On the Road Again

Leaving Dunedin after my last minute errands and grocery shopping, I headed down the Southern Scenic Route, following the rocky coast to an area called the Catlins. Very few people live in this area, so there were plenty of great views of isolated fields, more rolling hills, sheep, cattle, and a few deer. The campervan was in full effect, and it seems like it is going to work out great. I basically headed down the coast, not knowing where I'd end up, but that was part of the fun of the journey. As I made my way through, I spotted a sign for Nugget Beach, an area that I'd heard Dave and Rachel rave about a few days earlier, so I figured I may as well turn off and take the gravel road out to the point. Hugging the coastline, climbing and falling, the road eventually lead to a car park (parking lot) and a short trail to the lighthouse and point overlooking some rocks that apparently resemble gold nuggets to someone. Being at the point of the coast, it was extremely windy and tiny bits of rain were coming and going, so I didn't spend too long on the point, but it was worth the drive. I did see and hear a few baby sea lions playing on the rocks a hundred feet below, squealing like little children as they swam in and out of the puddles trapped in between the rocks. On the way back, there was another viewing point for the elusive yellow-eyed penguin, so I stopped to try my luck again. I walked the five minute trail down to the hideout and immediately spotted one penguin sitting at the edge of the beach below. Soon, a few more had come in, surfing the waves up to the beach, then looking like a bug that had been flipped upside down as it struggled to push itself from its stomach to its feet, then waddling along the beach towards the grassy hills. I saw four different penguins come in like this, then two of them went back to play in the water a bit more just before dusk set in. Watching them walk and hop awkwardly along the rocks, you can tell that they weren't made for the land, but you have to credit them for their determination. They're such little troopers. You can't teach heart.

Anyway, I headed away from the penguin encounter glad to have seen more than the few dormant ones at Sandfly Bay and eventually found an adequate spot for my first night - a gravel pull-out at the Southeastern tip of the South Island, overlooking a hill and nice beach below. Another backpacker was sleeping in his Subaru station wagon just up the road, so I felt like I'd be ok in what the Kiwis call "Freedom Camping." I made a makeshift dinner of some peanut butter sandwiches and an elegant breakfast of dry Cocoa Krispies and some trail mix, made my bed, brushed my teeth, put on some deodorant (for that showered experience without the shower - tricky), and then I was back on the road. My plan is to camp along the road most nights, staying at hostels or campervan parks when I need to recharge my batteries (no, I wouldn't use a stupid cliche like that, I'm talking about my camera and iPod batteries), have a nice place to cook my pasta, or just seek a bit of human interaction after some long hours in the car, enjoying the scenery and the radio or iPod. Luckily, this radio does pick up the normal stations, though the display is broken, so I've just been pressing some buttons until I found out how to change modes and seek for the strongest signals, but I lived with a car with no display all through college, so it's no big deal.

Still without a real plan, I do know that my next trip will be heading up the West coast into Fiordland National Park, an area of incredible fjords and glacial lakes that I've read about hundreds of times before. I also must admit that I stopped at Burger King in Invercargill, at the very Southern tip of the island, and I was impressed to see that they have some specialty burgers with things like pineapple and mango, though I just opted for the cheap stuff. Keep that in mind, though, if any of you are craving a low quality burger and some exotic toppings...New Zealand is only a day away.

(A rainbow along the side of the road, as if the regular scenery wasn't impressive enough...oh wait, is that a second one along side? Barely.)(The nuggets of Nugget Point)

(A few of the yellow-eyed penguins resting after a bit of waddling)

(My view upon awakening the first morning on the road)

(Some random broken down house and that tree next to it)

(Lake Manapouri, on the way to Fiordland)