Kaka Point:
This is a small town on the coast here we stopped and did a nice walk through the coastal forest and took a few photos of the beach before heading to our next destination.
Nugget Point:
This is only a few km along the road from Kaka point. This point offers spectacular coastal views along the walking track which leads to a lighthouse. On this short walk to the lighthouse we managed to see lots of seals playing in rock pools as well as on the rocks and in the sea. This area has lots of wildlife such as New Zealand fur seals (which is what we seen), Southern elephant seals, New Zealand sea lions, and the rare yellow-eyed penguins. Again we were a cliff height away from them but the view was still quite good and was made even better when another tourist lended us their binoculars. We were able to spot even more seals which were too camouflaged to see without the binoculars.
From here we moved to the other side of the headland where we went into a small hut to see if we could see any more penguins up close. After a few minutes we were able to see some penguins emerge from the sea right in front of us. We then watched one waddle up the beach closer towards us where it stopped and began to clean itself. This went on for a good 10 minutes which allowed us to get some great views of it before we got fed up of it not doing anything exciting enough and left.
Owaka:
This is where we stopped for the night. It is a tiny little place with almost as many hostels as there was houses, which was 3. We decided to spend the night here basically beacause it was the only place in this area with hostels. It was also just south of Kaka and Nugget Point which we hadn't visited yet so we were able to work our way back to them at a leisurely pace knowing that we had a bed to return to at the end of our day. This hostel was unique, the owner lived across the road from it and it was like an open house as the front door lies open. All rooms have the keys in the door and the availability of the rooms is displayed on the front door so if its free you put your stuff in it and take down the note that says its available. She will then come across if she sees people in and get their money. She even informed us that one time when her and her husband were out they came back at night to find 10 people who had all checked themselves in. I don't think you could find a more trusting person in the world!
Purakaunui Falls:
The next day we set out to see several waterfalls, the first of which was Purakaunui Falls. This was a quick 5 minute walk through the forest to reach a viewpoint at the botttom of the falls. This forest was nice and cold as it was early in the morning which was a good wake up call.
Matai Falls:
The next fall involved a slightly longer walk but was worth it as it was very nice. This water fall had two drops. The bottom viewpoint was the best out of the two as it provided a direct view and we were able to take a few pics but the top one had some forest in front of it which obstructed the view. As well as that the sun was shining directly down so any photo we tried to take didn't turn out.
McLean Falls:
This was the last but not the least as it was the most spectacular out the three.(Must be due to the fantastic Scottish name) It involved a longer walk through the forest than the previous two but was well worth it. The view point provided a great view of the bottom of the falls. However we wanted a better look and were able to climb up the rocks to be close enough to the falls to feel the spray.
Curio Bay/Porpoise Bay
Porpoise Bay was the 1st out of the 2 we went to. It was amazing we went expecting to see penguins as we had been informed this is the best place to see them. However we were too early for them but instead got to get up close to several seals instead. We didn't even notice them at 1st and took a walk out along the rocks to the edge of the bay to turn around and notice two seals playing from where we had just left.(In our defence they blend in well with the surroundings and look like small rocks from a distance) We rushed back to sit a car length away and watch them play on the sand rolling around and throwing sand on each other. We managed to get plenty of great pics as well as a couple of videos which are hillarious. You can see these by clicking here and here.
We left here to go to Curio Bay which is 2 minutes away and is one of the world's most extensive and least disturbed examples of a Jurassic fossilised forest. We were looking forward to this place as it sounded very interesting but were disappointed and confused to see so many people interested in this beach that was covered in rocks and we didn't see what all the fuss was about. I guess you need to be a rock and tree person to appreciate it!
Slope Point:
This is the southern-most point of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 5140km from the Equator and 4803km from the South Pole. We stopped here to pose for a few photos with the sign to prove this!
Waipapa Point:
This point is where New Zealand's worst civilian shipping disaster occured in 1881 when 131 lives were lost in the wreck of the Tararua. For this reason a lighthouse was assembled to prevent this from happening again. The lighthouse was manned until 1976 when automated lights were installed.
