Coast with only 4 on the bus, all of whom I'd met before. Surf cafes, Seals fighting, Sealion chase, view from the lighthouse.
Invercargill, hostel, museum and art gallery, The World's Fastest Indian
Distance: bus, 269km
Total Distance: 5052km
I was picked up early in the morning from Hogwartz by a wee bus. To my surprise there was only 4 of us doing the trip to Invercargill! And these were all people I'd met previously on the KE buses. So we got straight into chatting about what we'd been up to and how we'd faired. Two were British lads and the other was a young Dutch girl. Our driver was part English part Maori and had a wealth of knowledge about the birds of New Zealand.
Throughout the day we went to a number of different beaches. With only a small group we were very flexible, times weren't kept to and we just happily trundled through the day.
At the first cafe we got toasties and tea whilst admiring the pub/cafes structure and decoration- it was nearly entirely made from drift wood. We played pool as Meatloaf hollered out of the jukebox, before heading out.
The two seals were play fighting on the beach. Our driver had spent a lot of time explaining how seals would chase tourists down the beach and that we shouldn't run, but back away slowly. These seals didn't care about chasing us. Any time one looked at us his mate took a free swing. Thus we stood on the beach, filming their play, as they mouthed each other like two terrier pups.
On the next beach along the coast we came upon a Sealion who'd just come out of the water. He was tired, resting on the hot sand as flies invaded his personal space. Upon seeing us he blinked and went back to relaxing. We got closer. He shifted his weight. We took photos. He reared up yawn. And then tried to chase us. We all bolted for it, even the driver. After a moment we regained our composure and the Sealion sat back down for a rest. Fair enough, he's boss, we left him to it.
We stopped off to look at the Spoonbills' nesting site and seal colony next to a lighthouse which sat above a beautiful outcrop of rocks.
Our final stop was at a wee cafe where we watched surfers, bodyboarders, and paddle boarders be joined by a playful dolphin. He didn't stick around too long, but wandered amongst the local teenagers before disappearing.
Finally we drove into the town of Invercargill - a place that really needs more people than it presently has. Apparently, whilst not presently a ghost town, there are fears it could become one. Don't really see why, compared to other places in southern NZ, seemed like a very nice place.
The hostel tonight was to be the Southern Comfort, a very homely place with a long list of Gemans in the guest book, but also Canadians, Chinese, and a Swede. Free internet too.
The next day I spent time talking to the other people there before venturing out to the museum. I quickly ran through some of the stuff I've seen elsewhere in NZ- though they had a very good little Galipoli display- in order to get to the Tuatara. This living fossil is the world's most ancient living lizard, having been about in its current form from about the middle of the time of the dinosaurs. They run a breeding program from Invercargill to boost the numbers of the declining population, whilst keeping a few on display for the public. They have tiny little babies, right up to a male that is well over 100 years old-who was very aggressive to other Tuataras, but in 2002 they found a cancerous tumour in him, removed it, and in 2006 he fathered his first clutch of eggs.
Museum also has a great section on the whaling the happens throughout the early days of New Zealand, and on the ship wrecks that occurred across the islands to the south. Some survivors perished whilst others built small villages.
Finally I found the World's Fastest Indian exhibit. Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins in the film, came from and started in Invercargill, building motorbikes, the faster the better. He and his bike have their own exhibit in the museum, including a replica that smaller people than I can fit into. There's a bronze statue outside. A replica shell is in place at the local shopping centre.
But it you want to see the real thing, as I was told by a guy I met in the street who knew Burt Munro, you have to go to E. Hayes and sons. It's the sort of place were you can buy anything- from hunting jackets to mops to engine oil. E Hayes helped and supplied Munro. Now the store also incorporates a variety of exhibits from motoring history, including some Munro's tools, old engine parts, a variety of bikes, The World's Fastest Indian on continuous replay, and the bike itself.
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