The Catlins region – day 2. Ying (Yang coming up in next post)

December 21, 2011

The Catlins region – day 2. Ying (Yang coming up in next post)

So let’s just go with Donna’s journal for the rest of the way – with a few added touches by yours truly.

It rained much of the night and drizzling when we awoke this morning. By the time we finished breakfast the rain was clearing out. We drove to slope point, the southernmost point on the South Island. Then we headed to Curio Bay, best seen at low tide, but it is near high tide when we get there. The bay contains fossilized Jurrasic aged trees from 180 million years ago. We were still able to see remnants of petrified trees. If it had been an hour before sunset, rather than late morning, we might have seen yellow-eyed penguins. Next to Curio Bay, we also went to Porpoise Bay where a diving/surfing school is located. Also, Hector’s dolphins are often spotted here (thus the name Porpoise Bay), however we were not so lucky this day.

On to McClean Falls, where we had lunch in the car park before hiking to the falls (40 minute return)…… very dramatic with several smaller falls before the “real thing”. There was so much mist from the falls, it felt like it was raining. I’ve included a few pictures, but the falls was more dramatic than the pictures suggest. Then on to the Florence hill overlook, followed by an hour-long walk along the beach we were looking down on – Taukuku Bay Beach. It was such a long expanse of perfect walking sand with no one on it, except at the very beginning of our walk. We met a very friendly young Kiwi who had been fishing in a boat with his two mates. He was going back to get his truck to load up the boat, while his mates continued to “ride the waves” in the boat. He shouted across the sand asking where we were from. Donna noted that “he was a handsome well built young man about the age of our children” Hmmmmm Well anyway, he showed us the tubful of blue cod he had just caught, and offered us a couple. Really nice guy.

After our great beach walk, we drove to Purakauniu Falls for the 20-minute return walk. Lonely Planet called it one of NZ’s most photographed waterfalls, but we liked McClean falls better. Back on the road to Nugget Point, a spectacular setting for a lighthouse… dramatic cliffs and crashing waves. “Next door” was Roaring Bay, another potential penguin spot, but alas no penguins out and about. So after Nugget point, and Roaring Bay, we decided to find an off the beaten path beach road to freedom camp. And that story I will tell in the next post.