Day 12 - Leaving the Catlins

Last night was a bit of a wild one with wind constantly shaking the van. We were warm and dry but had difficulty sleeping due to the constant rocking! I could have extended our two stabiliser legs but didn't think of this until we were already in bed. Getting up to do it would have entailed getting very wet and doing it in the dark which would not have been easy.

By morning the weather had passed so we had sunshine but still a cold wind blowing. We met our host Harry and the other campers, had a quick explore of the 9-hole Golf Course and took a few photos before departing Fortrose around 11am.

We need to be back by Monday so have decided to spend three days travelling back to Kaikoura. This means we won't be hitting Invercargill today. We'll save that for another trip when we can also get to Te Anau and Manapouri.

First stop was Edendale to dump our tank waste and load fresh water. Then we headed for Gore where we seem to have arrived during a music festival weekend! Most of the cafes were full and running out of food so we opted for some sliced ham from Countdown and made some sandwiches in the van with a pot of coffee. Then we needed some fuel but, in heading for the McKeown's truck stop, managed to get caught up in their parade consisting of dozens of large trucks driving up and down the main street (i.e. SH1). We eventually got out of town and headed for Balclutha to buy some wine for the next couple of nights. Strangely, the licensing rules in Gore mean that the supermarkets aren't allowed to sell wine or beer!

Then it was back on the road to Warrington (just north of Dunedin). We are parked up in a Free Camping area with a few other vehicles in a lovely park-like spot. Very well set-up with rubbish bins and dump station.