Jurassic Park... uhhh Forest

We had heard only good things about the 'Catlins', the area located in the southeast of the South Island. So they somehow ended up on our travel list. Being clueless, we stormed the nearest iSite to load up with tons of brochures, only to leave a few minutes later. By the way, it was the only iSite for miles around. Unusual for New Zealand, where practically every restaurant has its own tourist information in some back room. Actually, compared to the rest of New Zealand, this part of the country is very sparsely populated - and that really means something. For example, the only way to get gas here is by using a card, as having a 'real' gas station would not be profitable. The so-called CardFuel was new and admittedly a bit unusual for us at first (but objectively very practical). There were no typical overpriced tourist attractions (slash 'rip-offs') to be found here. No scenic flights and no dolphin cruises, although they would have been really popular. There is a bay where a group of dolphins has permanently settled, and if you're lucky and patient, you can even swim with them. And presto - you've saved 100 dollars. The Catlins have somehow managed to maintain a bit of untouched and unspoiled beauty (and we sincerely hope it stays that way for a while...).

Whenever the Catlins are mentioned, the 'Nugget Point' also comes up, which is actually more famous than the Catlins themselves. It adorns postcards, is practically featured on every brochure cover, and is now also the cover image of this blog entry. So we let ourselves be carried away with the flow of tourists to see for ourselves what these legendary 'stones in the water' are all about.

Looking at it soberly, that's exactly what it offers. But together with the bright white lighthouse and the view of the endless expanse of the blue Pacific, you get that special vacation/holiday kick that just makes you sigh with delight. The path along the cliffs and the roaring waves breaking many meters below us at the foot of the cliffs were a true feast for the eyes. In the distance, we could even observe some seals lounging lazily in the sun, and if we had been here in the afternoon, we could have watched a colony of yellow-eye penguins return to their chosen beach from a small hut.

After our visit to Nugget Point, we stayed at a campground set up by a couple on an unused part of their farm (judging by the number of campers, they probably made a fortune). We made ambitious plans for the next day and created a long list of places we wanted to visit on our way to Invercargill, the southernmost city in New Zealand and our next destination. But we quickly realized that we couldn't possibly visit all the places on the list in one day, so we extended our stay in the Catlins by one night and stayed at a beautiful free campground right by the sea.

So we visited several waterfalls (including one of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand) and bays. However, the highlight for both of us was the trip to 'Curio Bay' and a 180 million-year-old jurassic forest, which was only accessible at low tide. At first glance, it just looked like rocks, but on closer inspection, it turned out to be the remains of a (very) old rainforest that was covered and petrified by volcanic debris millions of years ago. The wood has been preserved in good condition to this day, and a trained eye can still recognize the growth rings in some of the tree stumps. There are only three of these petrified forests in the whole world, and we had the honor of being able to visit one of them - without having to pay a single cent.

Our fascination with this place was further heightened by the mighty waves crashing with full force on the rocky shore. Experiencing the power of the water up close like this gives you a good sense of the respect sailors must have had for the ocean back then. In any case, I took so many photos that they could now be put together into a liquid film.

Well, and one of us also got wet feet. You can guess who... (see pictures)

And just as I expressed the desire to see penguins, we spotted a pair of penguins that had chosen to forgo the morning hunt, unlike their colleagues, and were now posing for the many curious onlookers (who all obediently kept the required 10-meter distance). Tell me, can it get any better than that?

'I'm taking this bloody car to Invercargill!' says one of the main characters in the New Zealand road trip classic 'Goodbye, Pork Pie' from the 70s. Basically, this sentence can be taken as the motto for all NZ road trips, because it doesn't get much further south. In fact, Invercargill is one of the southernmost cities in the whole world. Unfortunately, the city itself didn't offer much, so after running a few errands, we decided to leave quickly. Our highlight here? A 15-minute shower in a public shelter for just one dollar, and believe it or not, that's really worth something...

Richi&Maggi, Monday, May 1, 2017, Fox Glacier 8:51 PM