New Zealand, 9-4-2017--Lake Monowai to Slope Point

Shortly after we left camp at Lake Monowai we realized we were low on water.  It wasn't long before we saw a sign for water and, you guessed it, public toilets. It turned out to be the Blackmont public pool.  It's located beside the highway in the middle of pastures with no visible community near by.  It sort of reminded us of our rural community of Cascabel back in Arizona.    

Sign at the Blackmont Pool, so indicative of NZ hospitality and friendliness.

Pearl tops off water at the Blackmont Pool.

Sheep again.  It was usually difficult to get good photos of sheep as they would typically turn around and move away, unsure of what we were about.

Belted Galloway steers.

Elk and red deer are raised almost as commonly as beef cattle in this region.

We saw this woman standing out beside the road waiting to put her son on the school bus.  We had lots of questions about livestock raising in NZ and had been looking for an opportunity to talk with a rancher.  She patiently answered all our questions, one of which was what the purple root crops were that we so often saw livestock eating.  She said they were swedes, a rutabaga like vegetable.  By planting them, they can stock cattle at about 10 cows per acre.   

Holstein dairy calves.  We were told by a NZ rancher that dairy cattle are gradually displacing sheep as the livestock animal of choice.  He said that a glut of sheep and a lucrative Chinese market for dry milk is driving the change.  

These are swedes, they are colored like turnips, but HUGE.  Livestock are kept out of the field until the plants are mature and then a large herd is let in to eat the tops and pull the roots out and eat that too. 

A field of swedes with nearby cattle waiting to get to them.  Sometimes the swedes are harvested, sliced and spread on the fields for livestock feed.

Pearl holds a gigantic swede. 

Holstein calves hoping we'll feed them.  

Despite the increase in dairy farming, sheep remain the most popular livestock in NZ.

Along with livestock, logging is a major industry in the NZ countryside.  

Most of the native trees in NZ are crooked and thus poor for making lumber.  At this mill the short sections have been cut and split for firewood. 

Continuing south, we eventually arrive at the great Southern Ocean.  Looking out past the breakers, the next land is Antarctica some 1500 miles away.

As we headed east along the south coast, we couldn't resist checking out a place named Cozy Nook.  

First stop at Cozy Cove was the Long Drop Lodge

The sign on the door says it all

An old fishing boat at Cozy Nook.  

A delightfully whimsical cottage at Cozy Nook

Riverton on the south coast is one of the oldest towns in NZ.

Continuing east along the south coast, we began to see countless dozens of small huts along the rivers and estuaries.  Some of these were equipped with solar panels and even satellite dishes.  We stopped and spoke with an elderly fellow in one of the huts.  He told us they were for whitebaiting, which is netting whitebait.  Whitebait are the juvenile stage of several fish species including herring and sardines.  They're 1-2" long and are eaten whole, bones, scales, guts and all, often in omelettes. No doubt an acquired taste.    

After Riverton, we hurried through Invercargill, the largest city on the south coast and on to Waipapa lighthouse.

Built in the 1880's following a nearby shipwreck, it's still in service. 

Distances from Waipapa lighthouse to various points around the world.  This was a souped up example of a common sight at important points in New Zealand.

Trees tell the tale of relentless winds in what sailors know as the "Roaring Forties", a reference to the stormy weather in the latitudes between 40 and 50 degrees south.    

At Waipapa lighthouse we met an intrepid traveler with a solar and wind powered bike.  He didn't want his photo taken but did give us permission to photograph the bike.  This was a test ride and except for a broken rotor on the wind generator, he was pleased with the result.