Sun 16 – Tue 18 Feb: Pounawea
The next three days were slow and relaxing; just what I needed to start my holiday. 😊 The rhythm of the evening of my arrival continued; we didn’t do a lot except eat, chat and drink a beer or two.
A visit to a local place of interest, Jack’s Blowhole, was underwhelming as we went just as the tide was starting to come in. The water level was low so little in the way of action.
Wed 19 – Fri 21 Feb: Dunedin
We returned to Dunedin, well Dunedin Penisnula to be exact, which is about 15 km out from the city. We tried to resurrect Davy’s old bike so we could have a ride together. This was partially successful, in that we got it going, but due to lack of a working battery, we didn’t manage the ride.
I took a ride on my own to see some of the sights in Dunedin and the surrounds. These sights included the steepest street in the world, Baldwin St. I thought the street I parked on in San Francisco was steep, but this one took the biscuit. I was relieved when I got to the top to find a small flat area as I think it would have been impossible to turn around on the hill. I ended my ride along the peninsula coast road in a little seaside village called Portobello, from where I called Davy and Adele to come for a beer; they weren’t hard to persuade!
On Friday morning, the oil I had ordered on Monday finally arrived, so I was able to do an oil change. This was a bit early, but I wasn’t sure when I would next get the chance. It was then time to pack up as I was going to visit another old friend, Karen Manson as she was back then, and her husband, Gordon, on their farm just outside the city. We spent a very pleasant evening catching up and drinking too much wine.
Sat 22 Feb: Bluff
First thing Saturday, Gordon drove us up to Mount Cargill from where there is an excellent all-round view of the countryside. It was bracing, with some strong gusts of wind. After a breakfast of Karen’s freshly baked soda bread, I took my leave, headed for Bluff, and the most southerly point on the South Island. (Bluff is in Southlands, not Otago; just for info)
The day was blustery, to put it mildly; the winds were as strong s any I have ridden in throughout this trip. Thankfully the rain mostly held off, so I arrived at the halfway point dry. Here I met another biker, who happened to be from Bluff. We got to talking about tyres and my rapidly balding rear tyre. He told me the roads on the west coast were very hard on tyres and advised against going with the tyre as it was; however, as it was Saturday, the earliest I could try to get a replacement was Monday, and then I would probably have to wait until one was ordered. Looks like I’ll just have to risk it!
There is no reason to visit Bluff, other than to say you went to the most southerly point on the island. It is a most unattractive port in which all the buildings have seen better days.
This included the Eagle Hotel where I was staying. The guide to NZ’s old pubs, that I found in Portobello, had this to say about Bluff and the Eagle:
“Not that long ago a number of old pubs lined the busy main road through the port town of Bluff, but today the Eagle Hotel is the last old pub standing. Dating back to 1870, an historic photo on the wall shows a fine wooden hotel, which was consumed by fire, as were two of its replacements. Razed completely in 1953 and rebuilt the same year, the building standing today is largely from that time, though the hotel was badly damaged yet again by fire in 1976.
Despite trial by flames, the hotel today is an attractive pub despite the rather plain frontage, and much of the interior reflects the 1950s style with a contemporary flair. With wooden floors and wall panelling, and old photos focusing on Bluff shipping lining the walls in both the front bar and the dining room, the hotel has a sense of history.”
This was a fair description of the Eagle, which is essentially an old-style pub with some basic rooms upstairs. I did have a very nice dinner though, at a place called Hayz. His seemed to be the only place offering something other than burgers or takeaways. The mutton bird (Sooty Shearwater) bruschetta was very tasty and followed by a greenbone fish fillet with chips; all washed down by a very nice glass of house sauvignon blanc. This meal almost made it worth visiting Bluff.
For those with an interest in such things, the Sooty Shearbird is a seabird found of the coast of New Zealand. They are largely confined to the offshore islands where the chicks are harvested by descendants of the Rakiura Maori. Some 400,000 chicks are pulled from their burrows or caught on the ground between 01 April and 31 March each year.
There is nothing at the southernmost tip of the island, except a signpost showing the distances to other places you might rather be at.
Belfast-2-Belfast-By-Bike 