Invercargill:
Is the gateway to Stuart Island which you can see from the coast. We stopped here for the night and didn't stick around long enough to have a proper look around but from what we seen, I don't think we missed much. The name is very Scottish sounding and is typical of a lot of the places around the South Island and many street names we can recognise from back home in Glasgow.
Riverton(Mores Reserve):
Riverton is one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand. It is famous for two things, its rocky coastline and Mores Reserve. We took a drive up to Mores Reserve and had a walk through the area. This walk brings you out at the top of a hill and you can look down onto the town and out across the ocean. Riverton Rocks are a lot less interesting as they basically are just some rocks along the coast.
Monkey Island:
Monkey Island is said to be the anchor stone of the Takitimu canoe captained by Tamatea. At low tide you can take a walk out to the island and climb up it to get a nice view of the coast. However when we got there the tide was in and we didn't see the point of wading through the water to get there when we could see everything from the beach anyway. Plus Gemma didn't want to get her wee tootsies wet!
Mccracken's Rest:
McCrackens Rest offers a viewpoint of Te Wae Wae Bay and Solander Island. Occasionaly the rarest and smallest dolphins, Hector's dolphins can be spotted in the bay but it was too cold for us to hang about for long so we only stopped for a little while to admire the view before heading on.
Clifden Suspension Bridge:
The first settlers in this village originally had to use a ferry to get goods across the river in the 1860's. By the 1890's the government replaced this ferry with a punt attached to a metal wire. Construction of the bridge started in 1898 and the bridge opened in 1899 to replace the punt. At its time it was the longest suspension bridge in New Zealand at 111.5m in length. The bridge was in operation up until 1978 when it was replaced by a new bridge designed to cope with the increasing demand of traffic in the area.
Lake Hauroko:
We eventually made it to this lake after a 20km drive along a gravel road that was fun to drive on as the car skidded all over the road! Lake Hauroko is massive at 40km in length and takes up 63 square kilometres in space. It is also New Zealands deepest lake and is 463m in depth at its deepest point. We went out for a walk to see it and there were swarms of flies and insects there eager to feed on us while we stood admiring the scenery. We therefore took some photos and ran back to the safety of the car.
Big Totara (Dean Forest):
Next on the list was Dean Forest which is home to the "Big Totara". This is a 1000 year old Totara tree. This tree was huge! At its widest point it was 8.3m in circumference and must have been at least 100ft tall!
Rakatu Wetlands:
We were really intrigued to go here as none of us had ever been to a wetlands before so we were not sure what to expect. Rakatu Wetlands is a 278 ha property, located in the lower Waiau River catchment, on the flood plain of the Waiau River. It is owned by the Waiau Trust and their aim is to create an ecologically sustainable wetland/small stream ecosystem complex, for the benefit of fisheries and wildlife in the Rakatu/Redcliff area of the Lower Waiau River catchment as well as to provide public access to facilitate the public's enjoyment, recreational use and aesthetic appreciation of the resources, and to educate and enhance the public understanding of the fisheries and wildlife habitat.
It was nice and peaceful up here to have a walk as it was near the end of the day and there was no one else about. We could take a leisurely stroll admiring more beautiful scenery while appreciating the local nature.
Lake Manapouri:
This lake is the second deepest in New Zealand with a circumfrence of 170 km's and deepest point of 444 metres. The small town of Manapouri with a population of only 300 sits on the bank of the lake. Lake Manapouri is often described as the loveliest of all lakes with its crystal clear water, the back drop of the stunning Cathedral Mountain range, and variety of sandy beaches and coves. This place was paradise and our only regret is that we couldn't have stayed longer before we had to move on. We hope the pictures give it justice as this place was amazing!
Te Anau:
This is the final stop on the Southern Scenic Route and we stayed here for a couple of nights to use it as a base to explore Te Anau as well as the amazing Milford Sound region that was near by.
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