Milton & the Catlins

We stayed two nights with Kerry in Milton, with grand plans of gold panning that didn't quite materialize after a night of fun and poor morning weather. Instead we visited a local beach, Toko Mouth, and an old train tunnel where we saw our first glowworms. Kerry's backyard kittens gave us an adorable sendoff, and on our way out of town I saw a sign advising us to "be happy." Will do!





From Milton we headed to The Catlins, on the Southeast corner of the island, for two days of camping. The first time he heard me talk about the Catlins, Sam thought I said the "Catlands." Cutest misunderstanding ever.


Our first stop was Nugget Point, suggested to us by a woman at the Milton country club. Nugget Point is named for the rock formations at its point, jutting out from the sea.

Our first campsite in the Catlins

Microwave mailbox

Neat brown mushroom

Our first campsite was at the base of a trail along a river, and we found a lot of interesting mushrooms along the path. Tall ones, short ones, even some crazy purple ones. I have no idea if they were a delicacy or deadly, but they were neat to look at.













We stopped at a trail head off the road and saw signs for an old homestead from the early 1900s. Though the house was long gone, there were fields of blackberry vines growing wild all around us, and we ate our fill and took some for the road. We even found four raspberries, though their season is drawing to a close. We spent so long foraging for berries that we never made it down the trail.


Our second campsite in the Catlins overlooked the misty white cliffs of Purakaunui Bay. I was worried we would be cold, but we stayed warm enough in the tent and enjoyed a tasty dinner of udon
noodles with coconut chili lime sauce and fresh veggies collected from a roadside garden in Papatowai.  It was so nice to find someone giving out free veggies! After the cockles in Dunedin and our blackberry excursion, it was starting to feel like a very freegan week.



Next up: the Lost Gypsy Caravan in Papatowai.