Going Solo

Baz flew out of Invercargill last Friday - on that morning we headed to Bluff and back - where I spotted my favourite number plate so far. Since then I've headed east (not west as planned due to poor weather forecasts) through the Catlin's Coast - a rugged stretch of NZ's southern coastline filled with wildlife and a nice windy, hilly road.
The Catlin's was pretty awesome. There are very few cars that go through despite its charms. It was quite bleak to begin with - see the driftwood picture - but by my second day solo I had gone through plenty of lush rainforest.
My favourite part of the Catlin's was the tremendous wildlife on show. I was treated to a great display of wild Hooker's sea lions (NZ natives) on my first gravel-road diversion to Waipapa Point. The first picture of them features a female waving for the camera, "wassup?!" and the second shows a mighty male (can grow up to 3m long weighing in at 400kg) who hauled himself out of the water to pose for a few shots before deciding he'd had enough and made a token charge to me and the other tourists in his crib. I chuckled to myself as he lumbered towards us!
First thing I had to do to make Baz jealous was head as far south as I could on mainland NZ so I made for Slope Point (further than bluff by some 4 minutes in maritime terms). This involved a pretty lung-busting 4km long climb on gravel road followed by 10 minutes descent and cross country over farmland. A bit of an anticlimax when I got there but worth a picture (third from top); the cliffline scenery was pretty spectacular too. Someone recognised the Manx Flag too and I was chuffed when the old boy said "you're a long way from home mate, eh?"
Next up was the wonderful Curio Bay and it's flax-sheltered campstie. I decided to swim in the surf at nearby Purpoise Bay and was astounded when I was greeted by the diminutive and very rare Hector's dolphins. About 5 of them swam within 3 or 4m of me and tumbled in the surf to say hello. It was a priviledge to watch and something I'll never forget. The next day I decided to get up before sunrise to catch a glimpse of another rare local - the Yellow-Eyed penguin. I was again chuffed, when I spotted half a dozen waddling and hopping their way to the sea for their daily fishing exploits; it was hilarious to watch! The picture below the big daddy sea lion shows the coastline just before sun-up.
The following day I left Curio Bay under a foreboding and moody sky: the rain covers came on in earnest. My first pitstop was at the ironically named Niagara Falls - a piddly "waterfall" named after the real Niagara by a colonial surveyor with a sense of humour. It looked more like a weir to me but made me chuckle all the same.
The rest of that day was taken up by a series of great climbs on winding roads, set against a rainforest backdrop, before I hammered my way into Balclutha with a nice tail wind. I stayed at a small campsite, arriving minutes before the heavens opened, with great facilities including a small homely kitchen and lounge that I would recommend to anyone wanting to stay in the area.
The following day I made for Dunedin and got a tad worried when I saw this sign about halfway (second-to-last pic') nestled in the midst of the rolling green pastoral farmland that characterised the area. What followed was a 10km gravel-road section featuring 5km of tremendous 'pussy ring' (smallest chainring on front) climbing - Baz, you would have loved it!
That climb's descent saw me fly into Taieri Mouth before I made my way painfully and slowly up the east coast to Dunedin - there was a stupidly strong headwind that I had to keep telling myself would only make me stronger. That reassurance lasted most of the way until I nearly cracked when I saw in front of me an almighty climb within striking distance of Dunedin's southern suburbs. I hardened myself up and told myself, "get the f**k up that hill you pussy, and p**s all over it!"
It worked and here I am in Dunedin. The day I arrived I did very little except eat and formulate a plan for yesterday when I went into the city to stay at a backpackers for a rest day and use it as a base to venture into the town. I won't bore you with what I did but suffice to say it's a city with great architecture, a fantastic sports hall of fame and the home of the legendary Speight's Brewery and its awesome 90 minute tour!
Today I'm leaving Dunedin northwards to conquer the steepest street in the world before heading onwards up the coast. Not entirely sure of my route but I hope to make Christchurch by the end of the week...
-AC