erin, etc.

More rain today as we drove through Ingercarvill down to the South South. A quick stop in Ingercarvill to check out the museum (VERY cool) and stock up on groceries. The museum also had a Tuatara exhibit- the Tuatara are the closest descendants of dinosaurs still alive- some of the ones in this exhibit were over 100 years old! They are reptiles that also have some characteristics of birds- those little spikes are actually primitive feathers! Very weird, but kind of cute- we got to meet them at feeding time! We decided to pass on Stewart Island since our time was somewhat limited and it is really expensive. The Catlins Coast is one of the most stunning coastlines we’ve seen so far, and this even in the pouring rain! Endless stretches of white beaches with rough surf and lots of wildlife. We ended up at Kaka Point, staying in a modest little hostel.

From South Island

Tuatara

Rain, rain, rain- and another gorgeous rainbow! Justin and I said goodbye to the group after dropping them off at the airport and picked up our new smaller rental car for the rest of the Southland trip. Wiping our tears away and missing everyone already we embarked further South to see how far we could get…in search of penguins, albatross, seals, sea lions and more…