day one: dunedin to curio bay
Key
- Destinations
- Apex Locations
After embracing kiwi culture and attending a spirited rugby game between the Canterbury
and Otago at Carisbrook Stadium the previous evening, Bob and I leave town on the
Southern Scenic Route bound for Curio Bay.
We travel alongside magnificent beaches en route to Taieri Mouth where fishing boats
line the river, before climbing high into the hills and descending to Lake Waihola.
Following a quiet cup of thermos tea on its peaceful shores, we continue on through
Milton and Balclutha and then turn off for the Catlins, following the well signposted
Southern Scenic Route.
Our first stop, shortly after the seaside village of Kaka Point, is at Nugget Point
where we walk a narrow and windswept trail to the lighthouse. It’s perched upon
a high, narrow spur of land that juts into the ocean, with a steep drop to the rocks
below where elephant seals, sea lions and fur seals and a colony of gannets make
their home. The nuggets, a series of rounded rock islets, protrude from the ocean
like a random scattering of raisins.
“Impressive,” says Bob, leaning into the keen wind as we admire the view before
continuing on to Owaka via Cannibal Bay, the traditional homeland of adult bull
sea lions who return here after breeding. Finding the beach deserted, we drive to
an old-fashioned kiwi tearoom on the main street of Owaka and tuck into egg mayonnaise
sandwiches.
We make a stop at Catlins Adventures, which provides a tourist information service
and offers horse riding, deep sea charter fishing, flyfishing and hunting excursions,
then pay a visit to Owaka’s Mushroom Man, Jason Skinley, who crafts brightly painted
wooden toadstools in a shed attached to his home. I purchase several for my garden
and we drive on to the renowned Purakaunui Falls where a ten-minute walk leads us
through mixed podocarp and beech forest to a beautiful waterfall tumbling over three
or more ledges.
At nearby Purakaunui Bay, with its high dramatic cliffs that featured in the movie,
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a group of Friesian cows follow us onto the
beach...
please click the link to download the full
Dunedin to Te Anau scenic drive, courtesy of apex car rentals new zealand...
the kiwi way
to read more extracts from our driving holiday's guidebook please click on any of
the following links:
north island scenic drives
south island scenic drives