Winter Trip: Catlins

From the Moeraki boulders (seriously, they are so cool) we headed down to the Catlins conservation area (with a short stop in Dunedin, pronounced Duhn-EE-din), on the extreme southern tip of New Zealand. A few friends of mine recommended it, and it did not disappoint. The southern coast is windswept and gorgeous, and the hills above it are filled with rain soaked beech forests and cascading waterfalls. There was absolutely no one out there either, as it was the off season and it was freakin' cold. It's a pretty cool thing to look south and know there is nothing but ocean until you hit Antarctica. We had the place to ourselves for several days. Here's a few of the best pics.

Train station in Dunedin

Sunrise at one of the most beautiful campsites ever: Catlins

Catlins

Catlins

Awesome kelp on the rocky shores. The stuff looked like giant lasagna noodles or some kind of space alien

Kelp Wrack: Catlins

Yehaw! Catlins

Nugget Point: you guessed it, Catlins

Nugget Point Lighthouse with just a bit o' a rainbow

Same shot, just a little closer

From Nugget Point

More of that fascinating kelp in the green waters of Nugget point. I'd say some of those are 20 feet long... I mean 6 meters or so.

Awesome sea stacks, Nugget Point

The extremely endangered Yellow eyed penguin (sorry for the where's Waldo shot, no zoom. Victoria has some better ones)

varied clearing: Catlins

Though there is an introduced pampas, this is the native one I believe

Awesome liver worts (Is that correct dad?)

It was damn cold in the jungle

Neat ferns

McLean Falls

Always time for a little climbing, yes I do blend in well

Amazing area, you have to see it for yourself