Even if the Rolling Stones don't like Invercargill, for me it felt like a welcome return to reality after all the made-upness of Queenstown. Here was a 50,000-inhabitant rural town at the end of the world that wasn't pretending that it was particularly interesting nor exhilirating. After arriving in Invercargill I hired a car with two of my friends and drove down to Bluff, which is the southernmost town in mainland New Zealand, the only more southern one being Oban (Halfmoon Bay) on Stewart Island. It was an experience to stand at the lookout, swept by the Antarctic winds and looking out to the ocean, behind which somewhere lay that the most forgotten of continents. After a some hearty fish and chips we took the car back to Invercargill and returned to the hostel.
In Invercargill I hopped off the Stray-bus for a longer time for the first time, planning to do Help Exchange. It is a website and a community where travellers can find people who need a little help around their house or business. The volunteers then work for their employers 2-3 hours a day in exchange for housing and sometimes meals. It is a type of hospitality exchange akin to couchsurfing and wwoofing. The place at where I worked for two weeks was a small backpacker hostel called Sparky's Backpackers. The experience acted as a welcome breather from my fast-paced travel and a change to work on my further itinerary.
Here's a couple of photos from Invercargill:
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| Yes, I usually support local businesses but this was too much to pass up! |
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| A view from Queen's Park, one of Invercargill's few attractions. |
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