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Day 32 - We woke up this morning to a campsite full of trailers, people and cameras, even a mirror surrounded by light bulbs! Something was being filmed in the woods but we have no idea what and chose not to invade the set to find out!
Today we would be heading for Te Anau but before we'd driven too far we stopped at the local swimming pool, our new way of getting clean! Entry is usually pretty cheap and of course we get to have a swim before enjoying the luxury of real showers to wash afterwards! Sitting in the hot water of the jacuzzi was a highlight.
The drive to Te Anau was as pretty as ever, lakes, mountains etc, you know the drill by now!
We arrived at the town and then headed to a free campsite about 5km outside it.
Day 33 - Nikki's Birthday! Although Nikki enjoyed spending a birthday somewhere different and in a different country, the day didn't really differ from any others unfortunately! We weren't near any major towns as we were in the middle of Fiordlands, so we couldn't even go out for a meal but we did manage to pick up a small cake so that was better than nothing.
After waking up in Te Anau we drove into the Fiordlands stopping to book ourselves on a trip round Milford Sound the following day and to buy the aforementioned cake. We didn't have the best weather with clouds obscuring our surroundings before we were treated to a constant drizzle for the rest of the day. We made our way to a campsite on the edge of Lake Gunn where the afternoon was spent in the dry car watching DVDs, eating cake and writing diaries & blogs. Andy cooked dinner at the end of what was at least a relaxing day for Nikki with not too much driving involved.
Day 34 - We had arranged a trip with Cruize Milford as we got a 2 for 1 deal due to us hiring a Jucy rental. We were on the 9.15am cruise around Milford Sound and we only just made it after a drive that ended up taking nearly an hour along windy mountainous roads and through the Homer Tunnel.
It was raining lightly while we were on the boat so we spent most of it inside the boat looking through the windows. The rain though created hundreds of small waterfalls as it cascaded down the cliff faces so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. We were shown the entire Fiord from land to where it meets the sea and both sides during the 90 minute trip. The fiords were created when glaciers (which had previously sat here) melted after the last ice age and sea levels rose. The world's tallest sea cliff is situated here with its peak at 1600m above sea level, stretching up from 300m below sea level. The low cloud meant we couldn't make out the top which is a shame as it's one of the most photographed mountains in the world due to its perfect triangular peak. Along with the many temporary waterfalls we were taken past the 2 permanent ones here, one of which was over 500ft in height however due to our perception being off thanks to the height of everything else around us, it created the illusion of it being much much smaller. When reaching the second waterfall the captain directs the boat (with difficulty) right next to it so you can see, hear and feel just how powerful it is. You know what's coming next. Yes, before Nikki knew it there was Andy in his pink t-shirt trying his very best to stay upright in the wind and spray that battered both him and the boat. It was so strong that he couldn't open his eyes and as quickly as he was outside, he retreated back into the boat dripping wet whilst everyone else wrapped up in their hats and coats looked on rather amused! Well it's not every day you can stand under a waterfall although having done it at Franz Joseph glacier 9 days previously you may have though that would have been enough! The other highlight of the tour was seeing New Zealand fur seals both swimming near the boat and resting on a rock only a couple of meters from us. They have dolphins here too but we didn't spot any. Although we only did one of the shorter tours we had a good time and are glad we have seen one of the 'must-sees' of the country.
We must mention quickly that in the drive back to Te Anau we saw our first Kea, a large native parrot like bird that are rather cheeky and make no qualms about getting close, taking food or in our case running up and down our car roof! Another animal ticked off the list.
Day 35 - Today we left Fiordland behind and headed south to the southernmost point of the country. The further south we drove, the flatter the landscape became as we watched the mountains shrink in our rear view mirror. We stopped for lunch at Tutapere, a small town near the coast where we bought a bag of chips for just over £1, nice and cheap. We were soon driving alongside the ocean where we saw many trees leaning at impossible angles where they had grown whilst simultaneously being battered all day every day by the relentless wind blowing in from sea. We soon arrived in Invercargill, the largest town on the south coast where we encountered lots of shops, supermarkets and the like for the first time in a while. We went to their info centre which also doubled as a museum and we were able to see some Tuataras. These reptiles, native to NZ, have been unchanged since the dinosaurs were around and at full size are around the same size as an iguana. They have a hard looking outer skin with lots of spikes and really do look just like little dinosaurs. The museum has a captive breeding program which has introduced (to date) 110 babies which have been sent to zoos and reptile houses around the country to help increase the population.
