Tuesday 7th to Wednesday 8th April 2026
Tuesday morning saw us leave the freedom camping site at Slope Point and make our way westwards along the coast to Waipapa Point, where there is another lighthouse, before turning north towards the small town of Invercargill.
Waipapa Point:
There is nothing much at Waipapa Point except the lighthouse which overlooks coastal rocks, where we were lucky enough to see another Sea Lion, this time from much closer. We were still some distance away on top of the small cliffs but we observed the animal make its way towards the sea.
Here we also saw more evidence of the prevailing wind direction:
Bluff and Stirling Point:
Bluff is a small port-town with some housing and a few shops.
There is a maritime museum and the ferry over to Stewart Island / Rakiura, but the main tourist activity seems to around the fact that this is the southernmost town on the NZ mainland and that there is a multi-fingered signpost at Stirling Point, beyond the town itself:
Invercargill:
Invercargill is a reasonably large settlement with a good shopping centre. Sadly some of the retail buildings are empty, a sign of the times, perhaps. There is a nice relaxed atmosphere however, and some interesting buildings and artworks:
That is it for today. TTFN and see-u-later.
"See-u-Later" 