Nice drive this morning from Lawrence down the road past Waitahuna, Clarksville Chrichton and Balclutha where we stopped for a coffee and a look around the local boot sale before carrying on to the Low Cost Camp Ground on a 7 acre block at Ahuriri Flat. Very welcoming host who couldn’t do enough for us.
After a bit of lunch we took off to explore Nugget Point and the lighthouse and to see what wildlife we could see. A fur seal on the beach caught our attention first.
We carried on down a very dusty gravel road until arriving at the car park at Nugget Point. A nice walk to the lighthouse with more seals on the rocks below and some magnificent views of the Catlin Coast.
Seals on the Rocks The Lighthouse on the Point
The Lighthouse shone for the first time on 4th July 1870. The locally quarried stone tower stands 9 metres high and is located 75m above sea level. The light can be seen for 10 nautical miles. The LED beacon was installed in may 2006. An oil burner originally provided the light source and was converted to diesel-generated electricity in 1949 and direct to mains electricity in the 1960’s. It was fully automated in 1989 and the lighthouse keeper withdrawn.
View from the Lighthouse The “Gang” at the Lighthouse
The Walkway Back
Our next “sightsee” was to see if we coud spot penguins coming ashore at Roaring Bay. We made our way down the track to the hide installed by DOC and awaited the evening arrival of the penguins. According to the sign they were due to arrive after 4pm so we stood there like dummies staring down at the beach for an hour. Unfortunately no one had told the penguins it was after four o’ clock and there was nothing to be seen !
Wheel Rims on the Fence
A brief stop on the way back for a photo of the “Wheel Rim” fence and a return to camp where we sat and had refreshments with the eclectic mix of young overseas tourists who had moved in. We met some from France a couple of Germans, two from Belgium and where the others came from we didn’t find out.
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