The Deep South

As a pre-christmas break we decided to join our friends Max and Fin for two days at the Catlins. It was great to get in the sea again, as we hadn't seen the ocean since our last trip to the Catlins in February. We met up with Max and Fin in Riverton where they had been staying the night before and travelled in convoy down to the Catlins. The day was very clear and we were able to see Stewart Island in the distance.

Once we arrived at the Catlins the cloud burnt off to a beautiful day. After unpacking etc and relaxing on the deck of the crib at Curio Bay (bach if you're a North Islander) we decided the sea was too inviting and headed in for a swim/surf/boogie board. The sea was a little chilly, but no worse than Lake Wakatipu, and the surf was great. Even if it did manage to dump Andrea on her head once or twice - no noticable damage (Greg says she's always been like that). After Fin and Andrea headed back to the crib, Greg and Max were joined by a pod of Hector's Dolphins (much to the girls' disappointment!) which proceeded to jump out of the water and dive under their surf boards as the boys floated behind the breakers. The girls went for another swim the following morning to try and entice the dolphins back but just missed out again.

It was great to have a relaxing break after finishing work and before heading up for the hustle and bustle at Christmas. It really gave us an opportunity to just "switch off".