🌊 DAY 5+6: New Zealand’s Southern Coastline Adventure

As the sun dipped low, we cruised along the southern coastline, stopping at: 📍 Kaka Beach – Big waves, lots of surfers 🏄‍♂️, but scenery was just okay. 📍 Nugget Point – A 1km walk to the lighthouse with endless ocean views 🌊 (but super windy!). Clouds ruined the sunset—typical South Island weather luck! ☁️ 📍 Skipped Slope Point (too similar) and drove straight to Invercargill. Long drive ahead! 🦪 DAY 6: Abalone Hunting & Coastal Explorations! Morning: 🔪 Paua (Abalone) Knife Mission: Went to the local fisheries office—got directed to a nearby hunting/fishing store (with a suspiciously "official" sticker). Knife price: $17.99 NZD (later found out Four Square sells it for ~$14… suspected tourist markup? 😒 @NZTourism). Beach & Bluff Adventures: 📍 Orite Beach – Drove onto the sand! 🚗 (One of the few places you can—felt like a local hack!). 📍 Fowler’s Wild Bluff Oysters – Closed 😭 but the harbor views & railway tracks made great photos! 📸 📍 Stirling Point – Famous "World’s End" signpost (even had "Suqian, China" on it—met Japanese tourists laughing about their tiny hometown listed too!). 🍽️ Oyster Cove – No fresh oysters, but the Chinese-owned seafood restaurant had tasty (but small-portioned) dishes. Afternoon Hike & Abalone Fail: 🚶‍♂️ Took the Stirling Point coastal trail—so peaceful! Elderly locals greeted us warmly. (Regret: Didn’t go all the way to the abalone spot—turns out it connects to the lookout!). 🐚 The Great Abalone Hunt: Checked tide apps 📱, scoured Stirling Point’s rocks… only found a tiny one (released it!). Rushed to Bluff Lookout → "Beautiful Lookout" trail (30min steep descent—leg burner!). ⚠️ Warning: Return hike is BRUTAL—do it before dark! 🌑 Met a pro Chinese abalone hunter who scored a big one… while we missed the hidden path to the rocks 😅. 🌄 Sunset Reward: Climbed back up for golden-hour views—moon and sun sharing the sky! 🌙☀️ #NZSouthIsland #RoadTripNZ #Invercargill #BluffNZ #AbaloneHunting #SeasideVibes #TravelFail #NZMustDo