Day 122: A visit to Bluff

The basic concept of our next month was pretty simple:  We were at the Southern tip of the Southern Island, and wanted to be at the Northern tip.  We were going to hike some, and hitch some, and make our way North.  Roughly, we would follow Te Aroroa (translated, The Long Path).  This is a relatively new through hike, spanning both islands--the length of New Zealand.  It, like the Appalachian Trail, would skirt mountain ranges, valleys, and hopefully lots of the pretty parts of the island.  

The Southern Terminus of Te Aroroa is Bluff.  It's a tiny nothing of a town on the South Coast; it has some industry (oyster fishing, a small port, and an aluminum smelter) but not a whole lot else.  But we figured we had a day to kill, and it was only 30 km south, so we'd go check it out.

Not having a car meant we just started walking.  Every TA hiker has to do it, had bad could it be?  The answer is, not terrible, but not too much fun.  There is a trail that goes about 10km South from Invercargill, and will eventually connect the two towns, but for now, it sort of peters out in the middle of no-where, and you have to hike along the highway for the last 20km.  Unless, like us, you're ready to start trying to hitch, and you catch a ride with a trucker hauling dehydrated milk from a local plant down to the port.  He had no idea that a long distance trail ended in Bluff, and so until we told him, was a little confused that he saw so many hikers around this time of year.

Upon being dropped off in Bluff, on a Sunday, we discovered that we were two days early for Oyster season (I don't like the things, but Molly does) and that not much was even open.  

But we were here, so we explored a bit.

A view of the downtown.  Only about a dozen buildings on one strip.

And for some reason, these creepy doll heads in a cake pan in the information center.

In any case, Bluff seems to be best known for oysters, so we kept coming upon piles of shells, mainly used as mulch or fill for low spots.

Why is there a giant chain, leading to the ocean, you may ask?  Bluff is, according to Maori legend, the tail end of the giant canoe that is the South Island, and Steward Island, which is 30 km south of here, is the anchor stone.  An artist used this as inspiration, and placed matching chains leading to each other on each respective island (they don't actually connect, though.)

Also on the hills just outside of bluff, a WWII era gun emplacement.  The view from up here was pretty awesome.

That's Stewart Island.  400 people, and a whole lot of Kiwis.  Perhaps the only place we regret not going to.  We heard it's really muddy, if you go hiking, though.

The top of the hill, overlooking bluff.  This is looking back north towards Invercargill.

The port.

Ahhh...after being in Australia for a month, it was oddly comforting, and a bit strange, to be back in the New Zealand bush.

Somewhere in these photos, although probably flitting around, is a tiny little curious bird with a yellow breast.  Some sort of fan-tail, we think.

And of course, the New Zealand Coast.  Wild, rugged, and intensely pretty.  Having such a calm and clear day on the South Coast is rare, so we really enjoyed it.

I don't know what I'm doing.  Napping, maybe?

There I am!  I'm getting scruffier by the minute.

I still can't get over these signs.

Well, that's it for Bluff.  This sign maybe was the most interesting thing about it.

Well, and the ride we hitched on the way back to Invercargill was with a fisherman of some sort, who was quite drunk, and drank perhaps two more beers in the 30km back to town.  Our first somewhat sketchy moment of hitching so far, but we made it safely.

Tomorrow, to DOC, to get our passes, and start hiking!