The south of the south starring the Catlins

Nugget Point Sunrise
The scruff and the falls

The southernmost point on the south island

The travelers see Stewart Island in the distance

Big Blue spends a night on the beach


Named after a former landowner, the Catlins is basically the very southern part of NZ, along the water, full of beaches, waterfalls, caves, fields and heaps of sheep. At Slope Point, you are at the southernmost part of the south island. Since we’d already been to the northernmost point on the north island, it was customary to be a good tourist and do the bottom of the bottom. Pretty rough water out there, with a few islands a ways off being the actual southern part of NZ. We saw some sweet 4 tiered waterfalls along with an old shipwreck from 50 years ago. Several lighthouses, along with seal sightings were other stops that we hit up along the way, going from sealed to unsealed roads, taking our time, enjoying it all and trying to stay ahead of the rain, which we actually did for a while.

For about the third night in a row, we ended up camping on top of a hill. With it being autumn and having had a cold spell lately, it was again a cold night. Bundled up in some woolen socks that were used in Antarctica (not sure if that means they work in the cold, or they didn’t work and therefore were sent back) and an extra blanket, we made it through to wake up for another sunrise. Unlike the last few days where there were too many clouds, we had some breaks of blue skies for the sunrise over Nugget Point.

Nugget Point is unbelievable. Nugget shaped rocks spread around the water, with a lighthouse on the cliffs above make it a good photo op. Watching the sun come up, with nothing but you and nature, is tough to beat. That’s definitely been one of the highlights of each day on the trip. The clouds which were there, rained and then hailed on us, but that couldn’t take away from the place. Nothing like watching the sun rise, with blue skies in the distance and yet getting pelted with small frozen raindrops. Definitely better than the blowhole from the day before that wasn’t blowing. Anyways, from Invercargill through the Catlins, we made it out to the eastern part of the southland.

Dunedin is a wicked city, full of students and some great microbreweries, plus one of the best botanic gardens around. From beer tasting, to walking up the steepest paved street in the world, to viewing the city from the highest mountain around, Dunedin was a good stop. Nearby, the Otago Peninsula, is full of seals, albatrosses and lots of other wildlife. We spent a day out there, swimming around in the cold water and checking everything out. At the beach where we swam, there were some seals showing off and posing, while the penguins were in hiding. It was a wicked day, even with having to hike up for 20 minutes up sand dunes. Great views, blue skies and not many people, out in nature: what the Otago Peninusla is all about.