Drive to The Catlins

This morning we woke up early as we had a packed fun filled day ahead of us. We first drove to Waipapa point lighthouse 55 minute drive away. We walked to the lighthouse by the rugged coast in the hope to see some sea lions. Unfortunately we didn't get to see any. Next we drove on to Slope point. It was raining and a bit misty today. We walked through a field and by the coast. The waves were crashing against the rocks. Slope point is the southernmost point of the south island in New Zealand. Next we drove on to Curio Bay.  We did the penguin walk in the hope to see some yellow-eyed penguins. Unfortunately we didn't see any but we did see some fossilised remains of an ancient forest. We were starting to think maybe today isn't our day to see any wildlife.

We then drove on to McLean falls. The walk started through a beautiful rainforest with huge tree fuchsia, stands of olearia and podocarp forest. We then came to the shoot of the waterfall we walked up some steep steps and saw the impressive waterfall. It was still raining meaning there was a lot of water flowing down which probably made it more spectacular on a rainy day.

Next we drove to another waterfall. It was a short 10 minute walk through a forest to Purakanui Bay & falls. This waterfall was not as impressive as the last but it was still very different and was a three-tiered waterfall. Still very beautiful. We then drove on to Surat bay Lodge backpackers to check in. We are staying in a 8 bed dorm. The woman was very friendly and you can tell she likes to keep everything clean and tidy - she told us to take our shoes off outside the room to keep the carpets clean. We've never had to do this in a hostel before. The carpets are cream. Maybe not the best choice of colour in a hostel. The lodge has a garden and chickens. We are also by the beach where the sea lions live. We haven't seen any yet but we are going to have a proper look tomorrow morning to see if we can see any. The woman also told us we can see penguins at roaring Bay between 3-5pm when they come back to their nests. Hopefully we will get to see some soon.Read more