#chaslands

I had been wanting to try to this little hole in the wall take away coffee place near Queen's Park, so I figured I may as well head over there and have my pie and coffee in the park. After having three of these pies, I think I can safely say that they're good - I don't think they're the best pies I've ever had, but they are tasty. I liked that the steak and cheese one had more of a bechamel type sauce rather than a clump of cheese straight under the crust. After I had my food, I buckled down to rebook my accommodation for Saturday. Luckily I found something, and it turns out it's actually cheaper than what I had booked originally. Oh well, things work in mysterious ways, I suppose. I headed on my way, traveling mostly along the Southern Scenic Route. My first stop was at the Waipapa Point Lighthouse.

I took pictures from virtually every angle because it looked so majestic standing on its little hill. Evidently, you can sometimes see seals on the beach as well, but I didn't get that opportunity today. After the lighthouse, I headed out to Slope Point - the southernmost point of the South Island of NZ.

Although Bluff is the southernmost town, Slope Point technically extends further south. The rocks in the cliffs date back tens of thousands of years and it's ocean as far as the eye can see. Although, on a clear day like today, you can absolutely see Stewart Island in the distance. After Slope Point, I headed to check in for the evening at the Whistling Frog. And the disaster continued (okay, it was actually fine). When I got there and gave them my name, they couldn't find my booking - asking if I was there for a powered campsite, if I had booked today. I have had this booking (for a real room) since January, my card had already been charged, and I had the confirmation, dammit! So, I handed over my phone with the confirmation information, the reservation ID, and they were able to locate the booking. I don't know what happened, I didn't ask, but I drove on over to my little cabin for the next two nights. As I was getting frustrated that there was no marker in the kitchen to label food, I realised it was almost 4:00 and I hadn't really had lunch yet, so I stopped for a bit to eat and recharge.

As I checked the forecast, it was meant to rain with possible thunderstorms for the next few hours, so that was derailing my plans to go to McLean Falls. I spent a little while sitting on the little bench outside my cabin, under cover, when who should drive up but Tristan - one of the crew from my Doubftul Sound crew, who is staying in the cabin right next door to mine. Small world! I kept looking at the sky and seeing large patches of blue sky, so I decided to head to McLean Falls anyway.

It's a 40-minute return walk to reach this beautiful multi-tiered waterfall. I even scrambled up the side of the rocks you can see from the big shot to get a close up of the first set of falls. You can see I'm pleased as punch with myself from the selfie at the top 😂 Once I was finished with the walk, it really did start to rain, so I headed back to make dinner and do some preliminary planning for tomorrow!