Dunedin & Otago Peninsula

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After we left the Curio Bay area we knew where there was gas, it was about a 1/4 of a tank away and we had about a 1/4 of a tank, but there were still some things we needed to see along the way.

The Cathedral Caves were these two large, not too deep caves that have been cut into the seashore cliffs. They are only accessible at low tide and our timing was perfect, so we had to go. It was a short 20 minute hike down to the shore, of course this means a 30 minute hike back up, but it was worth it to see this site.

Cathedral Caves

Then we had to stop and see a couple of different waterfalls that were short hikes off the road. It was fun to run into many of the same people along the way to many of these spots and chat with them about what they had seen and done and compare notes and learned what we hadn't seen.

Then we headed to Nugget Point to have a look at another lighthouse and take a 30 minutes hike and a swim down the coast from the lighthouse, it wasn't really a swim, the water was colder here than it has been any where else.

Nugget Point

We made it to Papatowai just after the gas light came on, yeah! Filled up the car and then drove on to Dunedin, we still are not pronouncing this cities name correctly.

The campground that we stayed in was out on the Otago Peninsula, close to the Royal Albatross colony. Unfortunately, everything around Dunedin was more commercialized that what we have experienced in the other parts of NZ, including getting a view of the Albatross and finding a good hike was not too easy. The most entertaining thing was watching couple, as we relaxed at a seaside joint, scooping up gravel from the roadside (they were putting on new gravel on the road) and hauling it away in buckets. They got several car loads, it looked to us like this was her idea and her husband was feeling guilty about this crime they were committing, we had fun watching them.

Otago Peninsula