Tokanui Tavern

We parked up in the car park of this tavern for a few days. There's nothing all that outstanding about it other than the people, who were so friendly and welcoming, and the fact that it was a perfectly located base as we explored this part of the Catlins. And I wanted to remember it, so as this blog is also our travel diary . .  here it is! :)

On one of the first nights we were here, a bunch of people were sitting out on this porch having a great time singing along to ukeleles. Another night, Dave called me from the tavern telling me to join him inside as there were a couple of locals (brother and sister) playing a guitar and singing Country and Western songs in the bar. Apparently they've won a lot of awards and often give impromptu casual "performances".

We were parked off to the left of this photo—out of the way of the locals. There was more space around the far side of the tavern where other motorhomes parked, so we pretty much had this side to ourselves.

Across the road was the dump station and recycling centre. Very handy and extremely well used. These two Houdini sheep obviously escaped the docking. They were hanging around the recycling centre when we arrived and still wandering around the roads enjoying their freedom until the day we left.

 Partners in crime :)

Moving on to Invercargill.

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Maple Glen Gardens

Maple Glen Gardens were recommended to us as well worth a visit. They're situated about half an hour north of Tokanui, just south of a place called Glenham. They're easy to miss—we drove straight past their gateway.

We'd been told the day before that the lady here loves birds and has a lot of them. She feeds them all the time and they've very tame. Nevertheless, this Golden Pheasant was rather shy.

Until Muriel came out to greet us. Then the pheasant came running up to her and I managed to get a better photo. Isn't it stunning?

This paradise duck was also very tame, hanging around Muriel, looking for snacks.

Muriel and her husband have planted all these trees and shrubs themselves. They've created the gardens from scratch—we saw their son working on the property at one stage, spraying. He also works the digger and talked about one of the ponds he had created. The gardens are now over 42 acres and free to visit. There is a box for donations, but it appears Muriel's main desire is that people enjoy them.

At about this stage, we realised we had seriously underestimated how long it would take to fully appreciate and enjoy these spectacular gardens. We had a time limit, so we raced around, seeing surprises around every corner, when it would have been pleasant to meander and relax. Never mind—it was still a wonderful experience.

These are Chinese geese.

A small waterfall in a creek running through the garden.

Then there were swans. When this one saw us, it kept following us.

It came right up beside us, probably hoping to be fed.

Here it comes again!

And still it followed us. It's honk sounded like a fog horn.

We were on the bridge above and I don't think it was sure where we were. It kept swimming around back and forth under the bridge but never looked up. So nice to see one up so close.

Back near the beginning where we were parked. This time, found the map. Maple Glen also functions as a nursery.

Muriel's birds used to fly free. They would come and land on her and feed from her hand. The authorities, however, have insisted they be caged as they were considered a danger to the environment and other birds.

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Slope Point and Curio Bay

Slope Point is the southernmost point of the South Island.

The rocks here closer to the sea look very black.

Again, interesting signs of changes in the coastline and the land.

Right here, a little back from the cliff, the soil was eroding away. Who knows what this place will look like in another 500 years.

The different soil and rock layers are evident in this section of the cliff.

On our way from Slope Point to Curio Bay, we stopped briefly at Weir Beach. The tide was out and there were a few of these South Island Pied Oyster Catchers wading through the wet sand.

Eventually we reached Curio Bay. This is looking out over the bay, where the petrified forest is. During high tide, this area is covered with water—it's best to visit four hours either side of low tide. The wooden structure you can see to the right in the distance is a viewing platform and walkway down to the floor of the bay.

On the viewing platform, a sign explains how millions of years ago, "steady heavy rain fell on nearby ash-covered volcanoes, creating rivers of mud, ash and rocks. These ash-filled waters flooded hundreds of square kilometres including this forest. The ash in the floodwater was rich in silica which impregnated the standing trees, literally turning them to stone in the space of months."

We went down to get a closer look.

It was not always easy to pick the trees. The next three photos show this wood of a tree . . .

. . .  closer . . .

. . . and closer.

This looks like what was left of a tree stump

After leaving Curio Bay, just around the corner is Porpoise Bay.

A very different sight. White sand, and surf coming from all directions.

They say this is where you often see Hector Dolphins, but we saw none today.

The sea was wild and rough. It was very chilly and windy, and so we didn't hang around too long.

On the way home, just south of Waikawa, we found this little wharf on an estuary feeding into Porpoise Bay

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