Sheep, Falls and Nuggets (aka The Catlin Coast).

It was something like 6 degrees (not counting wind-chill) and raining sideways as we left cheery old Invercargill. We took the more scenic route to Dunedin which followed the Catlin Coast. The rolling hills looked ever so green - perhaps a result of us having been restricted to various shades of grey for the last couple of days.

Jen offered to drive for a bit, and decided at the last minute (the marks are still on the road) to turn off the main thoroughfare and visit Maclean Falls. We made our way through tree ferns, mosses and general rain-foresty goodness (the temperature still around 8 degrees) until we got to the falls. While they were impressive, they did not compare to the sheer volume of mud Hamish was able to accumulate on his pants on the way there and back.

After a lunch spent sitting huddled around a plastic table (buffeted by icy winds) out the front of a Petrol-station/general store at Papatowai, we pressed on to Nugget Point. The winds roared up near vertical cliffs, with seals lazing about in rockpools far below.







At the very end of the walk, an elderly couple alternated between insisting on the children borrowing their binoculars (to see the seals) and noting that children could not be trusted with things like binoculars. I refrained from giving the pair an "even closer look" at the seals below...



We have settled in to our apartment in Dunedin, a good 30 metres or so from the Cadbury's Factory. I was intrigued by the obvious Scottish influence on the Kiwi accent in this area - to the point I was left wondering whether the entire population are over from Edinburgh on a Foreign Exchange program.