Helen, having read my recent journal entries, has described me as a bit of a Scrooge. As I look out of the window I can see a banner of half a dozen Christmas light wreaths across the road, two [folornly] blinking, the other stubbornly remaining lit. I feel victimised. But then those that know me will note the absence of Christmas cards year on year as I abhor the shocking waste of resource that they are. At least the sentiment that I felt from my parents that they were an annual address book check had some method in its consumption but why oh why do people wnder round the office handing out cards to people they work with? You see them every day, just say "Merry Christmas!" instead of "Good Morning!" It does the job just as well without the impression your spouse forced you into writing cards out nor any tree being felled for the purpose. Not even an "environmental," "we chopped down the native tree and replaced it with this awful quick growing pine, look at the cash value..." which is apparently OK until you look at the mess logging makes of a place like New Zealand. I could go on about how Christmas is for kids and if you can't be merry nor give presents to people when you feel like it, as and when you see fit then I suppose Christmas must be your crutch. But I won't. Bah humbug. Besides it's 2am and that bloody car stereo is still going, now with Bros. When Will I, Will I Be Famous. When Indeed? Don't they have curfew on young people round here?
We get up a little after 10am and the place seems deserted. By the time we're ready to go a coach has appeared and the place is filling up again. No particular plan for today so we just aim to potter down the Southern Scenic Route a bit. First, though, to Bluff.
Actually there's no good reason to go to Bluff but it's quite South, it's a known place in NZ (Cape Reinga had a distance to it) and it's home to the Australian Aluminium Smelting plant that was the reason for the construction of the Mangapouri Power Station. The Aussies were going to build it themselves but claimed a cash shortfall at the last minute, the Kiwi government fell for it and built it for them with the Aussies signing a 99 year contract to buy power from the plant. The exact price the Aussies pay isn't known but suffice it to say the Bluff operation continues profitably whilst the rest of the world's aluminium operations are in recession. We went up to Bluff Hill lookout where, it has to be said, there was a bit of a breeze. Most of the vegetation on the South Coast looks as though the wind dominates things with a distinct leaning. One group of [very mature] trees we passed yesterday was at an angle of 30 degrees to the horizontal. That's got to be a pretty relentless wind.
We drove back into Invercargill partly to catch the SSR and partly to fill up from a BP Kachingo station. The chances of us winning are dismally small but it's the only hope for the exceptional items column. [3rd January update: nil winnings.] The SSR route of Invercargill is pretty dull and it's 40 or 50 km before we reach Curio Bay. An attraction in its own right today with the stormy seas crashing in and the spray being held up on the wind but the normal reason is the petrified forst. Jurassic trees in one of the world's best examples of fossils criss-crossing the rock where they fell. We caught it just before the incoming tide covered it up again but it really is quite a sight. The fossil trees trunks (lying down!) and tree stumps [upright!] have a peculiar life-like appearance. Whatever mineral replaced the wood now looks remarkably like dead wood, wet or dry. It's quite surreal to look down and see partially rotted wood encased in rock. Or so it appears.
The blasting wind was now being joined by rain and hail so our need to step out of the car was reduced. A lot of this road is a gravel road which has become quite natural to drive over and it's even wierd to go back to tarmac sometimes. We took a divert to the Maclean Falls which were OK but no match for yesterday. We skipped a few points of interest (bad weather mostly) but took a chance on Nugget Point where a lighthouse oversees seal and penguin colonies. When we got there there were enough people to suggest it would be no Cape Palliser and the rain started again. So we just turned around and drove back out. Another detour for more falls but they all seem quite tame.
At Balclutha we called a halt and turned for home, a pretty straight run with alternating brilliant sunshine and very heavy rain. We took to the Fat Indian Curryhouse adjacent to the hostel carpark for tea. Not a bad affair it must be said.
Most of Invercargill remains shut which leaves a mystery as to why so many people have been out and about today. Perhaps there's a secret road they all go to, a Diagon Alley. The youth however, are back revving engines on the main road although there's some hope the heavy rain may put them off.
Tautura Backpackers, Invercargill S46.41164 E168.34715 Elev. 149m.
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.