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New Zealand Road Trip – Part 2

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Sunrise over the harbour in Oamaru.

After our house sitting gig in West Melton, by Christchurch we headed out for the next leg of our south island road trip. We had 8 days before our next house sit and planned on enjoying as much of the south end of the south island as we could.

Just a short drive from Christchurch we came to Rakaia. The 12 metre tall salmon statue demanded a quick stop. As we learned, salmon is a big business on the south island.
We found this statue of Captain Henry Cain in Timaru. A prominent businessman who was poisoned by his son in law in 1886. It is always interesting what you learn when you take the time to read the information attached to points of interest.
We did our first night of camping on the south island just south of Timaru at a place called St. Andrews. Very nice, except for the freight train line about 7 metres behind the tent. Thankfully only two trains passed while we were there.
We took a detour inland from the east coast to visit some of the lakes that make up part of New Zealand impressive hydro electric scheme. This view of Lake Tekapo is from the Peninsula Walkway.
This sight on the Peninsula Walkway will only appeal to fans of Monty Python and the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog There are numerous rabbits running around here and a disturbing number of sheep carcasses laying about. I found it humorous.
The next lake in the scheme is Lake Pukaki. With Mt. Cook in the background (the highest peak in New Zealand) it is a most impressive sight. The glacial silt in the lake make for incredible colour.
We ended our day in one of the best finds so far in this region, Oamaru. From the war memorials on the main drive to the wonderful brewery beside our campground this town has tons to offer the traveller.
Oamaru is also home to a couple of breeds of penguins. We were able to watch these Blue-footed Penguins (world’s smallest penguin) coming ashore for the night just down the road from where we were camped. We also were able to see some Yellow-eyed Penguins the next morning just outside of town. Very cool.
These unique formations on the beach at Moeraki were worth the stop. The fog made for a great atmosphere as we walked up the beach.
A quick stop in Dunedin at the train station and to pick up supplies before heading to a campground for the night. Dunedin seems to be the butt of a lot of jokes, but there were a lot of historic and interesting buildings there.
As we headed toward the southern tip of the island we stopped in Curio Bay. A beautiful and popular area for young travellers. We were fortunate to have some of the small and rare Hector’s dolphins come into the shallows and play in the water in front of us.
Slope Point is the furthest point south on the south island. Other than some sheep, the only item there is the sign telling you you have arrived.

More to come….

 

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