Dunedin to Invercargill

I had hoped to stay another night here but due to a football or rugby match today there wasn't a bed to be found anywhere and it was damn cold, wet and windy for my little summer tent! I had a drive around the town and parked up next to the Railway station which is of the classic Late Victorian Gothic stlye and took some pictures and called at the superstore for some food before setting off south again. I had a break at a couple of places on the way and then after calling for fuel at Balaclutha I turned off the main road and followed the Scenic Route down the towards the coast and The Catlins, this road was a lot quieter and I drove through some beautiful scenery along the way.
Part way along I saw a brown road sign for Cannibal Bay, it sounded interesting and I turned off the road onto a smaller country lane which quickly became a gravel road and twisted and turned for another 8km until it dropped over a crest and down to a huge virtually deserted beach. The sea was rolling in and breaking on the wide bay but there was a fierce offshore wind blowing the tops of the rollers creating a strange mist out to sea. I stuck on a fleece and walked down to the rocks at on end to try and get some picture of the sea and then I spotted what I thought were people at the far end of the beach and it was only when another couple asked me had I seen the sea lions that I realised what they where so I took a walk down to the other end of the bay and got some picture of them just lazing about on the beach. Every now and then the bull would raise up on his flippers and have a good look around, a good scratch then back down to chill out. I knew not to get too close to them as there were warning signs around all around, and I've heard they can shift as fast as a man!
Back on the road I got a bed at the Southern Comfort Backpackers in Invercargill and had a great evening just sat around the huge dining room table just chatting with other guests, a couple of Australians (one of whom was cycling around NZ), A German Girl on a gap year, some Swiss and later a nice but rather loud Italian older lady who was quite funny.