Invercargill - the southernmost point of our tour

Invercargill is the southernmost city on the South Island and the starting point to reach the quite deserted Stuart Island by boat. We decided not to visit the island as there are hardly any roads there. It is certainly quite interesting for hikers.

The Alps in the west gradually disappeared in the rearview mirror as we headed further south towards Invercargill. This means that here at the southern end, the Alps no longer protect against wind and rain, so the coast is accordingly rough. Invercargill is known for frequent and heavy rain, which we personally experienced as well.

There wasn't much to see along the way, but we did come across an impressive structure: an antique restored bridge spanning the Waiau River a few meters parallel to the modern bridge on SH 94. The bridge is now only open to pedestrians and is quite worth seeing with columns at the ends and a long wooden structure over the gorge. A coffee cart invited us to take a break, and I also took a few laps on my motorcycle in the huge riverbed, which was quite fun.

Continuing south and then along the southern coast through beautiful but also rugged coastal landscapes, passing by wild beaches, we reached Invercargill. But what a city! There were a few old houses, but they were in pretty bad condition. Otherwise, the city was characterized by a collection of functional buildings, everything seemed a bit run down. Definitely not a place to stay longer.

So we only stayed one night and visited the Bill Richardson Transport Museum the next day. It was a recommendation from the locals, and I can say that it is really a highlight if you are even a little interested in vehicles. Bill Richardson was a businessman from Invercargill who was involved in the construction industry and oil trading. His big hobby was collecting cars, motorcycles, and everything related to them. You can tell that he was involved in oil trading by the large number of tank trucks and the impressive collection of petrol pumps, neatly sorted by brand from all generations. I have never seen an exhibition put together so lovingly. Even in the toilets, the sinks were mounted on oil barrels, and the water flows from the tap. And so that men don't waste any time, you can look into the museum through a semi-permeable glass while taking care of business. Unbelievable!

In addition to the trucks and tractors, there were also a lot of interesting cars to see. In addition to British and American vehicles, there was a decent collection of Citroens, sports cars, and surprisingly, European non-British small cars like the Isetta or the "Ente". And the founder's daughter has a passion for Volkswagen vans, so there were several versions and generations of the VW Bully from the T1 to the last T2 from Brazilian production.

The museum was founded by Bill Richardson's descendants to make his life's collection accessible to the public. For this purpose, the museum's new building with its own restoration workshop was opened in 2014.

So the trip to Invercargill was definitely worth it. It's a shame that this museum is too far away for most overseas tourists, as the area doesn't really have much else to offer.