From Invercargill to Bluff and back, so we can officially have done Cape Reinga to Bluff - a distance of about 60kms or 40 miles. We decided to move to a camping site on the road out towards the Catlins, our next area of exploration. So we moved to a campsite and Holiday Park in the south of the city just off the road to Fortrose. Very pleasant with little hedges to prevent strong winds disturbing the camper. Very good idea. After pitching we did the 30-ish kms to Bluff against a cross/headwind and with a lot of heavy trucks passing us. Bluff is more working port than a tourist destination. First stop was the maritime museum which included an old Oyster Boat called Monica. Pretty spartan conditions with little concession to comfort. Bluff Oysters are still a local industry. The museum had some excellent model ships including aa model of Cook's ship The Endeavour. There was also a cannon, sister of one we saw in Invercargill's Southland Museum (though that one has been given an odd raised wooden mounting), purchased for the defence of the area against the Russians but never fired in anger. There were tales of shipwreck and lives saved and lost. Also many stories of ships - quite a few built or from the UK - with histories of owners, wars, drownings and trade. Excellent. There was an old photo showing the ship that we saw at Picton - the Edwin Fox - docked as a floating freezer in Bluff harbour. Funny to think that we've walked on board that ship. Also pictures of the Whaling Vessel 'Chance' (skipper Paddy Gilroy was also featured - a real old sea dog) which was immortalised in the book 'The Cruise of the Cachalot' by Frank Bullens - you can find the book on Gutenberg for free at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1356. Chance ended up a burnt hulk at Bluff. Then we hurried on againsta headwind to the end of Highway One and the unofficial most southerly point of NZ (actually the real southernmost point is in the Catlins and I expect we'll see it). After the usual pictures, in a freezing wind and with a leaden sky, we adjourned to the Blue Dolphin cafe for a hot drink and watched small boats working their way in a notable swell back to harbour. Some excellent reefs offshore, throwing up a big spray. Then back to Bluff, the road still heavy with trucks, a quick shop at the New World supermarket and back to the tent with some celebratory Invercargill Brewery beers.We noticed the big tourist industry around Stewart Island - flightseeing, heli-hikes, walks, ferries, Kiwi (bird) viewing, etc, etc. Not sure it wouldn't be better to just let the island wildlife alone if it requires so much by way of traffic and noise. It might be a better world if people simply gave wildlife space to live in general rather than burning a heap of fuel and creating a ton of noise to stare at it in the odd corners we've pushed it into. We certainly felt like an endangered species on the road to Bluff. Tofu salad with Pitch Black Stout aided our recovery back at the campsite.
From Invercargill to Bluff and back, so we can officially have done Cape Reinga to Bluff - a distance of about 60kms or 40 miles. We decided to move to a camping site on the road out towards the Catlins, our next area of exploration. So we moved to a campsite and Holiday Park in the south of the city just off the road to Fortrose. Very pleasant with little hedges to prevent strong winds disturbing the camper. Very good idea. After pitching we did the 30-ish kms to Bluff against a cross/headwind and with a lot of heavy trucks passing us. Bluff is more working port than a tourist destination. First stop was the maritime museum which included an old Oyster Boat called Monica. Pretty spartan conditions with little concession to comfort. Bluff Oysters are still a local industry. The museum had some excellent model ships including aa model of Cook's ship The Endeavour. There was also a cannon, sister of one we saw in Invercargill's Southland Museum (though that one has been given an odd raised wooden mounting), purchased for the defence of the area against the Russians but never fired in anger. There were tales of shipwreck and lives saved and lost. Also many stories of ships - quite a few built or from the UK - with histories of owners, wars, drownings and trade. Excellent. There was an old photo showing the ship that we saw at Picton - the Edwin Fox - docked as a floating freezer in Bluff harbour. Funny to think that we've walked on board that ship. Also pictures of the Whaling Vessel 'Chance' (skipper Paddy Gilroy was also featured - a real old sea dog) which was immortalised in the book 'The Cruise of the Cachalot' by Frank Bullens - you can find the book on Gutenberg for free at