Travelled: 265 kms (Total 2,044 kms)

It’s hard to believe the it is three weeks since we have really ridden our bikes and the high luxurious lifestyle we have been living has come to an end.

Invercargill has been a wonderful staging point over the last month and saying goodbye to Joanna and Russell for all their above and beyond hospitality is hard but we are cycle tourers and on the road we must return, especially now the essential item is on board.

Russell joked that they may need to put our food parcels along our Catlins route to ensure we keep riding away from Invercargill and to our surprise even before we had left their street we had our first delivery.

We had stopped outside a house to put on our rain jackets and Naomi popped out to say hello and then generously offered us some homemade biscuits for our journey. Invercargill really is the best!!

With biscuits carefully stowed we were on the road headed for the free-camping area at Fortrose.

It was a good start with rolling countryside, not too taxing for our first day back on the bike.

• 

• 

Passing an array of whitebaiting huts alongside Mataura River and Titiroa Stream into Fortrose.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Backing onto the Toetoes Harbour we tucked in behind some bushes as the prevailing winds made for quite a cold evening. Not all my clothes on but a fair few of them!

• 

• 

• 

The was plenty of room with other campervans sharing the space but we were told that come August it is standing room only as people flock in to whitebait in the estuary.

Our original plan was to head to Curio Bay but our camping neighbours told us of another free campsite at Weirs Beach, on the way to Slope Point, the furthest point south on Te Pai Pounamu.

A bit shorter than our intended ride for the day and not having been to Slope Point, we decided a change of plans were in order.

Foraging on the way, firstly for leafy turnips tops as greens for dinner and then for breakfast blackberries, we rode through some beautiful countryside and encountered our first climb of the Catlins.

• 

• 

• 

Turning off onto the main road heading for Weirs Beach we saw this sign.

Not really the sign you want to see as a cyclist, and lucky for us today, reality not as bad as the warning.

With the tent setup we rode unloaded to Slope Point. Quite a novelty to ride without all our panniers. And just as well, as the road to Slope Point was not without some climbs. The views however were stunning.

• 

• 

It was a wild day on the coast with some spectacular waves breaking on the rocks below, making for a misty coastline, brooding & unforgiving.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The blackberry bushes by the campground were plentiful and we decided to gather enough to make blackberry jam tomorrow in Curio Bay, perfect timing as we’d just finished our delicious Tuatapere plum jam a couple of days ago.

Who would have thought that the lowest point in the South Island would have the largest plumpest blackberries. The best we have come across. Definitely enough gathered this morning for jam making this afternoon.

We met a lovely couple, Roger and Laura, from Rotorua yesterday at Slope Point who also stayed at Weirs Beach overnight. They have done a lot of cycle touring with all the self-sufficiency that panniers allow.

So lovely to chat to about their experiences and share tips. They liked our steerstoppers which we have found invaluable. They lock the front wheel of the bike when stopped, preventing the swing of the front wheel and the bike toppling over.

(This cannot pass without comment . . . There was much ridicule when the steer-stoppers first turned up – including a definite “there’s no way that’s going on my bike.”

Jeanette was right though, as usual, and I could not have been more wrong, they really are an amazing device, making the bike stiff and oh-so manageable when stopped and engaged almost every time we do so.

Of course forgetting about it and riding off with the steer-stopper still engaged is a whole different experience . . . )

A flat short ride to Curio Bay was perfect way to enjoy the rolling pastures of the Catlins with water not far from view.

Up on the hill at Curio Bay, our campsite overlooked Porpoise Bay where we played spot the very endangered Hectors dolphin.

• 

• 

• 

We could see them swimming in the bay, the occasional dolphin jumping out of the water completely, as they meandered and frolicked, often looking for swimmers to play with.

Greg was able to borrow a proper pot and after rummaging the recycling bins for a suitable jar, the jam making was a go. 4 cups of blackberries with just over a cup of sugar, steady boiling and the jam was done.

