no, I hit my head and suddenly I like Kate Bush.
But I like to imagine the Catlins (the region where there have been over the last 3 days) as the equivalent New Zealand (without fog and so many more sheep) Heath English (windy moors), so well described by Emily Bronte.
In fact, it is clear that in the Catlins, nature is the must-mistress.
and especially the wind that blows from the sea (ie from the south) and that forces the vegetation to take the strangest forms to survive.
These trees were photographed at Slope Point, which boasts of being the southernmost point of the South Island (ie, between now and the Antarctic, there is only water, a bit 'of ice and some island, I guessed).
Another interesting place is the Waipapa Point, where, in 1881, its climate variability of the Catlins was fatal to 131 persons on board the boat Tararua, which crashed against a rock, still visible when low tide.
The sea, at the time of the accident, was calm. A passenger volunteered to swim to shore to call for help. He succeeded, while the waves were becoming bigger and bigger. Warned the inhabitants of the nearest farm, we ran to alert the nearest town, but unfortunately there rescue ships arrived too late. Meanwhile, they tried to help the survivors, but the sea conditions became impossible and soccorittori could do nothing but helplessly watch the ship sink. Most of the victims of this disaster is buried a few meters from the accident site, you can still see the tombstones around which graze, placid sheep. Three years after the accident, was built the lighthouse, you see
There would be many other things to say about the Catlins, where you can see a huge fossil forest (Curio Bay), you can enter caves excavated from the sea (Cathedral Caves), you can see the yellow-eyed penguins go to sea at sunset (visas), the seals that bask in the sun (views) and the lions seafood (not seen), we can achieve spectacular waterfalls (Purakaunui Falls and Matai Falls) along paths through the forest, from the vaguely tropical, where do you imagine for a moment to be Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, ready to pull out your uzi in the first kiwi, that your path.
But I want to touch on another aspect.
have been these three days on the farm (farmstay, it says here) and it was an experience in every sense.
To begin with amazing smells of the garden, which unfortunately can not be photographed
the flavors of breakfast (like giving up eggs and bacon fried in butter?)
The owners of the farm, and June Murray, (who have something like 3000 sheep, 2000 calves and deer type 1000) were, then, very nice and helpful in making me have a real Kiwi farm experience ! Indeed, we could not believe I was interested in the thing! So the next morning, early, led me through the fields (with the wind whipping on one side and the rain beating on the other) to show me the process of "tailing the lambs" or, as it cuts the lambs to tail (unfortunately I have no photo of the thing, because as an idiot I forgot the camera). In fact, if you notice, the sheep did not mature the tail, but the lambs just Nast (I never noticed I had not). I watched the thing, a bit 'bloody, dirty and of course I am not surprised that most of the sheep here are generally terrified when they see a human being. However, the farm work is very hard and I am not here to despised.
My first experience as a "farm-girl," even before reaching the lambs, however, was schoccante.
Literally.
Lesson number one: never put your hands on a wire, if you see that is supported by a strange contraption in black plastic. Otherwise you risk (as I did) to get a shock (at a voltage not indifferent) and raise the general hilarity of these (and perhaps even the sheep, now they have learned to stay away dall'elettroshock)
Lesson 2: The grass is always greener. Whether true or not, after 3 days as a farm girl, I learned to recognize whether a pasture is good or not for the sheep ... are things that give some satisfaction ...
course I had been very optimistic to hope to find an internet connection in the Catlins, since even the cellular function (type I had to drive 50 km to be able to send one message warned my mother that I was not overwhelmed by a dead sheep sheep), but also the track there is a concept very futuristic. In fact, apart from the two main roads, the rest are all dirt roads.
Lesson 3: after 3 days in the Catlins, by dint of dirt roads in all conditions the weather, are you ready to participate in rallies next season without any major problems.
After prolonged contact with so many different kinds of sheep, now I recognize the breed, the type of wool that produces and processes of its use, but you also know that, as the soft nose of a lamb, not c ' is nothing in the world (lesson number 4)
Now I'm in Te Anau, pleasant mountain resort, with adjoining lake outpost to get to see the fjords. The first will see him tomorrow, so now, after doing the shopping and laundry, I eat and I go to bed early enough tomorrow I expect an early rising.
Kisses to all.
