After five or six days of travelling southwest, we needed to start heading back to Christchurch so I could be there in time for my conference. When in Bluff at the hotel, the owner asked us if we were planning to spend time in the Catlins while we were there. Neither of us had ever heard of the Catlins so he pulled out a little map to show us that they were actually not too far out of our way so we decided to take a bit of a detour on our way to Dunedin. We are so glad we did. I think the Catlins were the absolute highlight of the trip for me.
The Catlins are pretty remote and as you travel through, there are many different spots you can stop to hike and sightsee. I think you could actually spend a week or more exploring all the different areas and sights and hiking through the rainforest. Given our timeline, we had spent time the night before trying to narrow it down to just a few – it was tough to choose!
Our first stop was Niagara Falls – yep, that’s right, there is a Niagara Falls in New Zealand. We first stopped at the Niagara Falls cafe for breakfast and had a great chat with the manager. He had a wonderful sense of humour and thought it was hilarious that we were originally from Niagara Falls. He was adamant that their Niagara Falls took precedence since it ‘sees the light first’ given the time zone. They even sell shirts with that written on the back so of course we had to get one. After breakfast, we travelled a couple hundred metres to Niagara Falls and were absolutely charmed by the irony of it all.
Next up on our list was McLean Falls which included about a 40 minute hike into the forest. Rob and I both loved all the different types of ferns in the forests there and found these little walks really peaceful. I will admit walking through bushland is much more relaxing when you aren’t thinking about what might slither out in front of you!
Given the remoteness of the area, the drive through the Catlins was gorgeous with nothing but green everywhere around you. The guy at the Niagara Falls cafe had told us to keep our eyes out for a little spot called Gypsy Lane which is a cafe/attraction where old junk has been upcycled into interesting art and artifacts. Sadly, we were out of season so it was closed but we did stop and have a peak at what was visible from the parking lot. It was definitely a special place. I was disappointed to not be able to explore more of it.
Our next stop in the Catlins was another 40 or so minute hike through the forest to see Purakaunui Falls, which were stunning! They weren’t very high but I loved how the water fell over the different tiers. Rob tends to find waterfalls underwhelming having lived next to the mighty Niagara, but they’re always a bit magical for me.
Our final stop in the Catlins was Tokata, also called Nugget Point. The point has one of the oldest lighthouses in New Zealand and is meant to be a great spot to see seals, sea lions, and penguins. Sadly, we didn’t see any wildlife there but the we were definitely not disappointed in views. Off the point are a number of small islands that stick out of the water. I initially didn’t notice, but when you look closely, you can see how the waves have eroded sections to look almost like caves or pass throughs. It was a beautiful area and we spent quite a while there just taking it all in.
After a day of exploring, it was time to get to our next destination – Dunedin. Dunedin is the second largest city on the South Island but it doesn’t really feel like a big city given it’s sea and mountain views. We arrived late in the day so didn’t do much explore our first night there but we headed out first thing the next morning. We started the day with breakfast in this sweet little cafe full of old antiques. Neither of us thought to take a picture but it seemed like a popular spot with the locals. Not far from there is Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. It doesn’t look super steep from the bottom, but it apparently gets steeper closer to the top. Rob took a picture of a house on the street to try to show just how angled it really was.
We then headed up the mountain to Signal Point lookout (or outlook according to Rob) which had some great views of the city. There were also some mountain bike tracks up there so it seems to be a popular sport on the South Island. We had also hoped to get to the Albatross Centre but unfortunately found the one road leading to it closed so we had to turn back. It was a pretty drive though.
We spent much of the afternoon at Larnach Castle. It was originally built by a businessman named William Larnach starting in around 1870 but the Larnach family sold it in the early 1900s due to family dramas. In the 1960s, it was bought by the Barker family who raised their young kids there while restoring the castle. It was interesting to walk through and see all the old furniture and linens. The family no longer live there but Mrs Barker is still living and comes to the grounds to spend time in the gardens. I can’t say I blame her given how pretty it was! The grounds include stables and another lodge which you can actually book to stay in.
We ended the day with a lovely walk along one of Dunedin’s beaches, followed by dinner with some of my colleagues from the University of Otago.
The next day we were back on the road heading to Lake Tekapo which is famous for the turquoise colour of its water, hot springs, and also stargazing. Along the way, we stopped at Katiki Point on the Moeraki Peninsula where my colleagues said we’d be sure to see seals and probably penguins too. Alas, no penguins (penguins have joined puffins and toucans in my book of unicorns!), but there were tons of seals!
