Thursday 04 January 2007 - Invercargill to McLean Falls


Trip: Invercargill - Tiwai Smelter - Bluff - Kennington - Longbush - Woodlands - Dacre - Edendale - Wyndham - Redan - Mokoretai - Tahakopa - Stuarts - Kahuika - Caberfeidh - Houipapa - Owaka - Houipapa - Caberfeidh - Kahuika - Stuarts - Maclennan - Papatowai - Tautuku - Chaslands - McLean Falls

End Mileage: 184043

Start Mileage: 183767

Distance Travelled: 276

Up and away from camp by 8:45am. Went to Tiwai Smelter to have a look. Unfortunately the tours are on Wednesdays or Thursdays! Next time maybe.

From the Smelter went to Bluff - well really can't come this far south and not go there...

Bluff view: Bluff signpost:


Up to the top of Bluff Lookout, looking at Tiwai:


Bluff itself from the lookout.


Boat wreck:


We went to the Invercargill Museum and saw the Burt Munro display which was great - it included replicas made for the film and original items that Burt owned and used.

There was also wood work done using gorse:


Shhhh - ended up being a sunny day:


Off on a drive around and through the Catlins Forest Park.



Found a walk (or two) to some waterfalls. First up was Matai Falls.



Then on to Horseshoe Falls (a further 5 minutes walk along the Matai Falls track).



Every trip around NZ reallly does need the obligiatory picture of sheep:


Tahakopa Bay:


We stayed at Catlains Coast Holiday Park which is situated behind the sign for McLean Falls on the main road. It's brand new and wasn't officially open as the manager/owner hadn't been able to get the contractors (electrician, builder, plumber) to finish the job as planned before the holidays. So whilst tiles weren't laid in the shower/toilets, doors didn't close properly and the De-Longhi gas hobs weren't connected so we had to use a camping one that was set up in the kitchen it was great! The grounds were all gravelled and marked out, cabins ready to go, sites for tenting available and trees sitting in plastic containers ready for planting and yes there was power to the sites! It'd be great to be able to go back to this place in a year or so.

BILITY at Catlains Coast Holiday Park:


We then decided to go for a walk to McLean Falls - well the sign did say 10 minutes (yeah - haha, that was a 10 minute drive to the McLean Falls car park). Probably about a 40 minute walk to the car park, 40 minute return walk to the falls and then of course a 40 minute walk back to the camp site. Pictures below of the walk and the falls.



Funnily enough when we got back to the camp site to cook dinner there was no one else using the kitchen even though others were in the camp ground. No doubt nothing at all to do with the time - umm, 11 pm!!!



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