The Catlins Day #5: Nugget Point and Balclutha

The path to Nugget Point

We reach the Nugget Point car park and begin our 10-minute walk up to the lighthouse and viewpoint, following a road that then turns into a footpath clinging to the side of a mountain’s edge. Seagulls slowly glide above us then swoop down past the lighthouse in the distance. Vegetation has kept a leaning shape thanks to a life of relentlessly being blown the sh*t out of by the wind. Only seemingly getting a break today when there’s little wind and only the beaming sun straight ahead of us.

The path then moves onto the ridge for the final 50 metres to the lighthouse. Little side sections have been made along the path to take in the views of pebble-filled bays getting lashed by waves on one side, while the other side of the mountain is having a peaceful day. Aspects of the walk, from frequent weather conditions to wildlife, are pointed out by stone interpretation panels.

The Nuggets!

Like all activities we have found in The Catlins, we reach the finale in no time. Just in front of the lonely lighthouse is a viewing deck looking down to those famous “nuggets”. These huge lumps of rock sticking out of the sea were named by Captain James Cook, the English dude who was the first European to set foot on New Zealand, after their resemblance to nuggets. However you interpret them, they are a stunning sight!

We now see where all the seagulls were swooping down to. One nugget has been claimed by the seagulls. We can see the little white dots occupying the nugget (and hear the noise too). A flat nugget with a pool stretching through the middle has some moving black shapes bobbing in and out of the water, which we realise are seals! We can even here those guys too! At this point, we wished we owned a pair of binoculars. The zoom lens on our camera just won’t cut it.

The rugged Catlins Coast

Nature’s occupation of Nugget Point

In the vegetation leading down the slope below the viewing deck, heaps of small birds fly from branch to branch, flax to flax. No matter how many people come here to capture some wonderful photos and soak in the views, Nugget Point totally belongs to the wildlife and the sea.

From here, it’s back to the van and continuing New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year. Our final stop today is Dunedin, but we make sure we have a lunch stop somewhere in between…

Next stop, Balclutha

… That place is Balclutha, one of the larger hubs that services the Clutha and Catlins District. However, once we pull up to Naish Park in Balclutha, we realise we don’t have anything for lunch… We’ve been off the grid for too long! All we have now is a bag of chips, some nuts and some juice. The first thing we are doing when we get to Dunedin is go to Pakn’Save. Screw the penguins, the architecture, the city vibes: we want some food!