Wednesday, March 18

There’s a short track down to the beach from our campsite, so first thing this morning Andi, Tory, Aden and I went for a little walk. It was chilly, but sunny and felt great to get outside bright and early. Lord knows, Aden had some energy to burn!

The four of us had the beach to ourselves. It was high tide and ducks were swimming happily in the estuary. This are my favorite New Zealand birds, by the way — we call it a duckle (a duck that looks like an eagle).

We took a different way back to the campground walking through the sleepy town of Pukakaunui Bay. We stopped at the empty playground, and had breakfast at a picnic table. Andi packed a loaf of banana bread and some pears that we sliced up and shared. Across the street was an adorable free veggie garden.

After our walk, we packed up the RV and hit the road for Nugget Point which is another popular spot to visit in The Catlins area. Nugget Point has dramatic views of rocky inlets that look like “nuggets” in the ocean. There’s also an old lighthouse there which was built back in the late 1800’s.

The drive along the Southern Scenic Route was peaceful and gorgeous. It was a beautiful sunny day today. Views of Nugget Point didn’t disappoint either. Andi and I agreed this was one of the most breathtaking sites we’d seen so far in New Zealand.

Our family made the 20-minute walk up the path to the lighthouse where we hung out for a bit at the viewing platform looking for fur seals, birds and penguins. We did spot a few seals from a distance on the left side of the track.

From Nugget Point, we drove to the town of Balclutha to get groceries and check into a holiday park. After freedom camping the past three nights, we were in need of showers, water and laundry!

Andi and I are being super selected about campsites with the recent coronavirus outbreak. We liked the motor camp in Balclutha because it was mostly occupied by campers who live there full-time (not travelers who may have recently been through airports). There are only 20 cases of COVID-19 in New Zealand so far, and none of them in this area of the country, so we feel safe for now.

After we got settled, the four of us walked to the nearby Queens Park. Tory and Aden ran ahead of us toward the playground and came screaming back seconds later. Apparently, Tory ran full-steam into a duck pond that was covered with algae. She was soaked head-to-toe. Yuck!

After I helped Tory get changed, we all walked back to the scene of the crime to see what happened. I can TOTALLY see how she fell into the water. The duck pond was completely covered by green algae and looked like a different shade of grass. Without a sign or rope around the water, anyone could have easily fallen in! Safety issue, for sure.

Nevertheless, Tory was a good sport about it all and she wasn’t hurt. Kids played at the park for a bit, and then we walked back to the campground. Andi made pasta for dinner, I did a load of laundry and we hung out for the rest of the evening.

Not sure where we’re heading tomorrow. We had planned to visit the famous Moeraki Boulders, but may re-route toward Mt. Cook instead. Stay tuned …