Wednesday 14 February. The coming three days I have a rental car. The 8 to the South. Visit Arrow Town where the Chinese helped to find gold. Along the road many beautiful views and a picknick at the lake. From Fortrose I follow the scenic road along the South coast. Waipapa Lighthouse is next. Amazing views, rocky shores and blue water. Everywhere amazing views.
Thursday’s first stop is the local 4 Seasons to buy a cable for the phone. Then more coast to explore. Nugget Point Lighthouse is a wonderful place. Steep cliffs and beautiful views. To Dunedin peninsula. A 30 km road along the bay, twisting and turning every 100 m. Up the hill to the castle and down again to the other side. Here some dunes against the rocks and white beach. Good spot for lunch. Back in the car, further on the peninsula. At Taiaroa there is an Albatros Colony. Information and movie are displayed and then to the observatorium. Here we have a good sight on four nesting Royal Albatros. Because the strong winds 6 juveniles fly around and try to land. Wow. Cool to see. One nesting Albatros is standing and now we can see the young under her. Heaps of pictures. Some stops for beaches, views and sea lions and then to Moeraki. See the big rock boulders on the beach at the sea line. Impressive. A few pictures later I go to the village and have dinner at the bar of Fleur’s Place, recommended by Barbara. Back to Mosgiel, near Dunedin, to check-in at the Burns Lodge at the Holy Cross Centre. Cool place, quiet and clean. Even good wifi.
Friday, find a nice track back to Queenstown. I drive through again another landscape. Amazing that it’s so different again. Lots of rocks in grassland. Mountains in the back, blue sky and strange clouds. Beautiful. Some stops for lunch and snapshots.
