Fiordland & Southland - New Zealand - page 1178

the Catlins, with Stewart Island/Rakiura and remote dots of rock lying even further
south. But let's not let the facts get in the way of a good story…
Salty tales abound round these parts, as evident in the small Bluff Maritime Museum (
03-212 7534; 241 Foreshore Rd; adult/child $2/free; 10am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 1-5pm Sat &
Sun) , complete with century-old oyster boat and steam engine. It also houses interesting
displays on Bluff history. The Bluff Heritage Trail brochure will guide you around local
points of interest.
Oysters are Bluff's most famous export, celebrated during the Bluff Oyster & Food
Festival ( www.bluffoysterfest.co.nz ) held annually around May. Buy fresh oysters in season
from late March to late August from Fowlers Oysters (Ocean Beach Rd;

9am-5pm Mar-

Aug) on the way into town on the left.
Near the Four Square supermarket, Stella's (64 Gore St; 7am-3pm) is your best bet
for a coffee before braving the ferry crossing to Stewart Island/Rakiura. The muttonbird
pie might prove a questionable decision.
For more information see www.bluff.co.nz .

WORTH A TRIP
GORE

Around 66km northeast of Invercargill, Gore is the proud 'home of country music'
in NZ, with the annual Gold Guitar Week ( www.goldguitars.co.nz ) in late May and early
June ensuring the town's accommodation is booked out for at least 10 days per
year. For the other 355 days, good reasons to stop include a notable art gallery, a
neat little museum and the chance to view vintage aeroplanes.
Sharing the same building, the Hokonui Moonshine Museum
( www.hokonuiwhiskey.com ; admission $5; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm Sat, 1-4pm Sun) and
Gore Historical Museum (admission by donation) combine to celebrate Gore's proud his-
tory of fishing, farming and illegal distilleries. Admission to the Moonshine Museum
includes a wee dram of the local liquid gold.
The outstanding Eastern Southland Gallery ( 03-208 9907; www.esgallery.co.nz ; 14
Hokonui Dr; admission by donation; 10am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 1-4pm Sat & Sun) - aka the 'Goreg-
genheim' - in Gore's century-old former public library houses a hefty collection of
NZ art including a large Ralph Hotere collection. The amazing John Money Collec-
tion combines indigenous folk art from West Africa and Australia with works by
iconic New Zealand artist Rita Angus.
Croydon Aircraft Company ( www.croydonaircraft.com ; 1558 Waimea Hwy, SH94; admission $10;
9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 11am-3pm Sat & Sun) , 16km along SH94 towards Queenstown,
restores vintage aircraft. Inside a viewing hangar (admission $10) several gems