Summer Hill & Cannibal Bay

Today I carried on north up the east coast. I stopped at a point called Summer Hill. What an amazing view. The beaches are golden the rolling hills a vibrant green and the sky a perfect blue! I got talking to a couple who were riding a Harley Road King (2 up). They were local folk from Invercargil and the friendliest people you could meet. Anyway after talking to Tony & Gladys they mentioned that they were having lunch at a good restaurant in Wangaloa and invited me to join them. I got there a bit after them (since they had a faster vehicle!) and ended up having lunch and a beer with them. As it happens the place was busy and they were under-staffed so Tony & Gladys were still waiting to be served when I arrived. Eventually I got my blue cod & chips! Wonderful, especially with a beer!!

Driving North Through the Catlins


After lunch I carried on and ended up at Cannibal Bay which is a remote beach. I drove about 8kms on a gravel road (I was feeling adventurous after my big lunch) and was rewarded by seeing a sea-lion coming out of the sea!! It looked like a young one and wasn't phased at all by me or the couple of kids playing near by. Actually it let us get quite close to it before getting defensive (when one of the kids hit a ball with their cricket bat!!).

Cannibal Beach - a Sea Lion


Later that night I looked for somewhere to stay and ended up staying in a Wetlands park. Needless to say I ended up in the middle of nowhere with only one other van. It was pretty scary to be honest. That night I got a taste of freezing conditions as a freezing fog had descended on the place. Not particularly pleasant but I managed to weather it out in my sub-zero sleeping bag!