From Dunedin, we drove to the Catlins, a gorgous area of wild cliffs and coastline, seals, sealions and other wildlife, and small farming communities, near the southern tip of South Island. After driving around a bit, we decided to stay at this small seaside town of Kaka Point. It was a great idea, as Kaka Point turned out to be a lovely little place. We found a great and very cheap bach (cottage) overlooking the main street and ocean, and had a wonderful evening of good food and even better company at The Point, the local (only) pub/restaurant. I had my first taste of a New Zealand delicacy, whitebait patties, which were delicious. And a very enjoyable time hanging out with the locals.

The next day, we drove around the Catlins to see a few of the sights. At Surat Bay, we saw a couple of guys whitebaiting with their nets. [I should probably explain at this point that whitebait are these tiny fish that apparently have a relatively short season when they're available, and probably because of that, have become highly sought after.] And then I spot something rather large and moving, a distance off, and Lizi says it's a sealion and she starts running and tells me to hurry up. I'm running and trying to get my camera going. Fortunately, sealions aren't terribly fast movers, and this guy was headed out of the water and onto the beach for a rest, so happily we were able to hang out with him a bit. An awesome and yet very cute creature. Never had seen one in person like this, so it was quite a special moment.

From there we drove to Purakaunui Falls, past some glorious scenery of rolling hills, streams, and farmland. There's a 10 minute hike through native bush to the falls, and that was just wonderful; lush vegetation and these "fern-like" trees. The falls were spectacular, wild and at the same time, serene. It was a great place, and I felt so relaxed there.

On the drive back to the main road (so to speak), we passed by a hilarious scene: pastoral land with sheep, and this thing that looked like a satellite dish, with the words "Fart Detector." I yelled to Lizi to stop the car. Some words of explanation: Around this time, the New Zealand government was proposing a tax on farmers for, shall we just say, "sheep and cow emissions," due to their sizeable contribution to greenhouse gasses. The local farmers, needless to say, were none too thrilled with this, and many protests followed (including, as I recall, a cow being led up the steps of Parliament in Wellington). This silly proposal was eventually scrapped.

The Catlins, view from our bach (cottage)

The Point Pub, Kaka Point

Whitebaiters at Surat Bay, Catlins

Sealion at Surat Bay, Catlins

On trail to Purakaunui Falls, Catlins