The Catlins
So today dawned early in Dunedin. I originally planned a run before dawn, but I woke at 6am and kept hearing wind and rain so I procrastinated. As a result, Mom and I hit the road before 8:30 which was fortuitous. We drove south towards the South Pole and eventually ended up at Nugget Point Lighthouse where we spent a couple hours hiking around and looking at seals, surf, and dramatic headlands. By the time we left it was lunch time so we drove to a cafe in the previous town for lunch.
After lunch, we went in search of a petrified forest. At Curio Bay in New Zealand there is one, but honestly it's a waste of time. When the tide is out, you can basically see fossils of trees in the rock beds at the beach. It was pretty like most things here are pretty, but at the end of the day any random chunk of beach is just as exciting.
So then we were still quite a ways from Bluff, where we are staying tonight. Because most of the roads we were on earlier in the day were really windy, we were running late, so I put the hammer down. Fortunately no traffic. We checked in to our "hotel" at five and I had time for an awesome run through the bush by the sea. Then we wandered downtown to the only open dining establishment for dinner. I had Bluff oysters, newly in season and amazingly fresh and uber local. Yum.
So we're staying at a guest house that belongs to a nearby B&B. I booked it because it's fairly inexpensive and also because it has a washer/dryer. Yes, I'm doing laundry on vacation.
Tomorrow we take the ferry to Stewart Island. I may not be online for a few days.
After lunch, we went in search of a petrified forest. At Curio Bay in New Zealand there is one, but honestly it's a waste of time. When the tide is out, you can basically see fossils of trees in the rock beds at the beach. It was pretty like most things here are pretty, but at the end of the day any random chunk of beach is just as exciting.
So then we were still quite a ways from Bluff, where we are staying tonight. Because most of the roads we were on earlier in the day were really windy, we were running late, so I put the hammer down. Fortunately no traffic. We checked in to our "hotel" at five and I had time for an awesome run through the bush by the sea. Then we wandered downtown to the only open dining establishment for dinner. I had Bluff oysters, newly in season and amazingly fresh and uber local. Yum.
So we're staying at a guest house that belongs to a nearby B&B. I booked it because it's fairly inexpensive and also because it has a washer/dryer. Yes, I'm doing laundry on vacation.
Tomorrow we take the ferry to Stewart Island. I may not be online for a few days.