Riverton – The Southland’s Riviera

I am so fortunate to reside in this gorgeous nation. Whenever I get ‘itchy feet’ and want to travel to some exotic place I do not have to leave the country. I just hop into my auto and travel 30 quick km west of my hometown of Invercargill and attain the old whaling town of Riverton. Given that all our small towns and cities are not exactly in close proximity of every single other, the drive alone is 1 of beauty.

Image from Flickr © The Roaming Radiographer

The green pasture of farmland dominates the drive and nearly seems never ever ending. When you attain Riverton (also known as Aparima) and drive via the main street you can easily see why it was as soon as referred to as ‘Southland’s Riviera’, in it’s heyday of the mid 1800’s it was a romantic town, colorful buildings and modest streets. Remnants of which are nevertheless visible right now as the town in properly preserved. The St Mary’s Anglican Church was constructed in 1844 and is nevertheless in use for its Sunday parishioners.

The town was established by Captain John Howell as a whaling station about 1837, back then it was called ‘Jacob’s River’ and was 1 of New Zealand’s 1st established European settlements. The Pourakino River and Aparima River empty into Fouveaux Strait at Riverton, and in earlier days the town boasted flax-milling, sawmilling, gold mining and boat constructing.

Image © Amy & Kimball

Now Riverton is a mecca for artists and crafts folks and has a population of about 1,900. Fortunately whaling is no longer practised in New Zealand and Kiwis have turned to fishing alternatively. Riverton’s principal sector is now fishing. A stroll along the shore will give you practically a feeling of stepping back in time with smaller sized fishing boats moored collectively, the smell of the salty sea air in your nose and the chatter of the seagulls. Riverton has lots of businesses to cater for the modern day tourist and locals alike. Restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, supermarket plus neighborhood arts and crafts outlets tucked away in breath-taking scenery. You have a decision of beaches with spectacular coastal views, bush walks and off course the Riverton Rocks. Some of these rocks are really large! Great whoppers they are.

If you are fortunate you may even spot New Zealand Fur Seals, but as the locals will inform you, do not get also close due to the fact these things are quicker than they look. I have visited Riverton many occasions, often with a destination in mind, simply because there is so considerably to see and do, but every single time I tend to linger and appreciate the quite initial place I get to. Hence I return very often since although it is a small town, the surrounding area is vast and I just can not bring myself to rush around with no truly seeing every little thing.

I have a tendency to take detours here and there, go off the ‘beaten track’ we get in touch with it here in New Zealand. I am really nosey and now my ‘co-pilots’ do not even appear up strange when I turn down some unmarked road or do not follow the indicators along the road that point to the tourist spots. This has become such a organic occurrence for me that I get asked what is wrong with me if I take place to drive straight to where we are going! On one such occasion of going the wrong way (according to ‘the back seat drivers’ aka my children), we came to a really quiet beach with an odd hunting ‘hill’. This ‘hill’ turned out to be “Monkey Island” exactly where a slipway was built in the 1860’s, just before there was a road to Riverton, exactly where boats could unload their goods.

The Island in the middle of the inlet is accessible at low tide and there is now a walk way to the best with amazing views of the snow-capped mountains behind and the surrounding farmland. It is believed that ‘Monkey Island’ was employed in earlier time by the regional Maori as a appear-out point.

It was so quiet when we arrived there that initially I thought we had strayed onto someone’s farmland (which wouldn’t be the 1st time for me). A excellent searching beach flanked by New Zealand Flax bushes, gentle waves lapping against the rocks and this ‘hill’ set against a back drop of the mountains – yes, that tends to make me want to go the ‘wrong’ way much more typically.

The strange ‘hill’ which is in fact a tiny island known as ‘Monkey Island’, Southland, New Zealand.

About the Author:

Monica Toretto is a writer, painter, photographer and blogger. She lives with her two young sons in Invercargill close to Bluff. She has travelled extensively in Canada and the US and worked as a veterinary technician just before returning to New Zealand. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines in the UK and New Zealand. She has also authored a book of poetry and photography named ‘Words’.