18th November Sunday.

Sunny morning left Mannapouri and took the Southern Scenic
Route towards Invercargill.

Sheep, cows and deer for company on route.

Pretty cold and windy, and the rain started to sweep around us on and off. We drove through Invercargill towards whats called The Bluff a promitory kind of finger shaped headland that faces towards Stewart Island and Antartica beyond.

The Bluff was rather run down and the wooden houses which would be lovely with a coat of paint were all delipidated, and sad. The Bluff on high gave wide views over the ocean, we froze though for the brief time we were out of the car.


We drove just around th corner then to the Wharf, where I had been told to eat at the Drunken Sailor as it had great views of the Island and beyond.


We had battered Scallops which werehuge ones. Had photo taken with the sing post of course and yes we are a long way from home.



Invercargill as we drove back was cold and very windy, but the town was really nice, it had many elaborate art deco building which were amazing and painted in many subtle colours.


The architecture in some places is very Scottish, the churches are so Anglais. The thing that struck me was my childhood days in Preston Road,was looking down the side roads, all the streets had grass verges with trees along, nice little avenues, with tidy front gardens and fences, and houses well kept, which nowadays in Preston Road, have no grass verges, no trees and tarmac
instead of grass and the front gardens concreted over for the overspill of cars that cant fit the road. Little England of my childhood still exists here, and it wont change here because the population isn’t growing its shrinking. Invercargill was also a town of bungalows, almost a Ruislip down under !

Sorry to go on.....but New Zealand still has Butchers and Green Grocers, and Wool shops and Haberdashers......where are all ours? we just about have butchers clinging on to their existance but the other three i dont see anymore........i have mostly been served tea in a cup and saucer too......nice china cups of yesteryear......... im always having meloncholy moments over here....

We stayed at Lorneville on the outskirts of Invercargill.
Great spot and the owners were so enthusiastic. It was a farmlet, a small farm, 50 sheep, lamas, hens and a calf called Liqorice.





They had also a small well maintained campsite and two delightful mini homes which we stayed in. It was like a dolls house, compact but with patio doors and its own front door. It was done out just like a grandmas house, we had china tea cups and glasses with gold rims that reminded me of my nans.


A cottage settee and a standard lamp.


We cooked ourselves a nice meal and tom opened one of his Cloudy Bays. We had the sheep right our side our door and it was all very sweet and cosy.

Left the next morning to head up towards Dunedin and the Otago Penninsular.