In the heart of Catlins
Hello I’m back with some news! I just don’t know where to start so many things have happened since the last update. I’m going to try to be more regular so I don’t end up having a whole week of adventures to catch up with. Although now that I’m thinking about it it’s going to be a good exercise to distill this whole week into a good story. Let’s find out how I go.
I’m in the Owaka library, museum, and information point. I’ve been staying at Purakanui bay for 4 days so far. I cycle to here for about 45 min to resupply on food and give some news, it-s much nice doing it on a computer than on my little phone…
Since that day in Riverton, I cycled back on my steps towards Colac bay and went a little bit further. I’d never been in Southland and I wanted to discover what was on the other side of the headland. So I set up camp in Monkey Island freedom camp. It was a beautiful nice sunny and per usual windy day. I was right on a beautiful beach with sandstone cliffs. I checked a couple of surf spots that could work but I took the day off to rest from that intense first week. I met Clint who lived in Queenstown and often came down here to surf. Ben joined us later and we went towards the sandstone cliffs to do some climbing and explore during the sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous, the ocean was delivering magnificent swell lines that would bend in the corner of the beach and get licked by the offshore winds to finally crash. Swell lines in the ocean really get to me, I’ve never really had the chance to observe them often in my life, and the mysterious forces which make them travel thousands of kilometers to produce sometimes perfect waves still fascinates me every day. We enjoyed the sunset and went to bed.
The following morning I had to get up early to ride to the break we would surf that morning, Porridge. I parked my bike as far as I could. I joined Ben for the walk to the left hand point break. A local was already there with a big fire lit from the scattered driftwood that lies around. It was the epitome of the New Zealand surfing experience. Most of the land is fenced and/or private in New Zealand, so a lot of surfing breaks are accessed by walking through farmland, jumping gates and finding a way to get to the water. I was absolutely elated to be walking those steps through the wet grass and sheep poo to get to go surfing. The wave was nice, a bit bigger than what I had so far, my takeoff were very wobbly, I fell a lot. But I was having so much fun, I was in the water, surrounded by beautiful headlands with pastures and capped by trees. It was sunny and I had a good day of cycling awaiting my after the session.
All smiles and full of snacks I shot off to Oreti, Ri I had met a couple of days was going to put me up in her yourte. My arrival in Riverton coincided with the low tide so I decided to cycle along Oreti beach, just like in the world’s fastest Indian. It was great, for 15 min. Then it got really boring, I could of guessed that, there were dunes and ocean to watch. That was it. The cycling was quite hard as well, the hard packed sand wasn’t as hard as I expected and my tires would still sink in a bit despite lowering my tire pressure. What struck me the most was the warped perspective that happened on the beach. Incoming motorbikes or parked cars seem to go from tiny black specks to actual object in the slowest fashions. Once I got to Oreti and had a well deserved shower, I cleaned my clothes and had a nice dinner with Ri. She had built her Yourte from scratch with her father, I was really impressed.
The following day I was headed to Fortrose, I had a big shop in Invercargill and two delicious pies from Fat Bastard Pies. With howling 40km/h tailwinds I zoomed through the 50kms that separated me from Fortrose. It was exhilarating to by cycling at 40km/h with a 50kg loaded bike. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Upon my arrival in Fortrose I was greeted by another fellow cyclotourist. Tim had never been to Slope Point (New Zealand’s South Island’s most southern point) and simply decided to cycle there. His legs were skinny, boney and all muscles. He was a weathered kind of man with white hair. He eyes spoke of youth and kindness, despite his advances age. He was 73 years old and living in his tent while cycling. That was impressive, I only hope to be as fit as him at his age. We chatted of and decided to meet for coffee in the morning. He actually ended up treating me with a whole breakfast, how generous of him. During our conversation he said something that stroke me as quite truthful. He was talking of his right wing friends who despite being very decent human beings didn’t have the best political views, well I’m extrapolating a bit. But he said:
“ People who vote on the right, are people who cannot put themselves in other people’s shoes”
That said, it totally made sense and felt quite very true. I feel like These people really cannot connect with other people’s realities and assume because of all the privileges that have befallen upon them that we all have these privileges. Connecting with others, understanding their realities and not judging is something that takes time to get to. I’ve been working on that for a few years and it’a a challenging journey. My involvement with a feminist and anti-racist collective promoting alternative culture in Lausanne really helped me begin this journey and I thank all these amazing women for bringing me onto that journey. Garance, Marion, Celine, Agathe, Iman and Charlotte I send you big hugs and gratefulness.
