New Zealand Road Trip / South Island / Day 5 : To Dunedin, back to the east coast

Monday 9th April, 2012

Gore to Dunedin with some scenic routes in between

State Highway 90, State Highway 8 and State Highway 1 ; 181 km

I was excited to leave Gore this morning. After taking our breakfast in a local cafe, we found ourselves driving on Irk St leaving Gore. Oh well ... with the morning drizzle, we're hoping the day ahead would be much better.

We decided to head north on State Highway 90 as it was mentioned that, at this time of the year, we would be seeing some spectacular autumn colours along the way. With all the previous reds and yellows we've seen, I didn't think it would make much difference, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt.


An hour later we reached Raes Junction and with nothing worth stopping for we continued on. Soon we arrived in a little town, called Lawrence, and with the weather improving, we thought it would be nice to have a stop and get a little warmer. I must admit, that little sun felt like it was summer already, for when I stumbled upon a delicious looking ice-cream, I just had to have it. And it was nice!

Lake Waihola, our next stop

A deer farm not far from Lake Waihola

So we didn't see much autumn colours along the way and at noon, we arrived in Dunedin. It was quite nice to be back in a big city, but we didn't stop long. After a quick tour around one of the hilly suburbs of Dunedin, we headed towards Portobello, situated in the Otago Peninsula, where we will be spending the night.

A view of Otago Peninsula in the background. A part of Dunedin in the foreground.

When we got to the campt site, it was barely one o'clock in the afternoon. With a visitor's guide and a map in hand, we headed to the Royal Albatross Centre, the world's only mainland breeding colony of the Royal Albatross. I joined a 45 minute tour to a viewing point where the guide guaranteed that we will be able to see the bird. A couple were seen flying around, and a few young ones were in the nest on the ground. It was a fascinating tour, something new to learn.

Stewart Island shag mud nests

Afterward we walked down to Pilots Beach, to see the seals, and hopefully some penguins, too.

Above, Pilots Beach.

Below: a fur seal enjoying an afternoon nap, oblivious to the throng of crazy tourists around.

The only penguin I saw, was deep in her burrow (most probably didn't want to be disturbed!)

We ended the tour with a coffee break at one of the seaside cafes on the way back to the campsite. Despite the increasingly darkening skies and a drizzle, I managed to enjoy one of the most delicious apricot muffins I've ever tasted, made by the lady who run the Eden Cafe at the back of her van. That was a great way to end a great day.

New Zealand Road Trip / South Island / Day 4 : Te Anau to Gore

Sunday 8th April, 2012

Not actually as bad as it sound!

Sate Highway 99 and State Highway 1; 242 km

This morning, there was an urge to leave the campsite and to be back on the road, so at eight-twenty, we said goodbye to what could have been one of the best locations to start a fiord adventure. Te Anau, on the lakeside, is the ideal base from which to explore the Fiordland region.

"Peaceful, lakeside Te Anau township is a good base for trekkers and visitors to Milford Sound, and an ideal place to recharge your batteries. There are plenty of activities on offer, and on a sunny day it's also a beautiful place to just chill and step off the travel accelerator for a while.

Lake Te Anau defines the boundary of two very different countrysides. To the east are the relatively flat, pastoral areas of central Southland, while immediately west across the lake lie the rugged forested mountains of Fiordland. NZ's second-largest lake, Te Anau was gouged out by a huge glacier, and has several arms that penetrate into the mountainous forested western shores. The lake's deepest points is 417m, about twice the depth of Loch Ness."

- Lonely Planet

From Te Anau, one can visit New Zealand's most famous tourist destination, the Milford Sound. Then again, somehow we skipped the less than one and a half hour drive to see this spectacular nature's wonder. I read about it and watched some videos on the area, convinced myself that this is one place not to be missed, yet we did missed it. Thinking back, I wish we were a little bit more adventurous that day, or have made a better travel plan! Nevertheless, pressing on, I could only hope that this be included in the next trip.


I entertained myself by enjoying the panoramic view of grazing sheep along the road.

At ten o'clock we arrived at Rakatu Wetlands. It was more because of intrigue that made us turned quickly into the off road. For three kilometres the little van rattled on the gravelled road. We walked around a bit. It was very quiet and though we saw some wild ducks swimming in the river, no other sign of life were anywhere to be seen. I took a moment to get some sun on my skin, and it felt so good...

After Rakatu, we drove on and I must say there were nothing much to be seen along the road. Nothing much to be enjoyed either. We did however, made a coffee stop at Tuatapere, and enjoyed a very warm welcome by the nice lady behind the counter of Yesteryears Museum and Cafe.


After that, the road ahead was right along the shore of Foveaux Strait, and it was raining heavily with strong wind that almost blown the van away. With that, Stewart Island was off the list for now. We decided not to go to Invercargill and continued on to Gore.


At mid-afternoon, we reach the campsite in Gore. I must admit that I was feeling quite unsure as to what to make out of Gore. I didn't like the name and with the afternoon getting colder, the sun fast setting and not many human being you could see around, the town was basically quite dead. After dinner at Gore Town and Country Club, I could not think of anything else apart from sleep.


I was hoping tomorrow would be a better day ...