lighthouse

Fur Seals of Katiki Point

Although it is famous for its circular boulders (more on this next week!), Moeraki is also home to a large New Zealand fur seal colony. This is based at Katiki Point, a short walk from the lighthouse. This is an excellent place to get up close to the fur seals, as they climb up from the beach to the grass on either side of the marked path. In the summer, their coats stand in striking contrast to the dried yellow grass.

Lighthouse on a Hill

Nugget Point Lighthouse is another iconic location along the South Island’s rugged coast. It is one of New Zealand’s better known lighthouses, as it is perched on a picturesque hill overlooking the ocean and the “gold nugget” rocks, named by Captain Cook. The skies here did not help much with the sunset, as it was heavily overcast, but even so it was worth a visit!

Arrival at the Catlins

The next step in the South Island roadtrip was the Catlins Forest Park. This was a long drive down from Te Anau, stopping by the peaceful Fortrose Beach before a relaxing sunset over the bay near our accomodation. The Catlins is a less popular tourist destination in New Zealand, but as you will see from my next week’s blog post, it is vastly underrated. The region is brimming with majestic waterfalls and luxuriant forests which remain undiscovered by many.

An Island of Lighthouses

During my stay at St Andrews, I went on a daytrip to Anstruther and took the ferry to the Isle of May. It was a very sunny day, and although the light was not at its best, it was still a great opportunity to see some truly amazing vistas (including many lighthouses!) and photograph some wildlife along the way.

Here are some of my favourite images from the Isle of May, featuring the island’s incredible landscape.

The Lighthouses of Wairarapa

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We drove down from Napier to the vinyard region of Wairarapa. We stayed from Masterton, from which we explored the neighbouring towns such as Greytown and Martinborough.

As most other vinyard regions, this was a place with fantastic landscapes and incredible food. It was a nice relaxing place to spend the New Years'.

One of the highlights of this region are the beaches and rugged coastline.

We visited two lighthouses in Wairarapa, Castlepoint Lighthouse and Cape Palliser. Here are my favourite images of these two locations, both from land and from air.