Thursday, Oct 30 Papatowai to Te Anau

Awoke late to a wet campground. The off and on severe wind gusts and rain showers shook the camper. Neither of us had slept well. Not actually getting out of the deserted campground until 1030, we finally began twisting and turning our way  along the coast. The road was tiny, rollercoastering  it’s way through the thick jungle along the sides, obviously frequently beaten back from the verges. My back, despite drugs, alcohol, and being conscientious of how I use/abuse it, has been consistently aching for over a week. I blame the driving posture, where the minimally adjustable seat places me far too upright and near the top of the windshield, necessitating my crouching to see the turns and scenery, and the unyielding upholstery/poor excuses for pillows furnished by Kea. Add to this the slight but constant pull to the left the van continues to exhibit, and I’m usually a pretty sad sight at the end of a long day of driving.

Small price to pay for a slice of the beauty that is New Zealand, though. We’d been warned that the far south Island was famous for it’s poor weather, either cold wet windy days or short hot ones, we were prepared for all. We got it.
Getting more mountainous...

The wind, though, was impressive. Cruising through a turn, it actually gusted suddenly and I found myself having to correct a little slide on the wet pavement as the pressure lifted the tires enough to unweight them as the van slid a little. That’s with 150liters of water and 50 or so liters of fuel as ballast, as well as the truck and ourselves. Only saw one windmill, though, spinning madly. 

Drove up to the Cathedral caves, apparently a series of immense, beautiful caverns only accessible at low tide, unfortunately, they’d closed access for the entire day, as the wind, sea, and surf had raised the ocean too high. 

Continuing along the scenic route, we ambled along the coast, coming upon many picturesque areas…

Finally made our way to Invercargill, where we stopped for a coffee and a midafternoon dinner. Found a tiny restaurant mentioned in one of our books, I was hoping for the “famous” Bluff oysters, but they were out of season. Our waitress suggested the “Whitebait”, as it was in season and fresh today. She brought a platter of breaded tiny whole fish on a bed of fries. Each whitebait was about the thickness of a strand of uncooked spaghetti, about 1-2 inches long. They’d been rolled in a flour-based batter and fried in oil until crispy. Good, but not a lot of flavor on their own, and you could still see their eyes and tiny tails through the batter. Interesting. 

Continuing the cold, rainy, windy theme, we continued on . Reached Colac Bay, apparently a surfers’ mecca. The shape of the sandy bay and the swells that day were a good indication why…

Stopped at the top of Orepuki Bay for a few photos…

We walked back from the van, up the hill a little to get a better view/pic, when an oncoming truck stopped, the driver asking if we were all right. We must have looked like we were abandoning the van, and he just wanted to offer help, if needed. Nice. 

Sheep. Everywhere. Every field, every hill, thousands upon thousands. Most with one or two lambs, some shorn to short scruffy coats while others remained in their thick ruffled wool. Not for long, though, just about every roadside barn was offering “shearing” tours. Stopping often at the roadside to take pics, we found the sheep wary of people, often running away if we got any nearer than 50-100 feet, away they’d run.

Passing cars, though, they’d ignore. Unless you blow the horn, that is. Then they all Run Away. Cruel, but funny. 

As we continued ( this thing will go 750kms on a tank ), the coast fell away, we headed inland, the hills becoming higher, mist shrouded mountains appearing in the distance….

Drove through Clifton, a tiny community. One of our books mentioned the Clifton Caves, an unguided, poorly marked cave system in one of the limestone hills past the town….

We found it…...







Entering, we crept through, turning off our lights to see the tiny green gloworms on the ceiling...This little green dot is the glow...

And here's the "worm", the greasy looking little thing near the center...

The cave is apparently 300 meters long, we made it probably 100 before it jogged down below a jumble of boulders that looked recently displaced. A small arrow pointed the way down, through a small opening I’d have to forcibly wriggle and contort my way into before continuing. The book said there were a few places you’d have to stoop, but no mention was made of this, so I assumed it’d collapsed within the last year. Eyeing the close confines and wet dirt, I decided not to get filthy be worming my way through the tight  bottleneck, and the little conscience in the back of my head agreed, if any one of the five or six jagged pieces of rock forming the obstacle shifted, I’d be spending a lot of time here. Each piece was about as big as a Volkswagen. We returned the way we came, blinking in the light. Cool spot.


The secondary entrance..

Found a small suspension bridge, rusty with disuse. Walked across, saw it had some history…. 






Raindropping over the mountains...

Manapouri finally welcomed us, site of a controversial hydro power site…

Continued to Te Anau, jumping off point for Milton Sound, one of the great fiords on the western coast. 

Some random pretty panoramics from along the way..

Found a great campsite, did some much-needed laundry, and anticipate our journey tomorrow, as the 120 km road is New Zealand’s “Most dangerous” alpine road. We’ll day trip up, see the sights, and have booked this same site for tomorrow night anticipating a return, as there’s only one ground route to Milford. 

Out the back of the van shot…Misty Mountains….

Goodnight