The Catlins, New Zealand

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

We say goodbye to Tom, Chris and Carol and set off on the drive through the Catlins.

The roads here hug a spectacular coastline and sometimes are just gravel tracks so we have a few thrills on the way. Although it is sturdy, our van is not the most aerodynamic and tends to get pushed about a bit by the winds that gust from the sea. All at once it's thrown a foot or two sideways, either into the ditch or into the oncoming lane. All the driver can do is grip the wheel white-knuckle and look to the long grass in the ditch a few yards ahead for some clue as to when the next gust is coming.

It’s all small beans though when you compare it to the lot of the cyclists who have the determination/loss of marbles to tour around New Zealand in the saddle. You see them labouring into a Force 8 wind, up what you know to be the first of a series of Alp d’Huez hills, and say a quiet prayer. Lunatics!

Along the way to our destination for the night, Invercargill, we stop off a couple of times. We visit Jack’s Blowhole which is a bit disappointing. There is a blowhole there alright but not the big fountain of spray we were expecting. More impressive though is Curio Bay which is site of a 160-million year old fossil forest. It covers the area of a few football pitches (the universal unit of measure) and is dotted with petrified stumps of trees. Despite close inspection we do not find any Tyrannasaurus Rex remains.

To see photos click here.