Above picture is of French Trimaran that capsized off the coast of Dunedin).
For the first time in a while, we ceased our progression south. Our direction was now east along the longer South Scenic Coast route up toward Dunedin. This brought us through the Catlins region, and past the most Southern top of New Zealand-Slope Point. At Curio Bay, we camped on the top of a cliff overlooking the Ocean,which was pretty spectacular. Here you are also supposed to see one of the world's most extensive fossils. We didnt' come up with any. We did glimpse our first sight of a penguin in the wild though, along with many other spectators.
From here we drove to Purakaunui Bay and about 8 km down a gravel road led us to a beautiful bay with rolling hillls smothered with sheep. We figured it would be the last true wilderness experience in the South Island, so we decided to stay. We were also the only ones there, we found a sheltered spot, and took a long walk along the rocky Bay and made a nice little campfire for the night.
From there, the city of Dunedin welcomed us. As its name conjures, it was founded by Scottish settlers and supposedly is very much like Edinburgh, Scotland. The small city is built on a hill and has beautiful Victorian architecture. One of the finest buildings is the Railway Station, and it really is a true shame that it does not function as such anymore, except for tourist excursions. In fact, we are disappointed that New Zealand has not continued to utilize its rail system to its full potential, they seem to be extinct as a modern form of transport. As we bade farewell to Dunedin, black smoke jutted out from the van's exhaust accompanied with a really loud fart followed by smoking fumes. Our bums were beginning to heat up,since the engine sits underneath. Damn it, it didn't feel good. So we turned back, descending slowly back down the hill and found a mechanic recommended by the Holiday Park. The prognosis was not good, neither was the cost. The head was cracked and blew the radiator out also, requiring new parts for each. So, we swallowed the news and then phewed that the misfortune did not happen out in the wilderness. There is always a brighter side to everything. This meant that we had to stay in Dunedin longer than anticipated and so we got to explore more than we would have. We had the chance to see the French Trimaran that capsized off the coast, while sailing in the big ocean race. It lay upside down in the harbor, looking all the worse of its 6 million euro value. We visited the Settlers museum not once but twice. We had an interesting days bike ride to New Zealand's only castle, Lanarch Castle. As we rode out by the peninsula for about 10km with a head wind blowing bitterly against us, poor Kara perished as she propped herself up on the saddle in front of Uwe. As we warmed up and peeled our clothes off, we tucked her up in them, and she was like a little Bambushka perched in front. It was then a further 3km steep ascent, which sent the sweat flying down. Uwe of course having an extra 32 pounds to haul up. (In my defense, my gears will not go higher than 3rd) We made sure Kara didn't eat much to keep the load light! The castle was more like a country manor, not like the castles us Europeans are used to seeing. But its colorful past was interesting and the preservation of the estate today even more so. Uwe decided we would take a different route back to town. Rather than sloping entirely downhill, the road curved through a series of undulating hills, so it almost felt like we we still climbing uphill. But at least it wasn't a short cut that turned into one of those never ending routes. We could have been cycling in the Scottish moors, as the dreary mist hung down above us, and dreadlocked sheep caked with mud dotted the hills, we could smell the home fires burning as we arrived back down to sea level. Dunedin is too cold for us. And the mechanic told us that it was the best summer they had had in 5 years. Finally our van was ready to go, cosmetically appearing exactly the same as it did when we drove in there, but it no longer emitted black smoke. In the late evening, we drove up the same hill, waving goodbye, and this time we successfully departed, albeit with pockets slightly emptier.