Jali's Journey: The Wild Coast

We calculated that we had time to spare on our journey so we planned a trip to The Catlins. This is a remote and rugged coastal region right at the south of the island (between Invercargill and Dunedin) which is famous for it's wildlife: penguins, seals, sea lions, sea birds can all be spotted here.

We headed to The Catlins via a town called Gore where we enjoyed an overnight stay at a country park with a really good adventure playground right outside the campervan door. We were the only people camping there which seemed a little odd to us but the friendly groundsman came and said hello to us in the morning, zipping around on his mini-tractor to the delight of the boys. The other odd thing about Gore was that we noticed all the street names had a 'familiar' sound to them: Salford Street, Pomona, Gorton Street, Longford. Names from our local region back in Manchester - what was the connection? With a trip to the local swimming pool the next morning and a rather grey spell of weather, we could have easily been back at home in Trafford on a Saturday.

The rolling green hills and wild coast line of The Catlins eventually came into view and we headed to Curio Bay but not before driving on first to visit Slope Point. This was a spot worth braving the wet and windy weather for - it is the most Southern point of New Zealand and only 4803km from the South Pole. Looking out to the Southern ocean, we were thrilled to have made it this far south on our adventures.

Curio Bay is a lovely spot with a beautiful beach of soft sand and surf on one side of the headland and on the other, ragged rocks and cliffs - good for sea lion and penguin spotting. However, the campsite here was a bit disappointing and expensive but during our two-night stay, we were fortunate to meet a lovely NZ family camping out of their old Bedford van. Their children Teresa and Kenowa became great playmates for Sam and Ben. In fact, it all worked out perfectly, as one morning Ali and Jonny booked a morning's surf lesson (something they had always wanted to try) and were able to leave the boys with the family playing on the beach while Mum and Dad hit the waves. Finally - something we were able to do together without being responsible parents! It was a great first-time surf lesson and with the help of the lovely instructor, we were able to 'stand up' and catch the waves on the boards (Jonny more than Ali! And of course it was Ali who got hit on the head with someone elses surf board and had to sit a few minutes out on the sand!). What made it extra special was that there were Hector dolphins playing in the waves right next to us - common in this region but quite a rare species. It was truly special seeing them in the waves as we clumsily tried to grapple with our over-sized foam beginners boards. After the surf lesson, we had another wildlife encounter (but that's three wishes in one, that's not possible...) Just near the carpark stood a very still and calm yellow-eyed penguin on it's way to it's nesting ground. It was remarkable to see this creature so close-up and out of context - the night before we had stayed up until late to try (and fail) to see these birds emerge from the sea at the cliff top viewing spot along with a lot of other keen-eyed bird spotters. The children were really happy to see the penguin waddle off in front of them, in the middle of the day! Right after the surf lesson and the dolphins it was an almost too much for Ali, as it was a real dream-come-true moment: to try surfing and to see a penguin.

The next day, we headed to a remote DOC campsite at Purakaunui Bay. Climbing out of the van after 'bagging' the prime camping spot, we were blown-away by the beautiful scene we could see from our windows - rolling waves, high cliffs, wide beach and huge skies. It felt like a perfect 'paradise' spot to stay for a few days. Even better was that the family we had met (with Teresa and Kenowa) were also staying here and so we were able to hang out for a while longer with games and play on the beach. And to top it all off, while we were on the beach we saw a huge sea lion emerge from the sea and slowly make it's way to shore.

We were able to watch a few of these animals come and go from our spot with our cameras and binoculars at the ready. One evening, Ali took a star turn at being 'Super Mum' and made the boys a great campfire which we all sat around. We also enjoyed campfire treats of toasted marshmallows and hot, gooey banana in foil which the boys happily devoured - their content faces covered in a sticky sweet mess. We could have happily ended our NZ trip here. But alas, there was more to see and do....

