Fortrose, NZ
Monday, March 16
Today we woke up to the sound of waves crashing onto shore just a few feet away from our RV. Colac Bay proved to be a great place to freedom camp overnight. After breakfast, Andi and I decided to drive to the nearby town of Invercargill for groceries. Like usual, he ran into the store while Tory, Aden and I stayed behind in the RV and did school work.
Worries of the Coronavirus are creeping further into Andi and I’s minds and conversation. We feel safe where we are in New Zealand at this point, but this morning Andi began noticing subtle changes in the grocery store. The cleaning supplies aisle was completely empty. There was still plenty of food and paper goods available to buy, but we’re guessing New Zealand is just a few weeks behind what’s happening in the United States and wondering if we should consider shortening the length of our time here.
Going forward, Andi and I decided we’ll purposefully avoid busy tourist attractions and popular campgrounds. More freedom camping in nature, more family hikes outdoors and less use of public places like community kitchens, museums, and transit.
From Invercargill, we headed south to the small town of Bluff — the southernmost town in mainland New Zealand. Just thinking about where we were on a map blew my mind! We are the closest to Antarctica we’ve ever been in our lifetimes.
Bluff marks the beginning of New Zealand’s Highway 1 which runs the entire length of the country all the way to the North Island. There’s a famous signpost at Stirling Point to mark the beginning of the road, so naturally we had to go take our picture next to it.
From Bluff, we continued on the Southern Scenic Route, deciding to freedom camp for the night in Fortrose. Nothing much here, but a patch of grass for campers to park beside the ocean and a small cafe / info centre. We arrived around 3:00pm and I’m glad we did. The grassy spaces filled up by the end of the night.
The wind was whipping off the ocean which made the air temperature cold, so we bundled up and headed outside our RV to check out the beach before us. The Catlins are known for their rugged, untouched beaches and due to its exposed position in the open ocean, the area sees some pretty impressive ocean waves. We could definitely feel that as we stood on the beach getting blown in every direction!
We met another family with small children on the beach, and talked to them at a distance. It’s a strange time the world finds itself in with this global pandemic. You’d never know anything was happening by watching the children build teepees and artwork from driftwood on the beach.
Andi was working on defrosting our RV’s freezer and scraped all the frost and ice that had accumulated in there. He made snowballs for the kids which they thought was hilarious. A snowball fight on the beach!
When we tired of the cold and the wind, the four of us came inside the RV to warm up and eat dinner. Andi made beef & broccoli for us while Tory, Aden and I played cards.
After dinner, Andi met a family from Kansas staying in the same freedom camping area. Their boys were 8 and 10 and hit it off right away with Tory and Aden. The kids played soccer in an open field and made more shelters on the beach with driftwood. When I told Tory it was time to come in and get ready for bed, she said “But we’re having fun, Mom!” Hard to say no to that.
Tomorrow, we’ll continue through The Catlins toward the famous Nugget Point. I wasn’t sure what to think of this area at first, but am definitely digging the quiet roadways and vast, wild beaches. Some of the prettiest we’ve seen in all of New Zealand so far.
