3.12.2017: A relaxed day in the Catlins

Our program for today includes four points. At first glance, this sounds like a long duration, but it only fills three hours of the day.

After driving the 8 km gravel road back to the main road, we stop for a moment at Florence Hill Lookout with a view of a wide, long, and deserted sandy beach - Tautuku Bay.

After just three minutes of driving, we reach the parking lot for the small Lake Wilkie, a mirror lake as long as the wind doesn't ripple the water surface. The gentle breeze blowing today is enough to blur the reflection of the surrounding trees. Nevertheless, a nice little detour.

Not far away are the McLean Falls, the highest waterfalls in the Catlins, measuring 22 m. An easy walk through dense rainforest of tree ferns leads to the McLean Falls. I already stood at their base 4 years ago.

Something new for me, on the other hand, is the Lost Gypsy Gallery in Papatowai. There is a converted bus at the roadside that houses all kinds of odds and ends, including objects that wind up and move on their own or objects that come to life with the push of a button or the turn of a crank. We want to see more of that and pay a small admission fee to visit the theater. The owner obviously has a lot of time and fun tinkering. He has picked up most of the objects on one of his beach walks and made great things out of them. He is not lacking in creativity. There is even a TV that is powered by a bicycle, as long as you pedal hard enough. After we have admired everything, pressed all the buttons, and set all the levers in motion, we head back on the road with grumbling stomachs. In the tiny town of Papatowai, we do not find anything except for a small expensive convenience store, so we drive back to our accommodation and have a quickly prepared lunch there. Afterwards, we lay down for a while and before we know it, it is already later in the afternoon. Relaxing on vacation is also necessary sometimes...