Bluff

We have been determined from the get-go to traverse NZ from north to south. The southern-most point to which you can drive in NZ is a town called Bluff. We left Queenstown with the purpose of fishing the Eglinton River, but took a little detour to the south tip of the South Island. Not much there but friendly people.

Note Antarctica in the background

The New Zealand patented Exeloo, automatic toilet

One of the great things about this place is that all the cities and towns are littered with public toilets. A fine example is the Exeloo in Bluff. I had the opportunity to test run this little beauty. Now, I've had a tendency to be a little tongue-in-cheek at times, but this is the straight dope here.

When you enter and shut the door, a man's voice says "Please lock the door". When you push the lock button (electro-magnet) the nice man says "Door locked. You have a maximum of ten minutes of use time". Then elevator music starts. The song I had was "Do you know the way to San Jose". There is also mood lighting on the ceiling. The toilet paper dispenser is automatic as well. You push the button and it dispenses about six inches of paper. It allows you to push the button four times.

Emergency in Bluff
Something happened in Bluff that I have been fearing throughout this entire trip. I locked the keys in the rental car.

 In Bluff, there is a gas station, a fish and chips shop, a public toilet (see above) and a pub. Once I stopped wondering how I have managed to live so long, being so stupid, I inquired of the proprietress of the fish and chips shop with regards to the availability of a locksmith in the good town of Bluff (again, stupid). 

She didn't have a clue what to suggest, but thought I should ask over at the pub. I wandered over to the pub while Cynthia waited for our F&C. There was a bar tender and the requisite drinker. When posed with this question, they discussed things a bit and decided they had better call John. John would be right down.

John showed up in about 5 minutes with his B&E tool kit. The kit consisted of a gasket scraper, a 1/4" thick nylon shim, a length of stiff wire with a hook bent on the end of it, and a pump-up bladder sort of thing. As it turns out, watching this would turn out to be very handy in the near future. 

The trick is to pry the upper corner of the door out far enough to slide the little flat bladder thing in. And then pump it up, which opens a crack big enough to get the wire through, and Bob's your uncle, the door's open. $20 NZD (about $11 USD).