Day 17 - Turning North Again

Day 17 Thursday 16th September


Packed up and ready to hit the road by 09.30, after the usual preparations. My neck is feeling a bit stiff this morning after last night’s little escapade. Must try not to do that again. The night had been warmer than previous but wet and very windy.

Nothing really noteworthy during the first part of the journey today or maybe I’m just getting used to the scenario. I was travelling along the SH 98 to Dacre where I rejoined SH 1 through Edenvale and up to Mataura where I stopped for fuel and provisions. However, shortly after that I stopped to photograph the distant Blue Mountains just to give a example of the difference in terrain I was now travelling through.





The Blue Mountains in the Distance



The Blue Mountains from Waikaka Valley

In fact by the time I go to Gore on SH 1 (Actually called the Presidential Highway presumably because it goes between Gore and Clinton – although I could be wrong) I had decided to turn off on SH 90 which goes through the Blue Mountains and join SH 8 at Raes Junction, where it skirts the southern part of the Lammerlaw Range. Unfortunately, whenever I got the opportunity to stop for photos, the weather had closed in again leaving me with not a lot to see. I drifted down through Lawrence and rejoined the SH 1 (again) at Clarksville for the run up to Dunedin.

Just after Clarendon I turned into a scenic picnic spot at Lake Waihola and I think the following photograph illustrates just how un-inviting the water appeared.

Lake Waihola - It didn't look very inviting to me.

I am sure that it is a delightful and popular place during the summer months but just at the moment it is pretty well closed for business.

Arrived at the ‘Dunedin Holiday Park’ at about 3.30, set up the van and went for a walk to the St Kilda Beach. The following pictures might give you some idea how the wind was lifting the spray from the breaking waves and carrying it right over the dunes. This could be seen from quite some distance.

St Kilda Beach

St Kilda Beach



View of Dunedin from the dunes across the Golf Course

Returned to the van by 16.45 and chilled out for an hour with a beer and a book. It was then down to business with updating the Blog before making contact with my lady friend for an hour long Skype session, although I did manage to have 5 minutes with my sister in Australia beforehand. Then it was early to bed, as Zebedee says.