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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Bluff, Invercargill, Southland........




Bluff. Invercargill. Southland by Jason


Bluff


Are you scared yet?  Well we have travelled from Dunedin and today braved the road (in cyclonic strength winds) to Bluff -  the very bottom of New Zealand. The point of no return. The end of the world.  Here we are. 

We like what we see, we look at purchasing property. 

Bluff is like 1930s Scotland, harsh, windy, mean, derelict, gritty. It is our sort of town.  Maybe because we are none of those things, but we like to imagine that we are. We talk of living here. That's nothing new.  

Bluff is a gem though.  We ate at a tiny pub converted to a  B & B and went back in time. Bluff is well known for it's oysters.  It is the most southernly point of New Zealand and the wind is ferocious and mean.  It was so cold we ran to the car,  it was so cold the rain turned to hail. Locals didn't bat an eyelid, fisherman went about their business.  We froze, but we wanted to belong.

Invercargill is the big brother to Bluff and Invercargill is a hardy city in itself.  Sportingly strong, Southland has produced many fine All Blacks and has a strong Netball team and Basketball side.  We ate at an Irish Pub. It was solid and hearty. This was a Greymouth of the south. A hardy town that survives. 

The Museum is impressive. So are some of the houses on the side street off the main road. Bold, large and impressive as though in the 1920s size was everything. 

We stayed in a cabin, and the wind blew our brick structure. We survived.  

Life here is about surviving and not about cappuccinos and pate. This is a place of living history.  I like it. When you come here, treat yourself to a beer at the local bar, it is a trek to get to the Deep South but well worth it. 


The fishing boats of Bluff


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