Stunning South Island – part 1

New Zealand’s south island is possibly one of my favourite places on earth. The jaw-dropping beauty, the lack of people, the “outdoorsy” vibe and the welcoming people are enough to make anyone fond of this part of the world.

This is more of a photo blog than a written one – I need to catch up!

Since arriving into Dunedin (south island) from Auckland (north island) we have been busy bees indeed – exploring, tramping, driving, catching up with relatives and friends, eating, drinking, and putting on weight mainly – obviously the weight gain goes hand-in-hand with the last four activities of the list; we definitely live the good life when visiting the hospitable Kiwis! Thank you all of you!

Dunedin, Palmerston (to visit George), Shag Point and the fascinating Moeraki Boulders

The intriguing Moeraki Boulders

The intriguing Moeraki Boulders

Dave and George at Shag Point on an extremely windy day

Shag Point and the resident seals

George was kind enough to lend us his beloved campervan to head south to the ‘bottom of the world’ – the wild, rugged, beautiful Catlins, and lonely little Invercargill.

We’ve picked up a variety of hitch-hikers on our journey around the south island. NZ is a fantastic country to hitch a ride; there’s so many doing it. Our hitching travel companions have included a Kiwi girl working in Africa training giant rodents to search out landmines, an “eco-terrorist” as labelled by his country, and a mysterious Welsh kayaker with tenacious customer satisfaction values…

The Catlins – Southern Scenic Route

Beaches in the Catlins

Catlins beaches

Catlins beaches and cows

Beaches in the Catlins

Lower level of Mclean Falls

Foxgloves in the Catlins

Cheeky little wagtail talking to Dave in the Catlins

Catlins beaches

An eccentrics teapot collection in the Catlins

I love the colours of the trees here in the Catlins

Upper level of Mclean Falls

 

We stopped off at the fabulously curious ‘Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins – a garden and bus of creativity full of the machinations of a man who crafts them from pretty much everything and anything people give him, well worth checking out. Great fun!

Lost Gypsy Gallery

‘The Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins

‘The Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins

‘The Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins

‘The Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins

‘The Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins

‘The Lost Gypsy Gallery’ in the Catlins

 

Invercargill (our great stay with friends Nicki and Felix)

Caving in the Limestone Clifden Caves

Caving

Caving

Visiting Nicki and Felix in Invercargill

Visiting Nicki and Felix in Invercargill

Caving

As well as caving we visited some more of the rugged scenic beaches along the southern NZ coast, played Bananagrams and ‘Cards Against Humanity’, drank Invercargill brewery beer, saw tuataras (rare reptiles endemic to NZ) and paid a visit to Burt Munro’s famous Indian motorcycles. The film ‘World’s Fastest Indian’ starring Anthony Hopkins is definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

End of part one.

Liz