Happy Birthday Mum!
The wet weather caught up with us at long last so it was a dampish trip through the surprisingly lush and fertile dairy country leading to Invercargill. We stopped at Riverton for a free morning tea at their Paua factory. They must make enough out of the buses stopping here to make it worth-while. It's funny but these various places we visit all seem familiar and I realised that, as a kid, Saturday afternoon radio was non stop racing commentaries and results so names like Flemington, Riverton immediately ring bells as if I should know them.
We reached Invercargill at lunchtime. It is evidently not only the most southern NZ city, which everyone knows, but also the most western. I learn something new every day. Also the home of the ex-Aucklander Tim Shadbolt, but he was obviously too busy with important mayoral business to meet us. A really upmarket hotel with nice spacious rooms, spotlessly clean and big shower and separate toilet. Even two wardrobes.
After lunch we were off to Bluff, the rain prevented any major excursions but we did dismount at the Southern most point for a photo at the Signpost.
Then back to Invercargill, stopping to buy some fresh oysters for a few of our crew who love them and we finished the afternoon with a trip to the local Museum. It is also the biggest Tuatara breeding station, and there were several to admire. A Tuatara's heart beats at about 10 beats per minute - the same as a whales! In very cold weather, they breathe only once each hour. When the big dinosaur extinction happened, however many years ago, they died out everywhere except NZ.
Gotta go, time for dinner.
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