Pounawea Camp

Pounawea...we had been anticipating our holiday/ministry in the south for several months, with Nick having been asked to be one of two camp speakers at the annual summer camp in Pounawea (near Owaka in the Catlins - right down near the south of South Island).  Boxing Day, was the first day.  It is about a four hour drive, but we stopped a few times along the way...firstly for hot chips for lunch, then at Zohar and Tehila in Kakanui since we were nearly going past their house anyway.  Great to see the family for a brief visit!  Another stop in Dunedin, then finally in Balclutha for a leg-stretch.  The Pounawea Accommodation Centre which hosts the camp every year is lovely; the speakers' privilege was to stay in motel-like accommodation so we had our own bungalow complete with kitchenette and living room.  Over the next five days we had a morning session with Neville Malcolm, and an evening session with Nick.  The times between breakfast and the first session, and between lunch and tea were entirely free - plenty of time for resting, exploration, or whatever.  Our first day at camp really only started at teatime and we felt like fish out of water, only knowing by brief acquaintance two other people.  It was interesting though meeting so many new people although a little intimidating!

Day 2 - our bungalow looked straight onto the Catlins River, which flows into the sea.  We could see waves breaking far in the distance, and our little stretch of the river was directly influenced by tides.  Low tide meant that a wetland area developed with much of interest to pick through; high tide brought the water right to the rocky bank alongside the street.  The boys disappeared after breakfast to find some kids to make friends with and I headed to the water's edge.  Here's what I saw:

Mmm, lazy morning sun and guitar - not Nick!

We had been advised that Purakaunui Falls was a worthwhile tourist attraction - and indeed it was!  We took off after lunch for the half hour's drive to the parking lot, and then another ten or fifteen minutes of walking through shady woods brought us to the viewing area.  It was pretty!  Pity we didn't time our visit better to avoid the harsh sunlight for better photos.