It was sad to leave Purakaunui Bay but we were low on supplies and needed to restock Dougie with drinking water etc. Heading up the coast towards Dunedin, we had an overnight stop at a Wetlands Bird centre. It was here that the weather 'turned' and the next morning when we left it was rain, cold and very grey. It was to stay this way for the next few days. The city has been compared with Edinburgh with it's Scottish settler links, hills and old buildings, so maybe it suited this spell of bad weather. We donned our raincoats and hats and enjoyed exploring the city and luckily camping for free at a nice spot down the road at a small seaside village of Brighton. We made the most of visiting the excellent (and dry) Settlers museum (best museum he's been to according to Jonny) with a history of the region complete with an excellent transport section that entertained the boys. Highlights included the 'Tiger Bus' and the sit-on Penny Farthing. Of course Ben scurried about squeaking and pointing (and touching!) anything with wheels, of which there were quite a few on open display. A loco made in Newton-Le-Willows was the prime attraction in the foyer.

A big milestone in Dunedin was getting Dougie firstly serviced and then secondly, it's COF warrant renewed (Certificate of Fitness - like an MOT and needed to licence the vehicle to be legal on the road). With suppressed nervousness we left Dougie to be serviced early one morning. We rushed to the train station to catch one of the 'Great Train Journeys' - the Taieri Gorge Railway. It was to be a 4-hour there-and-back trip on a heritage track into the hills west of Dunedin. We were in a lovely old wooden carriage looking out at the rather gloomy but decent scenery amble by. Health and safety having not reached NZ meant that we could stand outside on the platforms between the carriages watching the track beneath us. The trip look us over lots of old viaducts, bridges and through tunnels. A great morning. We phoned the service centre to check up on Dougie when we returned and to our relief all was well and nothing serious was detected (ie. new engine not required). Now just the COF to go.

We went for the COF the next day and...Dougie failed! Rust issues. A bit of a blow. A panel beaters was recommended (rust found around windscreen making it unsafe for the road). We went straight round there and they said they could do the work the following day but it would take a few days. We needed to come up with a plan as we wouldn't be able to sleep in Dougie for at least two nights. We scoured the accommodation options and came up with a little 'farmstay' type place out on the Otago Penisular and booked a room in the backpackers lodge. With that sorted it was out for an afternoon of wellington boot purchasing (for the boys) and beer tasting (for the grown ups). Dunedin is the home of Speight's Brewery and Jonny had asked that for his birthday treat could he try some of the local tipple. We settled in for the 6-beer tasting menu and huge plates of food by the fire.

After a bit of a strange night 'camped' in the train station carpark (noisy with freight trains rumbling past throughout the night) we dropped Dougie off at the panel beaters and with our bags packed we caught the bus to 'McFarmers' on Portabello Road. It turned out to be a wonderful quiet lodge on the hillside overlooking the Otago bay - a beautiful view. There weren't many guests so we virtually had the place to ourselves for our 3-night stay. The sun was shining again and we quickly relaxed into life not attached to wheels. The boys immediately made friends with the owner, a very kind man called John, who brought them a box full of toys. Toys, views, sunshine and nothing to do and nowhere to go until Dougie was fixed. Perfect.

Jonny's Birthday was a great day full of treats from start to finish. There were lovely gifts opened in bed, helped by two eager boys, then a birthday breakfast of eggs and bacon followed by cup cakes lovingly made by Sam and Ali. A lazy morning then a stroll down to the village of Portobello for lunch at the Penguin Cafe. Another slice of cake this time served with a candle and a song. Lovely. A 'surprise' birthday gift was a phone call from the garage saying that 'Dougie' was all repaired and ready to go. Great. We all jumped on the bus taking us back into Dunedin where we collected the van (a hefty $920 bill) and then took it straight for it's COF re-check. The check as mentioned is like an MOT but a 'drive in' affair so that you sit in a waiting room and watch the inspectors check your vehicle over to make sure it's road worthy. For us, a very nervous wait. But then we heard the great news - it was all fit to go! It was the best birthday present I could have asked for (ok, slight exaggeration but you get the idea). The evening was spent celebrating with wine and a stove fire which Sam and Ben enjoyed whilst having their milk and stories.

Our final wildlife encounter on this 'wild' episode of the trip was at the headland of the Otago peninsula where we were able to see Royal Albatross glide around in the wind. These huge birds fly majestically and almost effortlessly at one of the only nesting spots in New Zealand for this species. Magic.

BREAKING NEWS: We've just arrived at a campsite in Oamaru and there are little Blue Penguins nesting just yards away from our campervan. We watched them walk up through the campsite last night. So cute!