We had so much fun watching them swim and play. Here’s a little video I took:
I could have stayed there all day but we had to get back on the road. Unfortunately, after sunshine and blue skies for eight straight days, the weather decided to stop being so generous and it got colder and cloudier the closer we got to Tekapo. Tekapo is the world’s largest Dark Sky Reserve and is home to the Mt John Observatory, an astronomical research centre. Autumn is supposed to be particularly spectacular with amazing views of the Milky Way so it was definitely disappointing to be there with full cloud cover. However, I wouldn’t trade all the gorgeous blue skies we had along the way for one night of stargazing. Once again, Rob booked us a fabulous accommodation. This one was actually a hostel (which he didn’t realise). Although it certainly didn’t look like a hostel, my cold shower in the morning suggested the sign was correct!
One of the things people are keen to see in Lake Tekapo is this little church which was constructed in 1935. It’s actually still an active church for the people who live in the town. I reckon they must close the gates on Sundays to keep people off the lawns and front entrance during worship. It was certainly charming though sitting on the peninsula with the mountains and turquoise water surrounding it. In the morning, I happened to peek out my window and catch a gorgeous sky of colour as the sun was rising. By the time I had put on shoes and jacket and make it outside, it had already disappeared so I’m glad I thought to take a pic through the window.
The next morning we set off for Christchurch. I had a meeting at 4pm so we didn’t make too many stops along the way. Once we arrived in Christchurch, we did take a bit of time to explore their botanical gardens through before checking into the hotel.
As I spent time ‘conferencing’, Rob wandered the city and explored another motorcycle exhibition at the John Britten museum. I’d never heard of John Britten before, but Rob knew all about him and was pretty excited about the museum. He even found a bar willing to put on hockey so he could watch the Sabres in the Stanley Cup, and even better, they served chicken wings (though Rob said were a sad comparison to Pearl Street wings).
On Friday night, we headed to Te Kaha, New Zealand’s brand new stadium in the centre of Christchurch. The stadium just opened in March and replaced the stadium that was destroyed in the 2011 Earthquake. Rob immediately noted a flaw in the new construction – there were no cup holders!! I’ve probably mentioned before, but we love to try to take in a local sports match when we travel. This time it was rugby union with the local Crusaders taking on Auckland’s team, the Blues. Prior to the start of the match, young kids rode out on horses which was pretty impressive! Fortunately, the local team won 36-20 so it was a happy crowd leaving the stadium that night.
After an amazing few days at the conference and 3 nights in Christchurch, we headed just a wee bit south to the seaside town of Akaroa. Once again, we were greeted with stunning views every time we turned a corner during our drive, even with the clouds and rain. I even managed to capture a bit of a rainbow in this picture.
It was still pretty rainy when we arrived in Akaroa (and chilly too!) but we still wandered around the town and shore. Fortunately, we found this great little cafe on the main street where we enjoyed some wine and oysters next to a fire – it was perfect!
Once again, Rob had booked us an incredible place to stay right on the water. Even though it was cold and foggy, we still enjoyed watching the different ducks and birds pick about on the rocks. At one point, there was a Canada goose, a number of New Zealand variable oyster catchers (black birds with orange beaks) and an albatross all side by side. It was pretty cool! Fortunately, we woke up to sunshine the next morning so were able to appreciate the gorgeous sights outside our room and on the drive back to Christchurch under some blue skies.
We couldn’t spend too much time enjoying Akaroa in the sunshine because we had to get our rental car back to the airport. We had just one night left before a very early flight back to Australia. In addition to the hotel being just steps away from the airport, the International Antarctic Centre is also there. Our friend Justine told us it was a must-do so that’s how we spent our final afternoon. It really was an incredible centre! Although it is a tourist attraction, it’s actually still an active science and discovery centre for New Zealand, Italy, and the United States’ Antarctic programs. There were all kinds of different exhibits with some really well-done, informative videos, telling the history of Antarctic exploration and also showing the impacts of climate change. In one area of the centre, they have a room that is supposed to mimic an arctic storm. The room starts at -8 but when the storm kicks in, the winds ramp up to 41km and the temperature drops to -18 with the windchill. Australian me found it good and cold, Rob called it a typical Canadian February. It didn’t help they give you pretty lightweight puffer jackets and no mittens (and in my defense, I was wearing a skirt). There was another guy in the room with us that appeared to have weathered the storm a few times around. I imagine it would be pretty amazing to have a chance to experience cold like that when you never have before.
After surviving the blizzard, we set off in a Hagglunds all-terrain vehicle. They set up a course behind the centre meant to mimic what it’s like to ride a Hagglunds on ice in the arctic. The driver was hilarious and his commentary had us cracking up the whole time.
And at last, I was able to see some little blue penguins. Not in the wild, but I’ll take it!
After 2 weeks, and a total of 2100km, it was time to get back to real life in Australia. We had an epic adventure and will forever hold a special place in our hearts for New Zealand.