The most Southern point on the Southern Island at the bottom of the world

My destination was Slope Point the most Southern point of the South Island and officially actually further south than Bluff itself. A bracing 20-minute walk across exposed farmland brought me to the edge of the headland. Here a well photographed yellow sign indicated the next place south in 4803km was Antarctica and the South Pole. As I took in the picturesque views across the horizon I realised I was standing very nearly at the bottom of the earth. It was a bit of a struggle truth be told to stay standing upright at times as the wind battered the headland. This to me though was all part of the fun, The Catlins wouldn’t be so appealing without the blustery southerlies shaping its striking landscape. Testament to this power of nature is the row of trees just by Slope Point that have developed an oddly horizontal lean!