Catlins and The Stops Along The Way

The next morning we packed up and headed out of Dunedin, but not before grabbing a delicious pancake breakfast! The drive to Catlins was only about an hour and a half. We had a full schedule planned of things to see for the day, as we would have to leave early the next morning to head to Queenstown.

First on the list of to-do's was a stop at Nugget Point to hike up to the lighthouse and see the amazing views it has to offer. Next, we visited the Purakaunui Falls, and finally a walk by Surat Bay in the hopes of a Sea Lion spotting! We booked another holiday park right next to the beach that surrounds the bay.

          The Nugget Point Lighthouse

SHEEP!!!

Purakaunui Falls, a three-tiered waterfall on the river

Our accommodation at this holiday
park was nice and quaint, with only 5 buildings of rooms and owned by two wonderful ladies. They had movies to chose from, a chess board on the lawn, grills for use, and a garden of herbs to help yourself to. What Rachel and I enjoyed most about our stay here was the short walk to the bay where we saw two Sea Lions! Although, my sister and I didn't realize how eco-friendly this place was until the next morning. They use rainwater as their main source of water (cheers to them), but it was an additional cost to shower and it started as soon as you placed the coins in, stopping at approximately 5 minutes... lol.

P.S. stay at least 10 meters away from a wild Sea Lion because if angry they will try to come after you. We learned this after the left one growled and scurried towards us shortly after this picture...and then we spent the rest of the night googling Sea Lion attacks. *lesson learned*