The Catlins and Waterfalls

Last week was an overnight in the southernmost part of the country, an area called The Catlins. By this point, we had made the guidebook “NZ Frenzy” (pronounced En-Zed Frenzy, by the way) our bible and simply went where the author told us to go. This meant that we started with Nugget Point.

The classic lighthouse shot at Nugget Point

“Nuggets” are the word for the large rocks that jut out of the ocean along the cliff-faced shores, and true to the name, Nugget Point is full of them. This is the classic lighthouse photo that has graced many calendars, and Jeremy enjoyed taking many photos there… but not of the lighthouse.

(one of) Jeremy's nugget shots

Many of Jeremy's photos feature either water or sky

Jeremy has developed a love of taking pictures, usually with the telescoping lens all the way extended. His subject matter is almost exclusively rocks and plants, particularly from unusual angles.

And another nugget shot

On the way, we stopped at the eclectic Lost Gypsy Gallery, where found items on the beach and elsewhere become quirky and sometimes disturbing new gizmos. Hundreds of these were crammed into a repurposed bus.

The converted bus

A sample of the contents of the bus

After that, we continued on to the city of Bluff and an odd little museum while it rained outside. The museum featured found-object art of other kinds, including a constellation of various silver spoons hung from fishing line in front of a painted fence and 19^th century style dresses made from plastic oyster sacks. 

When the gay curator of the museum, Xavier, learned we were “family,” he gifted us a magnet and a brick of his favorite travel brochures (which he secured tightly with rubber bands, a paper bag and tape, making us promise we wouldn’t read them until we were back in Dunedin).

Then the tour book told us to go to the ship graveyard, where we investigated the decaying hulls of fishing vessels that had been retired, some more than a century ago. I experimented with a new filter on the camera while Jeremy looked for shells and Fran made sure we didn’t miss anything.

The next morning featured a three-hour “tramp” through forest and mud up and down a hilly “track” to an incredible reward. It was tough, especially on Jeremy who admitted that the feel, look, and smell of the mud made him anxious. But we made it and were treated to not one but two majestic waterfalls, passing only a couple people the entire hike.

From there, we made our way to Curio Bay hoping to see the petrified forest and Hector’s dolphins it is famous for. We saw the former, which was cool but not especially dramatic, however the dolphins had already left for the day. We braved the high winds only for a few minutes at a time to enjoy yet more stunning shoreline views. 

A petrified tree stump

A pano of Curio Bay

Finally, we dutifully followed the guidebook’s recommendation to see Cathedral Caves- one of the world’s largest sea caves. Jeremy’s legs and my feet were aching by the time we tramped down the long winding path to the beach from the parking lot, but we soldiered on, then also walking the football field length of beach to the caves.

Two openings join in the back, so you can walk in one and out the other. Our book said we should wade through the surf to get to “even better” caves beyond, but we took one look at the waves crashing on the rocks and decided we had had enough for the day.

Jeremy on the expansive beach by Cathedral Caves

Tired but happy, we drove home as the sun set. Jeremy said, “That was a great adventure. I think I’ll be good to just hang out at the house for the next week.” 

Fran and I looked at each other and gulped. "Sorry Honey, but we leave for Fiordland and Queenstown day after tomorrow!"