New Zealand - Day 6

Travelled 136 kms.

Oh dear, we awoke at eight to a dull grey morning. Was all that lovely weather away?
No, by the time I came out of the shower at 8:45 it was wall-to-wall sunshine. Well, it is NZ.
The showers were great. Heated ceilings, no use at this time of year but when the snow is deep and the skiers are about a very welcome addition I’d think. Tiled and shiny floors, real bath mats, and spotless.

Let me try to explain how busy we’ve been. I thought we were running out of time so decided to plan the last four days carefully. Everything was planned, we’d have to stick to it or have to get back to Christchurch in one really long drive. After all the careful planning I discovered it was only Saturday instead of Sunday. A sure sign of a busy holiday.

And so to the gondolas. This was another excellent morning, and some of the photos should be awesome Adam.

M was more afraid of this than she was of the Helicopter. For a moment I thought we’d not be doing this trip but she stuck it out and we made it. The trip up was recorded on video, as was the stunning sight that waited for us aloft. We had a coffee and a famous NZ pie for lunch while watching the view from our lofty peak. This really had been a cracker morning.

Before we left Queenstown we made our way as usual to the local i site. I wanted to go to Invercargill, which is right down the bottom, but the girl said it would be much better to go through the Catlins, proclaiming it to be her favourite part of NZ.
Our drive took us through the town of Gore and on through the smaller town of Clinton. Along the Clinton Highway. Anything ring a bell?

This was indeed rural NZ, passing through Balclutha, another quaint place where I’m sure people don’t even lock their doors.

We found Kaka Point a tiny town sitting on the coast and a nice wee pub right in the middle. I parked up beside the pub, and while waiting for M to disembark the owner of the pub came to the window “ I wouldn’t park there mate, if the constabulary come they will book you”. He explained. So because he was so nice we went in to taste his wares. We got talking to an old fisherman and he told us where we should visit. The pub had the usual I sign outside and when I asked the owner about brochures he pointed to a stand with about four different publications on it and said, “ That’s pretty much it”. He showed us where our next camp would be, which was just around the corner from his place.

We parked up at Kaka Point Holiday Park and took the old seadogs advice and went to see the penguins coming home from the sea and a days hunting. This was something else. These little fellows come out of the surf like wee Charlie Chaplins. Then they stand and preen themselves in the fading sunlight before waddling off to their homes. This was yet another magical thing to see.

Tonight we cooked dinner in the camp kitchen. Every site has one and they are all kept spotlessly clean. The brilliant thing about doing this is you get to meet fellow travellers and see what people from other cultures eat. It’s certainly not champ, let me tell you. We’ve seen some rare concoctions, like noodles and a raw carrot! We went over at about 7:30 and it was fairly quiet, but by 8:30 all the fellow campers were in and it was jolly and at the same time everyone looked knackered. This place has about forty pitches and a couple of Chalets. It’s hedged off into bays of around eight pitches, which makes it all very cosy.

After yarning awhile with like-minded people we went to bed. Another fine day in front of us.