After spending a couple of days at Te Anau and a night on the Doubtful Sound cruise, we intend to head for the Catlins. As the boat trip finishes about mid-day, we would ideally like to take a short drive and stay overnight some where convenient to tour the Catlins as far as Nugget Point the next day.

Can anyone suggest a good stop off place or accommodation that fits the bill? Preferably a small town or resort, rather that Invercargill. Does Riverton fit the bill, or are there better options?

Has anyone come across Nugget Lodge, as this looks a good place for the next 2 nights.

Thanks again, Maria

any ideas?

We are fans of B & Bs, and we stayed at a really nice one in Progress Valley, just east of Porpoise Bay. It is run by June and Murray Stratford (http://www.catlinsfarmstay.co.nz/). They have wonderful gardens, great meals, comfortable rooms, and a clay tennis court.

Although we did not stay the evening (completely our fault for not confirming the reservation), Cardno's Accommodation in Kaka Point (http://www.cardnosaccommodation.co.nz/)was extremely well appointed. The host Lyn was delightful and although she had no vacancy she offered her personal suite to us for the evening if we could not find alternate lodging. We ended up continuing on to Dunedin for our next day's activities but she went out of her way to let us use the phone & internet to situate ourselves. We are disappointed that we did not get to stay since the property was so beautiful but I could not ask the host to sleep on the coach to accommodate us.

Invercargill is a small town.

(Thus spake an Aucklander).