Rugged and Old …
A bit overcast this morning but certainly some encouraging blue sky around and the wind had dropped dramatically. We set off again on another leg of the Southern Scenic route with our first stop Slope Point – the southern most point on mainland New Zealand. It is pretty much out of season in this part of the country and at times today, other than a few local farm vehicles, we were lucky to come across many other cars on the road.
Arriving at Slope Point, we had a bit of a walk across a sheep paddock to reach the viewpoint. It was quite wet and muddy underfoot, combined with having to avoid the sheep droppings. We walked for about 15 minutes before reaching the point and the obligatory “most southern point” sign.
Negotiating the return trip through the sheep paddock, we drove on to Curio Bay. The oceanfront here has exposed a “Petrified Forest” approximately 170 million years old. Unfortunately for it was nearing high tide when we arrived and the waves had obscured most of the “forest”, however we could still make out some of the long straight stone “logs” of the ancient trees in the water.
By now the sun was starting to come out nicely and we stopped at Florence Hill Lookout which gave a great view along the coast. We then stopped at a few waterfalls and did some short walks to get to them – Matai Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Purakaunui Falls.
Our last stop for the day – about an hour along – was Nugget Point Lighthouse. I’m told that it is one of those “most photographed” locations and withe the great weather for us today I can see why. There is a walk along the cliffs out to the lighthouse and beyond the lighthouse in the ocean below are stone outcrops – “nuggets” – in the water. It is certainly a striking picture. Driving back we found a lone sea lion on the beach. Adrienne thinks it was pretty sick looking however that is something we will never know !
Driving on, we arrived in Dunedin late afternoon at the Distinction Hotel – again in the city centre. After unpacking, we walked down to the grand old railway station building before a bit of a “pub crawl” to finish the day. We stopped at “Noisy Brewery”, a small operation near the station which was doing a good trade in amongst the brewing tanks. We then went to Speights Ale House for dinner.
Speights was founded in 1876 and use the slogan “The Pride of the South” – they are certainly everywhere. It was very busy and we could only get a table at the bar. Adrienne had bangers and mash which she said was good but my beef ribs were a bit of a disappointment – gristly and not very “melt off the bone” – though the bbq sauce was quite good. Back at the hotel, we stopped at the bar so Adrienne could have some dessert – no apple pie so an espresso martini instead !
Tomorrow we are back across country to Wanaka.