Friday 05 January 2007 - McLean Falls to Tuatapere
Trip: McLean Falls - Niagara - Waikawa - Curio Bay - Haldane - Slope Point -
Haldane - Otara - Fortrose - Bush Siding - Ashers - Kapuka - Mokotua -
Waimatua - Invercargill - Wallacetown - Otaitai Bush - Riverton -
Tihaka - Colac Bay - Round Hill - Orepuki - Te Waewae - Te Tua - Tuatapere
End Mileage: 184285
Start Mileage: 184043
Distance Travelled: 242
Up and away from camp site by 7:30am as we wanted to go to Cathedral Caves
which is only accessible at low tide and then to the Petrified Forest which
is best viewed at low tide. (First off though we drove to the McLean Falls
car park, oh, look at that 3 km and only 10 minutes by car!)
Cathedral Caves
| The beach:
|
|
| The bush that the walk went through to get to/from
the car park for the caves:
|
|
The walk itself.
Then off to Curio Bay and the Petrified Forest.
| Kelp:
|
|
|
Pond life.
|
Waves breaking on the "forest".
Then off to Slope Point - the southern most part of the South Island, and
the windiest!
Easy enough to tell the direction of the prevailing winds.
Waipapa Point - the lighthouse is where NZ's worst civilian shipwreck occured,
on 29 April 1881, 131 out of 151 passengers and crew aboard the S.S. Taraua
drowned. This lighthouse shone from 1 January 1884 and after the shipwreck in
1881 it was compulsory for the provision of life jackets for all passengers
onboard and for regular lifeboat evacuation drills to be carried out.
On the coast road up to Tuatapere.
Made it to Tuatapere ex Forestry camp for the night.
Links
South Island and Feilding index page
BILITY home page