Monday March 13, 2023 - Invercargill to Catlins to Te Anau

I guess we saw all there is in Invercargill the last 2 days so time to move on. Deb set up a boat cruise in a couple days and we need to get to Te Anau (no idea how to pronounce it and Google Maps voice thing can't either) to get ready.  We said goodbye to our hosts, Carla & Ken, and they being motorcycle people told us the best roads to get where we are going.

Before we head back north we needed to go to Bluff, which is the furthest town south on the south island. They ran a 12K fun bike ride yesterday that started in Bluff and ended in Invercargill and we saw all kinds of kids and adults with bikes and numbers yesterday. We can see why they use this route as they built a nice bike path all along the side of the road so it's safe for kids. We also discovered that this is the last stretch of the Te Araroa Trail, which is 3,000 km long and goes from the top of the north island to the bottom of the south island.

Bluff also has some shipping going on (frozen meat again?) and we saw a ship, a large pier, and some big trucks going to and from Bluff.

Next stop (since we had to go back through Invercargill anyway) is Fat Bastard's Pie shop that Erick had mentioned. The place was hopping with guys getting something on their way to work. How did America miss the pie boat? They sell them everywhere here!! And of course a flat white and a chai latte.

Next we headed west on RT 99, which is the Southern Scenic Route and took us across the last beaches and bluffs before heading north through the mountainous inland. We stopped at Gemstone Beach where the beach has all kinds of interesting rocks, and reportedly, gemstones. We found some nice green rocks but nothing too valuable. Met a couple on the beach who are from NZ and are retired and tenting their way around the south island. People here are very down to earth and comfortable in their own skins. As we left the ocean the road goes north and the mountains grew around us. Mostly bare but some snowy tops here and there and a few side hills where they seem to have started vast tree farms, tall and straight. And of course, sheep everywhere.

We stopped to stretch our legs in Manapouri, on the edge of Lake Manapouri where we'll be going tomorrow. A few snacks in the car for lunch but we needed to get Milo to the Te Anau Vintage Machinery Museum before it closed, assuming it was open. We got there in plenty of time and this was a small home grown museum where all the old farm equipment goes to retire. There is a donation box ($10 NZ) and an older guy was there doing a rebuild on some old straight six engine. He told me that the man who really likes to talk wasn't working today, but he did his share walking me around the place, explaining what everything was. He says this is really a place for all the old farts to get together and drink coffee and talk. Sort of a husband day care center for the over 70 set. Wonderful.

Pretty much every piece of machinery that used to work was there in various states of repair. The back yard was full of derelict combines and rakes and tractors and trucks and all kinds of equipment. The walls were covered with old antique tools and signs and there were shelves of chainsaws, axes, log rollers, horse bits and harnesses. They even had 6 or 8 old motorcycles, maybe two of them looked like they ran.

Deb picked me up from day care and took me back to the Tasman Holiday Park where we unloaded and reorganized our bags for the boat trip the next two days

Dinner at Fiordland Natural Pizza, quick stop at the grocery store and then sleep.