Nugget Point in The Catlins
I turned off the Southern Scenic Route and headed towards Kapa Point and Molyneux Bay, eventually arriving at Nugget Point. I parked the car between two campervans (do I ever hate campervans!) and began the 20 minute walk to Nugget Point and the lighthouse.
The lighthouse is situated at the end of a track that sits an impressive 76 metres above the sea. A desolate and windswept headland on the Catlins coast. It’s a truly spectacular view, however I don’t think I’ve ever been there when it hasn’t been at least a tad windy. On this occasion, the breeze could best be described as lively and vigorous. As I made my way to the lighthouse and accompanying viewing area, the wind pounded the point in surges. At first, the platform was surprisingly empty, gradually more people arrived and squeezed onto the tiny viewing area. This forced me to take in the scenic beauty while being uncomfortably close to complete strangers.
On one side of me were a group of Asian tourists who, judging by all the pointing were having what appeared to be a very heated discussion about shoes! On the other was a man who was giving a history lesson to his son. He was explaining that once, everyone believed that earth was flat and when an explorer named Christopher Columbus set sail, everyone feared he would sail off the edge of the world. I wanted to interject and state this was a factually incorrect piece of history that has been repeatedly rolled out so often over the years that people now just view it as gospel. In fact, it is completely wrong! When Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492, not only did he know the earth was round, people had done so for hundreds of years. In fact, philosophers as far back as Pythagoras and Aristotle had already proven through maths and science that the earth was indeed a sphere. So, when Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain to find an all-water route to Asia, the only thing he was endangered of, was forgetting the bread and milk on the way home!
