Street art in Bluff
On my way through Bluff I stopped at a food truck to grab some lunch. After ordering and while I was waiting, I went for a walk and looked at some nearby street art not too far away. The thing was, despite the weather being pretty bloody miserable, there was something quite appealing about the town, in a confusing sort of way.
Stirling Point in Bluff
I was greatly taken by Bluff. Despite the fact that when I was there, it was a bracing 5 degrees, the afternoon swell that was hitting the nearby rocks was only getting larger and I was struggling to stay upright in the wind surges. However, there was something about the town that seemed quite appealing in a confusing sort of way. There’s the Motupōhue Scenic Reserve to explore that includes the Tōpuni track to the top of Bluff Hill which provides spectacular views over Foveaux Strait and the Southland Plains. Close by there’s also the Glory track through dense bush and the Foveaux Walkway looking out at Foveaux Strait to Ruapuku and Rakiura Islands. Along these tracks you can also see the World War II gun emplacements while the shoreline was home to a whaling station at one point in history. Of course, you can always do what I did and park at the famous Stirling Point signpost which marks the end of State Highway 1 to see how far away you are from places like London, New York or Sydney.
The famous Bluff signpost
It wasn’t the worst weather I’d ever been out photographing in, however it was pretty bloody miserable. At that moment, as another intensely heavy rain shower thundered past, I realised I was the only one stupid enough to not stay in their car. So there I was, all alone in the driving rain as a furious southerly roared across Foveaux Strait, standing at the southern tip of the country. It was a bracing 5 degrees, inland somewhere it was snowing heavily, the afternoon swell that was hitting the nearby rocks was only getting larger and I was struggling to stay upright in the wind surges that buffeted the coastline. Yet, I couldn’t be happier.
Riverton Art Sculpture – Buy
My short walk through Riverton took me past the main shops, over the town bridge and to the wharf. After spending some time wondering if a strong wind would blow part of the wooden structure over, I retraced my steps over the bridge. It was then that I past a number of interesting art projects made from all sorts of recycled material.
Riverton – Buy
Leaving Gore I drove through Mataura before continuing on to Edendale, Darce and Rakahouka. From there, I continued on State Highway 99 and travelled through Wallacetown and Wrights Bush, which eventually led me to my destination of Riverton. I parked my car near the town bridge, went for a short walk and realised two things. The first being that Riverton is a charming town, and the second being that it occurred to me, that I didn’t have any particular reason to be there.
Gore Railway Station – Buy
I made my way to Gore, New Zealand’s Country Music capital, the world capital for Brown Trout Fishing, home to Sergeant Dan the Creamoata Man, Hokonui Moonshine and the Eastern Southland Gallery. Earlier, having left Tautuku, I had double headed back to Owaka and taken the Owaka Valley Road to Clinton. From there I passed through the towns of Wairuna, Waipahi, Arthurton, Pukerau and McNab before crossing the Mataura River and arriving in Gore, ready for a bite to eat and wander around the town where there seemed to be lots of hanging baskets and no traffic lights.
Gore Railway Station – Buy
Let’s take a moment to summarise the current situation at the Gore District Council shall we. In October 2022, Ben Bell became mayor of Gore when he defeated incumbent Tracy Hicks by 8 votes. When that happened, he became the youngest mayor in New Zealand at 23 years of age and ended Hick’s six terms as mayor of the town.
Following his election win, the relationship between Bell and chief executive Stephen Parry broke down to the point where they no longer talk. Then, the city council brought forward a motion of no confidence in the mayor. However, at the time of the council meeting, no one would move the motion against the mayor and thus the motion of no confidence was not passed. A clear case of the wheels of local body politics working smoothly as always.
Riverton Wharf – Buy
There really is something intriguing about old fishing boats at a wharf. Maybe it’s because of the stories both the boats and wharf could tell, if they could. When I was in Riverton, after crossing the bridge and talking to some of the locals who were fishing, I went exploring a bit further. I found these boats tied up to a not altogether stable wharf!
Riverton, Southland’s Riviera – Buy
I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d been to Riverton. I couldn’t remember ever going there, however that’s not to say that I hadn’t visited the Southland town some time in my childhood. Riverton is spread out on either side of the Aparima River and lies 38 km west of Invercargill. So, with some spare time on my hands I set off for Southland’s Riviera.