Catlins Update

Just to narrate the recently posted pictures a bit, I should mention that last weekend we traversed the rugged Catlin coast. Many roads were unsealed (gravel) and were a bit adventurous in our wee purple mobile. The road is part of the Southern Scenic Route, and for good reason. There is hill upon hill of greenery loaded with sheep (what else is new) but then the road clears out and beckons a commanding view of the ocean. There are cliffs that rival CA's Big Sur and Ireland's Cliffs of Moher (aka Princess Bride "Cliffs of Insanity"). There are gorgeous waterfalls accessible via short hikes. There is way more there than we even had a chance to do.

We camped on the ocean at Curio Bay and saw penguins, Hector's dolphins, and sea lions all dwelling in their natural habitats. It was unbelievable. Then we timed it just right so that we could access Cathedral Caves. These are caves along the ocean that are only accessible when the tide is low. It was unbelievable to get to walk through these caves and see how high the water comes when the tide rolls in. The acoustics in there were incredible, as well.

A few of the pictures are from the previous weekend's outing to the nearby town of Riverton, the nearby Sandy Point Beach reserve, Oreti Beach (if you've seen "The World's Fastest Indian" you'd recognize it), and further along the southern coast. There are so many walks to do and beaches to see just in the immediate area! We are so excited to get to explore these places.

And one picture shows something even closer to home. Queen's Park is this incredible city park right outside our doorstep. There are rose gardens, a Japanese garden, an animal park, an aviary, an observatory, a museum. It's just lovely. The local tourist brochure describes it like New York's Central Park only smaller, but I think that's an injustice. It's way cleaner and more beautiful than Central Park in my view.