as a massive gull suddenly swooped down on her and swiped her sandwich out of her hand, we thoroughly enjoyed walking along the golden sands, paddling in the relatively warm, gentle waves and catching occasional sightings of dolphins swimming close to the beach. What a lovely spot, though very popular with visitors and possibly overrun in high summer.

At a rocky headland, we stood for quite a while watching what seemed like fairly innocuous waves, crasing into the rocks and spraying up high. What phenomenal colours.

How amazing to discover gentian cladding the rocks at the edge of the cliffs! You definitely need to have your eyes open all the time.

Just along from the headland is another of my favourite places, the Petrified Forest, 170 million years old. Not only is it of great geological interest, but it is the home of the rarest penguin in the world, the Yelloweye, and offers spectacular scenery too. I still find it incredible that we are allowed on to the beach for close up views of these ancient trees. It is a wonderful experience and each time I feel this could be the last time we are permitted to walk there. Sadly, some tourists have been taking home souvenirs of the ancient forest.

Although we did not visit Niagara Falls, the one or two- metre high falls, in this area, we could not resist a stop at the local cafe with its fabulous carrot cake and peaceful gardens. The farm fences look amazing with their coating of moss and lichen.

Our accommodation choice at Surat Bay, just outside the tiny hamlet of Owaka, could not have been better and the weather on the first evening, along with the spectacular sunset, made for an unforgettable two- night stay.

We walked along the long sandy beach by the camp encounteringthree huge, sleeping sea lions. Being a bit of a coward and knowing you should not get between the sea lion and the sea, this was the closest shot I took. They are huge creatures so I truly respected their privacy and space!

The setting sun eventually became the dominant feature of the evening. It is a long time since I have enjoyed a sunset so much.

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What a sensational place. It seems to have everything. We were so lucky to have arrived on such a perfect night. Tonight, I went along the beach in the light rain. I did see a sea lion up ahead, but as I was completely alone on the beach, with high tide, I decided not to go closer. I still enjoyed the walk, but must say that nothing could compare to last night's amazing colours!

We backtracked somewhat this morning to visit Cathedral Caves, the finest example of a sea cave in NZ and amongst the 30 longest in the world, being 199 metres long. It is really special and the beach at low tide, with its lovely reflections, was gorgeous.

There is only a short period when the caves are open, as they are only accessible at low tide. It was worth getting up early to be able to drive back 45 minutes and then walk down through the forest to the beach below.

It appears that there used to be two caves, but at the back they have joined and you can now walk in one side, through a narrow passageway and out through the second cave. Pretty awesome, I must say.

With its dense native forest covering the hills behind it, the colourful cliffs and the golden sands, this is certainly a must- see place in the Catlins.

It is a bit of a slog uphill back to the carpark, but taking lots of breathers gives time to fully appreciate the dulcet song of the many bellbirds and to admire the magnificent forest, with some trees which looked to me like massive creatures, like this one below.

The coastline here is truly spectacular and the approaching rain clouds made the scenery look even more dramatic. The colours were so vivid, particularly the golden, feathery toi toi blowing in the gentle breeze.

At last I have been able to visit 'the gypsy van'. It has always been closed on previous visits? It is a fascinating, quirky and fun place to visit, full of the most remarkable gadgets. It is definitely worth paying the 8 dollar entry fee to the garden to get a chance to try out many of the gadgets.

I would have loved a game of football using this very special table.

Papatowai, the place we camped with Mark and David when they were 1 and 2.5 years old. I have such great memories of that time and really enjoyed walking along the beautiful tidal river today, admiring its stunning backdrop of rata trees.

How lucky we were to spot some tiny, white, fragrant orchids, clinging to the rata branches.

These very old fallen trunks are just so beautiful, nature's gallery.

And we were certainly being watched!

We were so lucky with the weather till we got back to Owaka, where we walked some metres into the village in pleasantly warm weather to find ourselves in bitterly cold wind and rain half an hour later. Even after wo many years in NZ these incredible changes and temperature drops take me by surprise!

After a blustery, rainy evening in our cosy wee cabin, we awoke to a perfect morning and another opportinity to walk a bit further along the beautiful beach of Surat.

What a great shoe tree at the start of the walkway. New Zealand seems to enjoy having specific places for old shoes, and even old bras! ( at Cardrona).

The light on the bay, the beach and the hills was sensational, and the patterns in the sand were gorgeous, mirroring the ripples in the water.

Whether looking out to sea

Or along the beach, it was truly breathtaking, oh so memorable. It was a dream start to the day.

We walked the length of this magnificent beach, the warm breeze on our cheeks, lulled by the gentle waves gliding across the ripples in the sand, and dazzled by such lovely sights as far as the eye could see.

The sea mist came and went, shrouding 'the Triplets', and creating a mystical landscape..

As we walked on we encountered a young sea lion. It had been resting and had struggled to sit up, walked a few metres and then slumped down again.

It was obviously exhausted after clambering up the dune!

We were so thrilled to see these footprints, thinking at first, from a distance that they were tyre marks. They were massive prints, from massive creatures.

Just as we neared the campsite, we had another fantastic meeting with one of the locals! The heat was obviously getting to all of them.

Next stop Kaka Point with its superb, expansive views along the coast to the lighthouse at Nugget Point. Another quirky viewing point!

What a fabulous welcome to a glorious place, Nugget point. I must learn Maori. It is a beautiful language.

Appropriate language for this phenomenal place. I do not enjoy the path leading to the lighthouse because of the steep drop off but it is certainly worth the fear I have of the heights. I would love to have looked down at the fur seals playing in the rock pools, but sadly can't!
I did see a couple from the lighthouse though and could hear them crying out. Such loud plaintif voices, audible despite the crashing of the waves.

What a magical lunch spot we found. It was surprisingly quiet on the road, so we could truly enjoy the sound of the sea. Armed with my walking poles, we had no problem with gulls this time!

It is a great drive through the arid Central Otago hills, Roxburgh and Alexandra with their vast orchards and with the mighty Clutha River always present. We had a short stop in the old town of Clyde. It is a very pretty township with some very attractive historic buildings dating back to the goldrush. It was my first visit there, but I will definitely go back to do some walking along the Clutha.

Back to Wanaka! It seems far longer than 5 days ago that I was there with David. I have seen so many amazing places and creatures since then. We are just so lucky to have so much, so close by.

From Rob and Jane's beautiful home, it was only a five- minute walk to this lovely bay. Once again wonderful memories of times spent there when the kids were young. It has not changed at all apart from the water perhaps being shallower.

Another day in paradise with hardly a cloud in the sky. In a month, the trees will turn to gold, but it is also magnificent without autumn colours, isn't it?

A new experience in Wanaka - the A and P show. It was a busy place. They apparently had 45,000 visitors over three days! It was fascinating seeing all the gigantic agricultural equipment and all the different types of stands for the farmers. I loved this competition to guess how many tools were on or in the horse! Very creative and entertaining.

I spent a long time watching the show jumping. It was terrific to get so close to the jumps and to admire the beautiful horses and skilful riders, of course, with the magnificent backdrop of the Wanaka peaks.

It was brilliant to be able to fit in watching the Super rugby game of Crusaders versus Chiefs, another NZ team, on TV in a very crowded and rowdy sports bar. Great atmosphere, food, drink, company and big win to our local heroes, the Crusaders.

As if the day had not had enough thrilling things, the skies turned on some magical clouds at sunset!