Carving out the Catlins

Picking up from our longer than intended stay in Dunedin, we headed to the mechanic to assess sweet Dagsie's illness and find out how much the new clutch plate would set us back. The grand total - plus a few other parts the Prancers didn't know anything about - was $350 New Zealand dollars and although it seemed like a lot at first, once driving the old gal a few kilometers we realized that is was money well spent. As we blasted up the steep hills of southern New Zealand with ease, we felt much peace of mind knowing the car was completely analyzed by the mechanic and is now in a "no worries" state of mechanical shape. GOOD AS GOLD!!!

Leaving Dunedin via the southwest, one enters what is known as The Catlins and the Southern Scenic Route. This region is an often overlooked part of the south island and heavily overshadowed by the likes of Milford Sound, Able Tasman, the west coast glaciers and the other big destination points on the south island. But if you speak with any native at length about their favorite domestic holiday spots, many of them will answer rather emphatically, "The Catlins!" This area is a stretch of rugged coastline that remains an untouched haven for wildlife and a chance for the modern visitor to view animals in their natural habitats. The whalers and sealers arrived in the 19th century and, in turn, wiped out large numbers of wildlife in search of oil. But this area is still widely known to have several colonies of the rare yellow-eyed penguin, groups of the small Hector's dolphin, Hooker's sea lions and elephant seals. Aside from the chance to view these animals in the wild, the area is stunningly beautiful and has many alternative scenic adventures to partake in as well. These include several waterfalls, rivers, lakes, caves, beaches and a Jurassic forest! Most people try to pack the Catlins into a one-day circus act, but we opted to take it slow and really soak up this unique region with ample time and focus.

We kicked the travels off with a stop off at Nugget Point. It is home to one of New Zealand's oldest lighthouses and penguins, fur seals and elephant seals. The walk from the car park was stellar as we were met with gorgeous views of not only the lighthouse, but the large rock formations that highlight the stunning point. The winds howled at us and Jill's tropical constitution was tested once again.We saw a large group of fur seals swimming down the cliff, but we decided to head to another point for penguin viewing...our main interest in the Catlins! If any of you have seen "March of the Penguins" you know the story of the amazing Emperor Penguin and their way of life and breeding habits. The yellow-eyed penguin is much smaller and different to the Emperor breed, but hey, it's still a penguin and not something you see in native Missouri!!! We decided to view the penguins in an area called Curio Bay. This bay is a mostly know for its "Fossil Forrest", a beach that - during low tide - has remnants of trees, trunks and stumps believed to have once been standing during the Jurassic Period when New Zealand was part of Gondwanaland. At first glance it looks like a rocky beach, but once you get closer it reveals old trunks of trees that were standing 180 million years ago! Amazing! That evening when we arrived at the bay we were treated to a yellow-eyed penguin colony coming in from the sea on that very beach. Not only were we viewing the fossil forest, but we finally were able to witness the normal evening ritual of the yellow-eyed penguin. We were up on a cliff maybe 20 meters high overlooking these little comedians come out of the water. This is just before sunset and once on shore, they begin this odd-looking dance where they essentially hop from rock to rock until they reach the native bush where they will sleep for the evening. They are absolutely adorable and they stop every rock or so, prune themselves, maybe stick their fins out to sun them and then hop like a two year old to the next rock. Pretty hilarious when you consider they are acrobats in the water. The best part is that this stretch of coast is their actual home and we were observing them in their natural environment! There were about 8 in total and we were able to see 4 of them head into the bush. Some of them then head up the hill on occasion but none did so that evening. Very, very cool! That evening we once again tested Jill's resolve as we camped on the extremely windy campsite nearby.

The next morning we took a closer look at the fossil forest before heading towards Slope Point, mainland New Zealand's most southern point. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a shocking sign that alerted us we were actually closer to the the South Pole than we were to the Equator --- you got it, once again shocking our constantly cold Miss Duncan. She forged ahead, though, as we traveled to Waipapa Point and viewed a group of elephant seals lounging in the sunny sand. We were roughly 20 feet from these monsters and were entertained by their Floridian antics when trying desperately to get as much sand as possible on their blubbery backs. Next stop was the famous Cathedral Caves. During low tide you can access these 30 meter high caves that can, at some points, be up to 100 meters deep. One particular cave we were stopped by a guy we met the night before. Noticing we had a flashlight with us, he told us he thought a sea lion was 20 meters back in one of the most narrow caves. Straight out of a Hollywood set, we entered this shoulder-to-shoulder cave with a touch of nervousness! We entered it, stepped on some massive kelp and then......the stink came (sea lions are the smelliest creatures!!! WHEW!). Right around the bend, BAM, a big 'ol sea lion. His head popped up with the brightness of the flashlight, we snatched a picture and high-tailed it out of there laughing like little kids. I don't think he would have been aggressive...but he look agitated by the light so we didn't take the chance. We asked the ranger at the carpark and he has been living there since mid-December on his own.. That is apparently very rare for a sea lion but she said he seems to be healthy. Well, it was a treat for us to say the least. After the caves we stopped off at three more locations before leaving the Catlins. Two of the stops were to view breathtaking waterfalls while the other was an educational lake walk that showed the regeneration of a forest formed after the Ice Age.

The entire experience was outstanding. Like many people, we originally planned to skip the far south and The Catlins. With our car breaking down and keeping us from tramping one of the longer tracks, we decided to explore the region instead. We can't believe we almost missed out! Getting to see such amazing wildlife was very eye-opening to us and we now have a new found respect and appreciation for marine biology and the need to preserve this hard hit type of sea life. If anyone finds themselves in the dilemma of deciding between the "normal" itinerary of south island hot-spots, do not forget about the Catlins and the Southern Scenic Route!