Day 52 Invercargill to Slope Point 71km.
Late start, cooked breakfast and Stewart Island museum. Then the short hop back over to Invercargill in an even smaller plane with an even younger pilot. Reunited with 'the beast' and packed and on the road by 2pm. Further brief stop in Invercargill for Mark to have a haircut and very necessary trimming of what could only be described as sideburns. I was worried we were heading for mutton chops and the hairdresser agreed with me that they had to go. Not that I can talk. The other day I was sporting my new merino leggings under my shorts. The merino leggings are a Nora Battyish undergarment and the shorts baggy khaki walking shorts. Mark winced and said "I'm sure you're warm, hon, but it's a bit of a crime against fashion". I pointed out the several other people dressed worse than me (for example, I didn't have on a striped bandana, surf shorts and merino leggings) and we agreed that in New Zealand it appears there's no such thing as a fashion crime.
Anyway. 71km. Rolling hills, ups and downs, tailwinds and headwinds. No pie. And here we are. At the southern most point of New Zealand. Well nearly, it's another 4km that we decided to do tomorrow.
We are in the Catlins, a remote and beautiful windswept coastline, littered with goatsheds. So remote we're now on unmade roads and well away from phone signals and Internet. We passed on camping in a strong southwesterly (coming straight from the Antarctic with no land to break it's speed or temperature) and are holed up in a 3 bedroomed cottage for the night. £45 all in. Can't be bad....