A Tennessee Girl in Oz: Adventures in the south of the South Island

Our last destination on our mini SI roadtrip was to go farther along the south part of the island. It wasn't nearly as long a distance as the previous day, but there were lots of stops to make along the way. Plus, we didn't really have a street address for the place we were staying that night. We knew it was going to be a house in a tiny little town (i.e., so tiny there wasn't even a stop sign or any kind of shop), but we didn't know much more than the name of the intersecting streets. The lady I'd booked it from said she would "leave it right open for us." So I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time before dark to find it.

We didn't drive too far out from Dunedin to get to our first, and maybe group favorite of the day, stop: Tunnel Beach. The signs said the return time was one hour. We agreed afterwards that it was most likely 10 minutes down and 50 back up. But it was worth it!

Tunnel Beach is named that because of a small tunnel carved through rock that lets you get to the beach. One of the wealthy English immigrants had it carved so his family could enjoy the sea from their farm.

The tunnel waiting for us for us on the beach below

Going down, down, down

The rock point, and the tunnel is closer to land

And then we were out on the rock!

Looking down at the beach below

The rock was really smooth sand the wind was very strong. So I was too nervous to hang out there for too long. We headed down through the tiny tunnel and out to the beach!

It was a really lovely beach, nice and sheltered from the wind. Not too many people were hanging out, because it was still pretty cool. Definitely no one was going for a swim!

A short break.....

Then back up the hill!

Next stop: Nugget Point Lighthouse.

Nugget Point Lighthouse is a small one. It was built in the 1860s, and having been in the South Island for some gray and rainy weather this trip, I can understand why it's necessary! The lighthouse itself isn't that spectacular, and it's all automated these days from a control center in Wellington. But the drive and walk out to the point is just gorgeous.

On our way! The lighthouse is on the far left point

The beaches along this stretch were very flat and rocky. We saw lots of local people pulled over and collecting something (maybe mussels?) from the rocks where the tide had left them exposed.

The walk out to the lighthouse was only twenty minutes, but the rain started just as we were on our way, so it felt a bit longer! Regardless, it was a beautiful walk. It was cut into the sides of the cliffs, so you could see the water below and the beaches to the north and south.

The best part of the walk was at the end, which was just spectacular! The rocks jutted out into the sea. And - best part - there were lots of fur seals hanging around! They didn't seem to be cold at all! =)

Lots of fur seals on these rocks!

And then the sun came out for our walk back!

Then it was on to more driving! Because we were so far south, it's not a very populated area. The roads are well maintained, but that doesn't always mean they are paved. And from the map, it's hard to know how "major" a road is until you get on it. Which is fine by us - it leads to adventure!

Beautiful, deserted beaches!

Our last stop for the day was Purakaununui Falls. We didn't know much about the falls, but on the map, they were the one attraction marked between the lighthouse and our house for the night, so we decided to make the stop. Also, the previous stops had problematic toilet situations, so another stop was necessary. (And it's not an exaggeration to say we'd only passed one town with public facilities during the day, which Holly and I slept through.)

But on to happier things! The walk to the falls was only 15 minutes, but it passed through a very green, rainforest-y area. Very different to the landscapes we'd seen earlier in the day, and not even that far away!

The falls were really beautful! Although after our Milford Track hike, we joked that we wouldn't have stoppped if we'd know the falls we'd seen there! =)

Then it was on to Waikawa for our nights lodging! A hard and blowing rain same up right when we pulled in to what we thought might be the house (no street numbers, remember!). Scott and I made a mad dash into the house, peering in the windows as we went to see if anyone was in there - that would be a sure sign we were at the wrong place! It was really big, so I was starting to get a bit worried that we were at the wrong place. We found an unlocked door and decided to go for it. I can't describe the relief when I saw this!

Shew! Made it to the right place!

The rain let up after awhile (temporarily it seemed, because mini-storms came up over and over all night). We did decide to check out the caravan as was suggested. It was parked in the main junction of town, and seemed to be a happening place, with two other people there!