A short trip to Riverton and Colac Bay

I am currently sitting in David and Catherine's house in Clyde, Central Otago, in beautiful sunny weather. In fact it is currently so hot we have the air conditioner on.

 Our first trip to the seaside resorts of Riverton and Colac Bay was made in atrocious weather with a strong cold wind and plenty of showers.  When I say 'seaside resorts' it is a bit tongue in cheek.   Although Riverton is known locally as the 'Riviera of the south', it is more like a sleepy coastal town.   And the village of Colac Bay consists of a collection of shacks beside the sea.  

But they have a certain charm, and we always like to take a trip to both places when we visit Southland.

Our first stop, was at a cafe by the beach at Riverton Rocks.  The cafe is very popular, as it serves excellent food, mainly local fish, plus coffee and cakes.  When we arrived in time for morning coffee, the cafe was full of people having brunch.

The view outside the windows of the cafe.  

We drove further around the point where the weather was wild and the waves high and dangerous.  Not a place to swim.

The bay at Riverton.

Now I realise the bay in the photograph below looks looks exactly the same as the previous photograph, but it is of the next beach, Colac Bay, which is five kilometres west of Riverton.

My parents used to have a small holiday shack in the camping ground at Colac Bay and we spent many a happy holiday there, playing on the beach, jumping around the rocks area, and even venturing up the hill (not shown in the photograph).  My memories were of continuous sunny days but in reality the weather was often cold and stormy.

My father had a large floundering net, which we used to trawl through the waters at dusk, in order to catch flounders, a flat fish.  As I was a tall child, who could swim, I was put on the deep end of the net.  I was always scared, but my father ignored my protests about perceived dangers in the water.  Luckily I did not know about sharks then.

We drove back to the township of Riverton, and I managed to capture a few photos between showers.

I love the old wooden churches in New Zealand.

The town is very old, and time has stood still, due to industries moving away. Riverton is now on the Southern Tourist Trail and is being revamped, without losing its charm.

The small cottages were very cute.

A typical old wooden house, with a verandah on one side.

This brick mansion used to belong to the local doctor.  It is currently receiving a makeover too.

The two photographs below were taken five days later, on a lovely sunny day.

A very old beachside shack, at Colac Bay, with a smiley face.

The Maori meeting house, the Marae, in Colac Bay.   It used to be the local school, but the few children who live in Colac Bay now catch a school bus and attend the school in Riverton.

We enjoy visiting both beaches, and there is plenty of reminiscing, especially when we visit with family members.  This time it was with Margaret, David and Catherine.  Lovely times.