After we left Slope Point and the Catlins, we drove straight to Bluff. Bluff is not New Zealand's southernmost point, but it's pretty close- and it IS New Zealand's southernmost town. Bluff is a small port town, and while most of New Zealand's towns are small, Bluff really felt small. I said to Kara that I thought it was like a populated ghost town, but it's likely just because of when we came- Bluff is known for it's oysters, but oyster season isn't until March. We went to Bluff because it's the point where you can catch the ferry to Stewart Island (Rakiura in Maori), which is where the Rakiura Track is! We decided to spend the night to give ourselves some time to prepare.
We went straight to our hostel, which was a cavernous building that used to be the post office. It had a lot of character, as did the proprietor, Lex, who we loved. (More on Lex in our next entry!) We got settled and decided to see the town a bit before packing our hiking bags for the tramp. We went out to Stirling Point, which is the end of the road- namely, Route 1, which travels the entire length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff. At the end of the road is a signpost that offers a new beginning of the road- it's distances to some of the great cities!