Day 11 The Southern Scenic Route

We got some help from Lindsey at Cat's Whiskers on our ride for the day. He told us it would be a 10 to 12 hour day if we did the entire Southern Scenic Route, so instead of heading south we headed east to Gore before dropping down to the southern coast. The ride was cool but not cold. The roads were winding but not twisty, There were lots of sheep and cattle. It was hilly but not mountainous. It was pretty but not breathtaking.


We bypassed the city of Invercargill to get to the Scenic coastline. We entered an area of rolling seashore with nice curvy roads and glimpses of the shoreline. We saw a sign Curio Bay 35 kilometers via coastal route so we took it. We didn't read the fine print and found the last 13 meters to be the worst type of gravel road, loose everywhere, plus some tight turns. It was the most unpleasant 45 minutes we had spent so far. Scary! Your bike just seems to go wherever it wants, pushed by the gravel.

We got some nice views of a coast different from the west coast we'd come from the day before. After our gravel experience we enjoyed our ride through the Catlins.

We continued on to Dunedin and beyond to our lodging for the night, Purakaunui Farmstay. It was a twisty ride up the hill to the farm. 1600 acres, over 5000 head of sheep, 150 plus cattle all high on a hill overlooking Purakaunui Bay. We were met by Shona our hostess and dog Wally. We had not planned for dinner and I asked Shona if we could possibly get something from her rather than go back down the hill. In spite of feeling under the weather she prepared us a fine home cooked meal, including lamb from the farm as well as home grown veggies. The cauliflower with cheese and walnuts was unique and tasty. As well as being a fine cook, Shona is a gardener extraordinaire. Check out the pictures of just a few of her plantings.

Part of the farm that John, Shona's husband farms has been in his family for 80 years. The stone parts of their home date back to 1900. It is a beautiful place with stunning views.

John and Shona went way above and beyond to give us a special stay. We had a big breakfast the next morning and said goodbye to one of our favorite stops and headed for Mt. Cook.