17 January 2024
We have been loving exploring the Catlins coast. The weather has been a mix of cold, fierce wind and gloomy skies and then the sun bursting though to keep us cheered up on our lap around the South Island exterior. Today we set off early Nugget Point lighthouse. There were some beautiful little sheltered bays as we neared closer to the famed Nugget Point light house. The little tradtional baches along the way were lovely, its not yet been completely built out with new super baches.... but they are sprouting up.
The first sight of the Nugget Point light is striking. It sits all alone and you need to walk down to the light along a little trail with sheer cliffs on each side. It is one of the oldest lights still functioning in New Zealand and named Nugget Point as Captain James Cook thought the little islands in the sea looked like gold nuggets.
There were so many seals lolling about on the rocks below the light and alongside the rocks beneath the hiking trail to the light. Superb to see the seals surfing so beautifully in the clear water below.
We thought how clever the colony of Spoonbills were nesting on the sheltered side of one of the nuggets. We've never seen so many Spoonbills in one place, they obviously have a good food source here and not too many predators on their claimed island.
Onwards up the east side of the south island to Mosgiel for the evening. We had to stop at the famed Tunnel Beach and you can see why everyone says 'go to Tunnel Beach'. As you walk down the trail the site of the rock formations carved by the sea and thousands of years of wild tides... its a stunning sight.
You can take a walk through a tunnel carved into the stone and come to a sheltered secluded beach where the story goes early smugglers carved secret caves into the rocks to store their booty.
The littel sheltered beach with the secret tunnels is beautiful. It's framed by sheer cliffs with the most amazing colours weathered into from centuries of weather.
Remember to click on the pictures to enlarge and then zoom in to see nature in all is glory :)
One last stop at St Clair's beach where we spotted a few surfers having an evening surf - a great day on the road down south.
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