After leaving Invercargill, we decided to head east to try and avoid the weather threatening the west coast and the interior, and first stop was Balclutha. The township itself was not bad, albeit quite small. We stopped for a coffee in a park by the Clutha river but didn’t stay long as it was lettered with rubbish and dog faeces, despite there being three big bins for rubbish and recycling.
We overnighted at the A&P showgrounds and the next morning I was able to get a physio appointment. The physio was great, and my hip, although a bit more sore for the next couple of days, began to improve from then on. The physio also told us to head to the library as they were having a mammoth book sale there – fill a shopping bag with books for $5. We found some great books that should keep us going for a while (especially as we still don’t have TV).
The next morning we headed on up the coast, with a quick stop in Dunedin for some necessities, then on to Moeraki. This time we stayed at a Park Over Property called the Red Shed. The last time we were here we stayed in the campground, with a steep entrance way, and in negotiating that we damaged the back end of the van. Access to the Red Shed was level, and just a couple of metres away from the beach. At one end of the beach the dogs were able to run free, and to say they loved it would be an understatement.
We explored the boulders, even though it was half tide, and we knew that low tide would have been better, but still we had a good time.
The next day Bruce and headed back to the boulders at low tide. The light today was amazing for photography, with a pink tinge in the sky all day.
We decided to head into the township of Moeraki to mosey around and maybe get a feed of blue cod and chips again. We knew that the iconic “Fleur’s” was closed, but there was the pub and the takeaway store there. Again, the light gave us some interesting photos.
We elected to eat at the pub as there was nowhere to sit in the takeaway kiosk. We could not believe how busy the place was – especially for an out of the way sort of place. The meals were generous but a little on the greasy side.
The next morning the dogs had their last run on the beach, and we headed back on the road towards Timaru.
Away From Home NZ 