More from our travels in New Zealand, November 2019
One of the joys of travelling with Tom through South Island was his knowledge and network. He’d plenty of places he wanted to show us, and plenty that his mates thought we should be taking a look at. If he didn’t know the answer he could find it in a jiffy, assuming there was some mobile reception!
This is Purakaunui Bay in the Catlins Coastal Area

We stayed on the Department of Conservation Campsite, just rock up and drop a registration form and cash in the box*
Here is our pitch, and our hire van for the trip.

It must have been a bit of a culture shock for Tom having not seen us for 23 months, to then share a van with us for two weeks. He survived, making himself a den on the double bed above the cab, we pitched camp at the back of the van.
New Zealand is geared towards campervans ( Scotland’s The North Cost 500 route, could learn a thing or two from the Kiwis). Our van had a loo and shower, hob, fridge etc, and could sleep six, but that might be a bit of a pinch, and test most relationships!
For Freedom camping Campervans need to have a ‘Certified Self Containment‘ certificate, to show they mange their own water and waste needs for a minimum of three days. Just about every village/town has a public dump station where you can empty your tanks, and even the most basic of campsites had a ‘long-drop’ loo at the very least. (NZ toilets need a post to themselves, believe me, I was so impressed).
On the beach we found what we first thought were logs, but turned out to be seals

They might have well been logs for the amount they moved though, I was hoping for a nice video taken from the discrete safety of the dunes. (You don’t want to get the wrong side of a seal I’m reliably informed by a wise women). It seemed like mum and pup had a belly full of fish and milk respectively, and were only interested in sleeping and the odd shuffle and scratch in the sand.

At one side of the bay are limestone cliffs, with trees not so much windswept as impaled on the rock face,

I’m not sure this counts as adrystone wall for my collection, more of a retaining wall maybe?

At the other side is a geologist dream of lava formations.

Everywhere you go in NZ are the reminders that its geological power and might are not so very far away.
*we were rubbish at having the right cash (or any cash) available at campsites! A little forethought is required. There is, other than places like this little call for cash, everywhere takes cards.