Slightly over set but the bounty was one jar and a few small containers. The couple we borrowed the pot from gave us their small glass measuring cup which we were able to fill for them as a thank you.

• 

• 

• 

We walked around the hillside to Curio Bay, the more open water side, and watched the waves splashing over the rocks, quite mesmerising their continuous motion.

• 

• 

• 

Intrigued by a small Ford campervan, we stopped to talk to its owners Jo and Cam. They had been to the bay before and took us down to where the again so endangered yellow eyed penguins come ashore at dusk, just around the bay further.

• 

• 

• 

We waited for a while with no sightings but as we were wandering back Cam spotted a white object up on the rocks. The binoculars confirmed the hioho, just a single one. They apparently are getting to be an even rarer sight than they have been.

Did you know that a group of penguins in the water is called a raft?

An overcast morning took us through to coffee and cake at the lovely Niagara cafe, again, and then on to sunny Papatowai.

• 

• 

• 

Set up at the DOC camp there, we wandered out down the Tahakopa Bay estuary.

• 

• 

• 

The rocks and kelp were a great stage for the waves to roll in and over.

• 

• 

• 

I was amazed that such a short distance there seemed to be so many different shapes and hues amongst rock formations.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Back to the Lost Gypsy the next morning to complete the outback gallery tour from last week. It was well worth the $8 entrance fee. I’m in awe of the creativity that creates such automata.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A few hills to climb today as we headed back to the New Haven holiday park, just outside Owaka.

• 

• 

Having done 5 days on the road it was time for rest day. We had planned to do the 4km walk down to Cannibal Bay but after spending the morning planning our next few weeks, we decided the short walk to the Manuka Point Reserve was good enough.

A small reserve on the edge of the estuary, looking out across to Pounawea. The banks of the reserve were strewn with fallen trees which appeared to be a result of an eroding coastline, some having been fallen for quite a while.

• 

• 

• 

And surprise surprise, in the middle of the reserve we came across an intriguing circle of stumps. 12 in the circle with a locked box to the side. The mind can only boggle as to what might happen in here, maybe after dark??

On route to Balclutha we stopped for the short walk through Tunnel Hill.

• 

• 

• 

Using bricks manufactured nearby, the 246 metre tunnel is NZ’s most southern railway tunnel completed in 1893 after 2 years of pick, shovel and barrow construction.

As the ride to Lawrence the next day was to be a big day at the office, we decided to take the road less traveled.

• 

• 

• 

Riding alongside the Clutha Mata-Au River and then heading up over the Waitahuna / Tuapeka hills.

Always on the lookout for fresh free range eggs, we were pleasantly surprised to find them on today’s route, complete with a pet deer.

Andrew had hand raised Heidi since she was a couple of days old, only to find out later, he was actually a Henry. Henry was standing at the back porch with its head inside the kitchen door as Greg went around the back to buy the eggs. The cat had turned up around the same time as Heidi and they’ve become good mates. Cute as!

Although the route planning had suggested sealed roads all the way to Lawrence, this was not to be. The road turned to gravel for about 20 kilometres with a good portion being newly graded.

Ungraded gravel is manageable to ride on but graded gravel make for large unstable stoned roads. It was an arduous ride but the wide expansive views were again stunning.

• 

• 

• 

The return of the tarseal was a welcome sight, as was the downhill, as we rode into Lawrence passing a beautiful stone cottage, Warhurst House.

• 

• 

Today also marked another milestone… we passed the 2,000 km mark! Not bad.

Road riding will take a back seat for a while as we’re off to do the trail triple though Central Otago…

I’m also going to start including what we have been reading along the way, as a reminder to ourselves of some great free “swap a book” books we have picked up along the way.

What we are reading Greg – Dirt Music by Tim Winton and Jeanette – The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

I can so recommend Dirt Music – never heard of Aussie author Tim Winton prior & boy can he write; turns out I’m not alone in that judgement.