After Fortrose I finally began my journey into the Catlins. It’s one of the southern most part of the country and border the cold southern oceans. Wildlife is there plentiful. The neighbouring rain forests are scattered by beautiful streams and waterfalls. It’s a piece of paradise in a very cold and windy place. The ocean water is 12 degrees, sea lions, seals and yellow eyed penguins live upon these beaches and points. The roads have been very quiet and windy. Every corner seems to give place to another surprise.
Slope point was one of them. I was greeted with horizontal growing pines. Constantly brushed by the southerlies they were aerodynamically shaped. It looked like their either fought for their survival or actually were trying to fight the wind. It seemed to me they were trying to migrate further south, trunks bent into the southerly attempting to advance centimeter by centimeter year after year. The hind side of the trees, full of needles and life seems to try to push the bare white foreside of trees exposed to the elements. The point was being battered by big waves crashing against the cliff and pillars. Most of the “grass” was closer to succulents, a few russocks there and here. Moss was growing over the water salted cliffs staging stunning bright greens against an almost black rock. One could not miss the different shapes and forms emerging from the rocks. The cliff was laminated by various rock formations that all had their place at some point in time. The various layers reminded me of geological time, a type few humans can comprehend. Or maybe time is just hard to wrap one’s head around. I guess I’ve been trying as a human to get closer to evolving at a geological time, a more natural time. By travelling with my sole human power I notice that time flows with my needs, my animal needs we could say. I’m fighting against myself to keep that pace. A natural human pace in a natural world.
I went back to Haldan bay for my late afternoon, I met a family of 7 living in a caravan after having lost their jobs because their values led them not to vaccinate. It was nice to hang out with 5 young kids and see how different they are. They invited me for two meals and we hand nice chats. My next stop was Curio bay, however the only accommodation was a campground that was 35 dollars a night for a tent, no thank you. So I had to start getting bold. I got in touch by e-mail with a local who ran some accomodation and a surf school to find out if he could help me. Nick provided a corner for my tent the following evening. He told me they were surfing the bay I was staying at that morning and told me to be ready at 9. In the middle of our assembly for the music Festival I organise back home he called me out and told me to get ready, the jetski was being prepared to access the surf break. I lay on the back of the jetski on a big mat and we zoomed out. It was quite scary, I didn’t have the best spot on the ski and I was being thrown all over the place by the waves. Hanging tight on to my life and the handles we got dropped off on a ledgy left. It was a challenge for me but it was great. Hector dolphins joined us for a while, what the hell was happening to me?!
Finally I got to curio bay and pitched my tent in the garden, he lent me his shower which was most welcome. The following day we surfed a right hand river bar in Porpoise bay. Nick was quite busy with the upcoming Christmas holidays and didn’t have much time for me, but I thank him for the help. To all kiwi’s if you’re ever down this end of the country help nice local business. Here’s a link to Nick's gig.
My next stop was Papatowai, I was recommended the Niagara falls cafe on the way, it had a mean breakfast. This little establishment had nothing to it from the road, but inside the converted cottage was a really quaint cafe with a slice of peace in the backyard. It was so nice that I lit a spliff after my breakfast before hitting the road to celebrate the mindblowing few days that I had just lived.
I put on The Space Lady’s greatest hits and rode one. I had never really listened to her but I knew she was a bit a pioneer with synthesizers and in her way of producing music. This album is mostly about famous covers such as Major Tom by Bowie or Born to be wild by Steppenwolf. Buzzing from my doob I was pushed along the road by her simple rhythm box and synths. Her music if full of delays, reverb and simple kicks. Her sound veers towards dub, and all the echoes seem to bounce you around in her spaceship cockpit. It was nice to listen to all those classic’s with a fresh take on them. A true masterpiece.
In the middle of the album a car stopped on the side of the road and we had a half hour chat that ended with a couple of doors to knock on the way to Auckland. It was so nice of Colin to just stop and have a nice chat. He’s one of these human which leave long silences before talking, as if the words he would speak meant the world or had a mystic significance. I pottered along stopping at the various scenic spots to look at on the way and finally arrived in Papatowai.
I’ll follow up with my Stay in Purakanui in one whole post next time.
Talk soon!
Hi Dylan, what a beautifully written account of your journey, as I read through I felt as if I was there with you. Happy New Year, love you