Today Saturday, we knew it was our last chance to explore the Catlins. When we looked out it was pouring with rain. So never say die, we wrapped up in wet weather gear and headed out. Our first stop was to a lighthouse at Waipapa Point. It obligingly stopped raining after a while and we got some dramatic skies behind the lighthouse and all around us. There was a huge enormous sea lion swimming in the water close by. and lots of sea birds around. It was a truly unspoilt natural coastal area.

As you can see in the photos a huge storm was brewing up.

Next we went to the petrified forest; to the centre there, as there is an exhibition to look round and a café. It was very wet now on and off. We walked to see the sea again but this time it was high tide and the rocks were covered mostly.

We next called at a lake with great reflections and a walk through the rain forest. Lake Wilkie. It was a steep walk down and then a loop over the lake on board walks.

We gave up on the weather then and headed back to the hotel. I had some washing to do and we rested a while. Early evening we went along the headland to the port near Invercargill. It is a wild strange area with a large port and harbour. The wind was so strong it was making huge waves and blowing the water away from the land. It was quite exhilarating.

Back in Invercargill we had to battle against the wind to walk to a burger bar. it felt like a force 10 gale.

In the evening the rain pelted down and the wind battered the building . You certainly experience weather in extremes in South Island! We watched the film The Piano on TV

That is of course set in NewZealand.