Cathedral Caves; Back to the Catlins

We wanted to hit the Cathedral Caves before heading home, so we opted to head into Owaka for a quick, early, takeaway dinner. Which we ate at a picnic table in a paddock.

On the way, you pass Gypsy's Kayak, Curios, and Coffee. The tide waits for no man, so we had to skip Gypsy's on this trip. But soon, I WILL be there.

Around a few more bends, you come upon Owaka, which is a substantial little town. There are a few restaurants, a petrol station, several vintage shops, and a little museum. 

And Teapotland. Which is right next to the sidewalk.

Photos are encouraged.

We met Lacey, the Shih-tzu/Maltese/Japanese Chin. She LOVES company. I was too busy getting snuggles to bother to take her picture.

There is a donation bucket out...so they can buy more teapots, of course. 

Coming over the crest of any number of hills, the landscape suddenly opens up to these sweeping views. I see something like this almost everyday, and my heart flutters a bit every single time.

The carpark for Cathedral Caves is up on a ridge, on private land. It is well-kept and tide times are posted on a board at the gated entrance. 

A 15 minute downhill hike through the forest opens up onto the beach.

Another 10 minutes down the beach is the mouth of the cave.

The cave is accessible only at low tide. Otherwise, it's just getting pounded with surf. Hence the gate at the carpark, which probably saves a number of souls from themselves as it is locked at high tide.

There are actually 2 entrances...or an entrance and an exit.

It is huge, majestic, and appropriately named.

 Dried salt lines the walls, even 30 feet up, as testament to the pounding surf.

The weather started moving in, so we started moving out...10 minutes back up the beach...and 15 minutes uphill through the forest.

Purakaunui Falls; Back to the Catlins

Our first stop in the Catlins this go-round was meant to be Purakaunui Falls.

But let's be honest here. Our first stop was a bathroom break at the public toilets in the Papatowai picnic area. Just keeping it real for you guys.

I think there may be more public facilities in New Zealand than in any other place on earth. It keeps all the eco-tourists from fouling the place. Again, just keeping it real here.

This was probably the prettiest bathroom break we've ever taken.  Enjoy the go? Moving on...

Purakaunui Falls trail is a lovely little tramp through the woods back to the falls. Careful not to trip over poor Bombur as you go.

I don't think I'll ever tire of the tree ferns and other amazing vegetation.

The trees seem to just grow in whatever whimsical way they fancy.

Believe it or not, this tree was completely alive with a green canopy.  

Ferns spontaneously grow everywhere.

The one in the background here was about 5 feet tall, and easily as wide.

A lot of water falls on and moves through New Zealand. There are creeks and streams of every size and shape imaginable. It seems like every town we've passed through so far has it's own river (though compared to the Ohio, we'd call them creeks).

When you get up into the higher hills, those streams all have waterfalls. 

This is Purakaunui. We caught her on a low-water day, as it hasn't been raining much lately. On high-water days, the falls are almost solid white.

This one. She almost always finds the best seat in the house.

Slo-mo of Purakaunui

Nugget Point and Roaring Bay; Back to the Catlins

We took a day and went back to see more of the Catlins. 

The main destination this time around was an area called Nugget Point and it's lighthouse.

Sweeping views are accessible only by traversing a narrow road...

With a pretty good drop-off on one side...

The road felt like it just kept going, up and up some more.

Then, it was followed by a trail...with a drop-off. 

If you survived the fall, you could frolic in the surf with these guys. 

In all seriousness, I am a bit afraid of heights. Well, more specifically, I'm afraid of high edges.

It's substantial enough that my dreams last night were saturated with sheer drops.

This view is totally worth every nightmare and panicked grab of spectral children.

See all those dots in the channel? More seals and sea lions. They're everywhere. There are elephant seals here too, but we didn't glimpse any on this trip.

And more playing sea lions. They sure know how to enjoy life when they're not fleeing for it.

The rocks here are formed in such a way that they almost look like the ruins of a giant's castle. If you imagine hard enough, you can picture the ramparts and keep.

Around the curve of Nugget Point is Roaring Bay, a Yellow Eyed Penguin nesting ground.

The endangered Yellow-Eyed Penguin was on our bucket list of things to try to see in New Zealand. Along with the Hector's Dolphins, an Albatross, a wild Orca, and the Aurora Australis.

We knew we were there at the wrong time to see the penguins, but we thought we'd try anyway.

And we got lucky.

Really lucky. At first, we weren't even sure if it was a duck or a penguin. (blown up pic, so not the best quality)

But then he hopped out of the water, waddled on over, looked up, and then wandered off into the long grass and became invisible. Two bucket items down (Hector's Dolphins and Yellow-Eyed Penguins), three to go, though I'm pretty certain that list is going to get longer and longer.

Speed Shears!

So, our local speed shear was last night. It did not disappoint.

Right in the front of one of our local pubs, they removed a window, and backed the lorry right on up so the sheep could be loaded directly onto the stage. 

Whilst the participants were preparing, so was I. I bellied up to the bar, ordered a beer with 2 glasses (they're rather large beers), and 2 lemonades. I ended up with 2 beers and 2 lemon tonics. HA! Must be my accent. Or maybe I just looked like I needed 2 beers. 

Friends of ours lent the 70 or so sheep for this event. They are all lambs, and this was their first shearing. Because they are inexperienced, it's even more important to have a shearer that can handle them well.

Now, I've seen a little sheep shearing, but these guys are in a whole different league. Seriously. A number of them even have sponsors. I guess technically, it's a pro circuit. There are judges. And prize money. "You're here for finance, not romance. Let's get it done!"

Shearing is big business in a country where the sheep outnumber people approximately 10 to 1, and the top shearers are in high demand.

These guys get paid about $2.00 per sheep. A really good shearer can do up to 350 sheep in a day. Basically, they go from station to station, town to town all through New Zealand during shearing season. Then they move on to Australia and do the same thing. From there they go to England, Scotland, and Ireland...rinse...repeat. 

There are speed shear contests wherever the shearing is going on, which can supplement income even further. 

 If it looks like they are man-handling the sheep, they are. But with the best shearers, it's surprisingly gentle. 

The more control they can exert over the sheep, the less likely the sheep is to be injured. The sheep are subdued, and at the same time, their skin is pulled taut so the clippers can't get purchase. The better shearers make it look almost graceful. 

In less experienced hands, these things can do a bit of damage. Though I'm assured that the lanolin in the sheep's skin helps them heal at super-human speed.

This guy actually has held a World Record for speed shears. He came up a bit short time-wise last night, but the quality of the cut was definitely one of the best.

This guy was in the money. The top time last night was around 23 seconds. Twenty three. .23. That is pretty dang fast.

"Um, beg pardon. Are we finished yet?"

At the end, everyone loaded back up the chute, through the window, and onto the lorry.

The window was put back in. The sheep went back to their paddock. The Thornewills came home and went to bed. The night owls closed down the pub.

Here is a shearing in real time...