We left Invercargill late afternoon and headed a little further south to Bluff which is a smaller town and the southernmost habitated place in NZ. We arrived at a relatively cheap, small campsite which we were very excited about as it was more like the more expensive holiday parks, as there were showers, washing machines and a large building containing a big kitchen with a couple of ovens, microwaves, toasters and kettles all for public use - woohoo! For the first time in a very long time we ate inside and at a table, how posh!
Day 36 - Waking up this morning we headed straight into the kitchen where we treated ourselves to beans on toast for breakfast, the first time we haven't had cereal for several months, what luxury!
We started our day by completing our drive along Highway 1, which runs from the very tip of the north island to the very bottom of the south island. We have seen 90% of the road on our journey so the 3 minute drive to the very end of it, and the last signpost in the country, was a must do. The signpost was a fancy one, with arrows pointing to London, New York, Tokyo, the South Pole etc and how far away they were in kms. From here we drove up the very steep road to Bluff Hill lookout, giving us 360degree views all around us including a nice view of Stewart Island which is further south and part of NZ but not inhabited, views out toward the Antarctic Ocean and of course views facing north in the direction we had travelled from.
We drove back through Invercargill for supplies before making our way East where we would be driving through the area known as The Catlins for the next couple of days. First stop was out to Waipapa Point, the location of NZ's worst civilian shipping disaster (due to hidden reefs) and subsequently there is now a lighthouse to prevent the same thing! Sea lions can occasionally be found resting on the beach but unfortunately we didn't see any. By this time it was late afternoon and as there was a toilet and no signs we decide to stay here. Nobody else joined us so we spent the night several miles from any other human beings - quite a strange feeling but pretty cool nonetheless as unless we visit either of the poles it's unlikely to ever happen again!
Day 37 - Still no signs of sea lions on the beach so we moved on and headed for Slope Point, which is the area of land at the end of a field full of sheep that geographically is the actual southernmost point of NZ. It was a 20minute walk through a couple of sheep fields from the nearest road to get to the sign which stated this fact. There were two arrows on it, one pointing to the Equator (5,140km away) and the other pointing to the South Pole (4,803km away) so this is the closest we're ever likely to be to Antarctica. Heading further East we found ourselves at Porpoise Bay where a pod of Hectors Dolphins spend most of their time. They are the world's rarest and one of the smallest species of dolphin and contrary to their name, don't belong to anyone called Hector. The bay was enormous so we didn't think we would spot them but thankfully we were proved wrong! There were a couple of girls braving the freezing water and just in front of them every now and again we would see the dorsal fins and tops of 3 or 4 dolphins as they came up for air whilst investigating the people in their house. As we each have a dive mask and knowing we would never get an opportunity to do this again, we ran back to the car and got changed as quickly as possible so we could get in the water with them. Andy was well ahead of Nikki and got in the water which now contained several other people trying to do the same thing (at this point I must just add that I have never experienced water of this temperature before. I had to force myself not to turn around and run out as it actually made my body physically hurt). As he waded out a couple of fins came up a few meters in front of him so he stuck his head under the water but it was too murky to see them. This unfortunately was the only glimpse either of us got up close. Whether it was because too many people were in the water, or because the wind changed causing big waves to appear out of nowhere we don't know. Andy stayed in the water in case they returned but to no avail. Fortunately Nikki hadn't entered the sea to begin with so she was still dry. When Andy emerged he struggled to get his rash vest off, as his elbows and shoulders had gone stiff just like your fingers do in the cold back home. Oh well, a shame not to have interacted more but we are still very pleased that we at least got to see them.
From here we headed to our campsite set in spectacular scenery at Purakaunui Bay stopping briefly at the falls of the same name along the way.
Day 38 - We were up early today with a destination in mind, that being the city of Dunedin. Along the way we stopped at Nugget Point where we were hoping to see some Yellow Eyed Penguins among other wildlife. Unfortunately we were there at the wrong time, and even if we were there on time we'd have needed binoculars to see any of them down on the beach. As we headed back to the highway we stopped in our tracks just a couple of minutes later as we spotted an enormous brown lump sitting on the beach next to the road - it was a huge male sea lion. Our photos don't really show just how big he is, we were as always very excited as although we have now seen lots of seals, this was our first sighting of a sea lion and we were able to get quite close. Andy got a warning grunt as usual!
We continued on to the very Scottish city of Dunedin complete with tartan, a chap playing bagpipes and just outside the city, NZ's only castle (which we didn't visit due to the cost). We spent the afternoon wandering around before heading out of town to a place we could stay for free by the sea. It's never too difficult to fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves.
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