We left Milford in darkness. This was the third time down this road after yesterday's walks. We have now seen it in cloud, sunlight & now the break of dawn.
There was no ice to speak of on the Milford side of the tunnel but the tunnel took us to Narnia. All was missing was the white queen herself, with the grassy fields covered by frost & low lying mist.
This early start meant we could afford to stop for coffee in Mossburn, a small town which we saw in around 5mins. We arrived at Invercargill at 11:15, our earliest arrival of the holiday so far. The scheduled plans were rattled through; the city walk, two parks, the visitor centre, & a cafe lunch. With still lots of the day to play with we decided to drive to Bluff the coastal town where our ferry to stewart island departs 2mora. With the sun still shining we set about the main coastal walk from Stirling Point, where highway 1 begins. This scenic walk was 8km, & done at the same fast pace we set in Freiburg.
The backpackers accommodation here is a lovely large Victorian house with many corridors and a large lounge. We both updated our blogs before heading out.
After a couple of drinks in an overpriced Irish bar we headed to Louie's restaurant. Here the food was tremendous. I had Stewart Island mussels & a blue cod on a base of potato & veg. I chose a Pinot that did not live up to expectations. I am compiling a wine list, on this trip, to ensure good quality in the future. I only regret not planning a trip to Malbrough itself.
That night concluded with a couple of beers in another lone star pub, we feel we may visit all of them on the way round the islands.