Corker of a night’s sleep, considering we were in bed from 7pm I didn’t get to sleep until around ten, engrossed by Netflix.

I hate early mornings, I know I may say it a lot that I look like I’ve been punched in the mornings but holy crap balls I couldn’t see out of my left eye this morning, I don’t know how I navigated myself back and forth the bathroom and down to the bus. I even had a sleepy crusty eye that I didn’t realise I had until I was on the bus, was that the reason they were staring at me or because I look like I’d changed my ethnicity overnight to wake up of Asian origin?

Only a tiny 24 seater bus taking us down to the Deep South and that wasn’t full either. It literally started raining as we got on the bus, I’m pretty sure that’s the forecast for the next two days which is just typical.

The drive was pretty much one straight road down to Invercargill, everyone fell asleep and caught flies.
Me on the other hand couldn’t believe my excited little eyes... sheep! Everywhere!
I mean, I know they say there’s more sheep in New Zealand than sheep and I’ve said it before that must be true because the amount of sheep we seen up in the north island was an awful lot; but... fields and fields of sheep and lambs for as far as the eye could see! Every field was full with them, I would say I could have seen around 3000 sheep in around 4 or 5 fields at one point, absolutely crazy! There were literally no houses anywhere for at least 5km at a time.
No one was sharing my excitement, not even when I told them about the exciting ordeal we passed and were surrounded by when we stopped for a pee and latte.
I always say ants will take over the world beachside there’s thousands of the little sods but sheep. Well... they’re invading New Zealand, if the kiwis aren’t careful they’re going to have a human apocalypse on their hands. Sheep will rule New Zealand.

Invergargill wasn’t so far in total we probably drove about three hours which now isn’t so bad because we stop for toilet breaks and the scenery (in this case - sheep) is so great to see. The mountains look like Jurassic Park.

I’m sure if it wasn’t raining this place would look a lot more appealing but at this moment in time it looked not so special... it’s a must on the list though because for one reason we have the pass included so why waste it? Then the other reason we have been to the most northerly point of the mainland New Zealand in cape Reinga where the two oceans collide so now we go to the Bluff and that’s the most southerly point of the mainland New Zealand.

Invergargill is definitely a very strange place, they’re right when they say the kiwis are a little different in the south and on the west coast. We went to a demolition site, basically a garbage/scrap yard with lots and lots of old creepy items from every room in a house, shop, bar, fancy dress shop, farm yard from what looked like late 1800 early 1900 era. They even put a small church up there and had roosters and peacocks running around the place everywhere, it was definitely an experience! You wouldn’t think it was so bad if the items were preserved or in good nick or if there weren’t old mainland sat in places with legs, one arm or one eye missing... bloody creepy! The couple that owned it were clearly horders how I discovered this was because their reception desk looked like something of Kim and Aggies worst nightmare house, aww it made me want to boff!

Next stop to Oreti Beach, hands up the first beach or stretch of water that we have seen in or four weeks here that was brown like Barry Island water! The beach was surrounded by sand dunes and the road to getthere just ended and turned into the beach, so we went for a stroll along it because it finally stopped raining! Seaweed and wood washed up everywhere, very shocked at how very different this place is to the rest of New Zealand! We even found rubbish on the beach, couldn’t help ourselves to pick it up and put it in the bin on the bus - our feed for the day! (Because I wasn’t giving a donation to that creepy scrap yard!)

Last stop if the day before we headed off to the hostel was to Stirling point in the Bluff, the most southerly point of New Zealand mainland. Obligatory photo stop because we had been to the most northerly end also, we have travelled so far! Can’t believe that was three weeks ago already! Here we are the closest we will ever get to Antarctica unless we go to south Argentina (which is obviously another place that’s on my list to go at some point in my life!)

The hostel was fairly nice considering the city, it was Saturday afternoon and so quiet. Another town like Westport where it looked as though an apocalypse had happened... I bet it was those damn sheep!
Very strange though, lots of buildings. Lots of lovely old buildings occupied by cheap clothes shops and corner convenience stores, a little like what pontypool town used to look like with the amount of banks everywhere we looked aswell. But it didn’t look like there were enough people to occupy it all.

A quick swiftly walk around town to Pak’n’Save for a food shop for the next few days and back to the hostel. We were knackered after being on the bus all day, travelling is hard work!

Some very questionable paintings on the walls here, lots of local artist paintings it says... well those artists need to go see someone because they were very dark and disturbing paintings (another creepy place) our room was spacious and clean for 8 of us though. The building reminded us of a school, it smelt like school in the stairways aswell so maybe it was?

Dinner, prep lunch and a piping hot shower before we found Netflix logged in on the tele and watched a Christmas film... hmm against my personal beliefs watching and doing anything Christmasy before December but it’s raining and we’re close To Antarctica where there’s snow so it doesn’t make it too bad, right? No. I’m just trying to justify it a little more in my head I think haha.