Sunset at the end of the world, New Year's Eve with dolphins and the Milky Way

On the way to Catlins, we spontaneously decided to continue driving south towards Fjordland because there is supposed to be a nice camping spot there and the places in Invercargill looked more like standard parking lots. In the end, it's nicer to have a nice view outside, no matter what the weather is like.

The road there was pretty, well, windy and the weather didn't look good. We decided to take the detour because of the reviews in the CamperMate app (Unbelievable sunset). It's just stupid that the world is ending here on the way to the end of the world 😂

When we arrived, we just managed to get one of the last spots behind the dunes, which made it a bit less windy. It was quite authentic here because the place consisted of 80% locals. And when you walk over the dunes to the beach, you could already imagine that there are beautiful sunsets here. We had dinner with Jason tucked in as the light suddenly changed around us. So we quickly went out and packed our camera to see it all. And the play of light at the sea and the beach was really worth seeing. Everything turned orange and beige, and you didn't even know where to look. Unfortunately, you can't see that very well in the cell phone photos, and some things look blurry on the camera because the wind was blowing so much. But who knows, maybe it's not that bad on the computer.

In the night, it started to rain properly and with the wind, the mood was not very good on New Year's morning, as our thoughts were already on Curio Bay, where we hoped to swim with dolphins and see penguins.. swimming in this weather..? Brrrr.. maybe only in a wetsuit.

So we went to Invercargill first for a coffee and to figure out what we wanted to do on the way to Curio Bay today. When we arrived in the city, we quickly realized that there wasn't much to see (except that it's in need of renovation according to Thomas 😂) and the rain followed us.

So instead of going to the southernmost city, we went to the southernmost point of New Zealand.

When we arrived at Slope Point, we were back to the typical New Zealand weather, cloudy and rainy according to the weather report, and what do we have here? Clearing clouds and sunshine 🤨😂

The view and the waves fascinated us once again and our mood improved - what sunshine can do!

So it can go to our accommodation for New Year's Eve, where it became exciting again because we didn't receive a booking confirmation, no calls or emails were answered, but the money was debited. But everything worked out and since we are self-contained, we are allowed to choose a spot on top of the hill instead of the assigned one. With a better all-round view 😁🤩 The way up there wasn't very easy for Jason and we had to level it out with stones, but hey - you do what it takes for the view!

And in the end, the ones next to us also came up with a vehicle three times the size.

They immediately told us about the dolphins they had just been swimming with. So we quickly put on our swimwear and made our way to the water.

There should be bodyboards at the shop since the surf school is closed right now, but well - $5 for two boards - even if the girls keep the money themselves, it's a bargain 😂 that's also our suspicion these days that the two lend their own boards to people 😂

Into the water and .... brrrrrrrrrrr! We have never experienced anything so cold!!! The goosebumps literally froze and we couldn't feel anything anymore. But hey - you do anything for dolphins.

And then they swim...around us, under us or even just in the distance! Absolutely amazing, and all for free, just like that, on the beach! We can't believe it and we're thrilled 😂

One even swam under me and jumped out of the water 1m away from me.. Thomas was on his way out and didn't see it, but the person next to me was just as excited as I was 😂 in addition to that, 5 of them were around him afterwards and surrounded him.

Just WOW! And that on New Year's Eve. After getting out of the water, we first had to warm up again, which wasn't so easy. But well...

We want to explore the area 😁 we're supposed to find penguins here and on top of that, the rare ones with yellow eyes.

So we relaxed by the sea and waited for penguins. And indeed, one showed up. Because they are so easily frightened and don't go back to their nests when people are too close, we only saw it from a distance, but that was sufficient! Not necessarily for the photos, but the moments you see with your own eyes are more important.

It showed itself for a long time and the next day we also found out that it's because it couldn't find its family and nest anymore 😢 how sad!

Our New Year's Eve menu consisted of potatoes with garlic dip (mmmmm) and white wine (our favorite here) with a view of the sunset and still overwhelmed by the events and impressions of the day.

New Year's Eve is not celebrated quite as much here and it's rather quiet (except in the bigger cities), and at 11 o'clock there were a few small fireworks on the beach. But in general, it was already very dark at that time, which made us wonder if everyone was already asleep 😂.

Shortly before 12 o'clock, we went outside because we were right on a small hill, with a cruise ship nearby, and we thought we would have the best view if there were any fireworks.

But there were hardly any fireworks, instead, we had a starry night that overwhelmed us. So many stars at once and the Milky Way above us - none of us has ever seen anything like it before! Another moment on New Year's Eve that we only saw with our own eyes and unfortunately can't convey to anyone at home. For me, the best New Year's Eve ever, and no party or celebration can surpass that. 😍 2019 can only be good - we even took a few shooting stars with us.

On New Year's Day, we slept in, had breakfast with a view of dolphins, and as a little freshener, we dared to go into the icy cold water again to swim with them once more. Amazing! A hot shower, cappuccino, and phone calls home warmed us up again.☃️

In the late afternoon, we set off towards Dunedin and Otago Peninsula, which we had planned as a stopover on the way to Mount Cook.

We drove along the Southern Scenic Route to the Cathedral Caves, but they were closed on January 1st - oh well, tough luck. So we continued to Nugget Point, where there is a small lighthouse at the end and you have a really good view along the coast. And that in both directions 😍 crystal clear, bright blue water and sunshine. What more could you want!

Since we were ahead of schedule and the places in Dunedin would have been just parking lots again, we spontaneously decided to drive to a free spot 15 minutes before Dunedin. The landscape wasn't very exciting at the moment (that's complaining on a very high level!) but let's just have a look... and as often as it has happened to us here, we send Jason down the most impossible roads (he barely made it over the hill) and end up at such a magnificent spot!

After arriving and parking, the first thing we did was go to the sea and the beach.

Again - crystal clear, bright blue, and white beach! ❤️

After a short break, we went down again for the sunset and maybe a view of penguins. And we could have spent hours here. Watching the waves, listening to the sound of the sea, and just enjoying. Thousands of photos, and each one better than the other.

The night was short for me because I wanted to witness the sunrise, and after a round of body combat (I have to start slowly if I want to start again next Wednesday) we took another plunge into the sea. This time not quite as cold but refreshing 😀 after a hearty pancake breakfast, we started for Dunedin to find out that the city is really nice and smaller than we thought, but since the day after New Year's Day is a public holiday here, it was pretty dead. 😂

So after having a coffee, we restocked our fridge to drive to Sandfly Bay on the Otago Peninsula.

A beautiful white sandy beach to watch penguins and seals (we don't know if they are sea lions, fur seals, or harbor seals).

Unfortunately, we didn't see any penguins, which we suspected since it was early afternoon, but we saw seals again, and they were so relaxed.

Although we have already seen so many, it never gets boring. Of course, we have seen everything in the zoo before, but seeing them in their own environment, completely carefree, is something else ☺️

New Zealand - you really have something wonderful to offer every day!