free camping the Wild South Coast | Shore Diving, fishing, Gemstones

[@cathrynusher6737]

Monkey Island is the beach my husband swam at when he was a child. Stunning place.

[@leopardsgowild]

it's very cool spot alright, so much to offer.

[@shanehatfull9122]

What a lovely piece of paradise especially when the weather's right those kids are going to have so many wonderful memories. Loving the awesome drone footage. ❤❤

[@leopardsgowild]

Absolutely we all have a huge library of memories now, especially having seen these places in there bests and worst.

[@TheSurfine39]

Next time you get one of those sharks give us a look at the markings along its back. Might have been a spiny dog shark if fillets looked like chicken.

[@leopardsgowild]

thanks mate, it def was looking like cooked chicken, so i'm going to imagine it is a spiny dog and not a rig.

[@davekerr8133]

Spectacular. Magic. Awesome. Your filming is great Mike. Thanks 😊

[@leopardsgowild]

Thanks heaps, glad you enjoyed it.

[@RadRoadAdventures]

It's neat down there, wild is a great description. Love how you get out gathering kai. Glad you got a nice visit to monkey Island

[@leopardsgowild]

for sure mate, nice to have the sun on our side. These places are like going back in time aye, we love it.

[@michaelzwiener1756]

Awesome episode. Love gem stone beach.

[@leopardsgowild]

very cool stretch of coastline aye, like going back in time.

[@mattbreingan7247]

Really nicely put together vid Mike enjoyed watching this.

[@leopardsgowild]

Thanks for watching, was so nice to be down on the South Coast with such lovely long evenings.

[@dennismatthews6660]

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing a place I will never visit. I enjoy your travels.

[@leopardsgowild]

so many people will never make it down this far south, it's out the way and you really have to want to go here to put the effort in, and with so many other great spots, its hard to prioritize this one. Thanks for watching mate.

[@CHillAdventures]

Epic mike!!! What a great redo, of an epic spot, great history too!!!! Glad yall r feeling better! See yah in the next 1 Leopards!!!!

[@leopardsgowild]

@@CHillAdventures i got you some Pauas Cam 📷

[@CHillAdventures]

@leopardsgowild yes sir!!!!! I didn't know they were abalone!

[@tonymckeage1028]

Great Video Mike, Southlands weather is not that flash on average but summer makes up for it, thanks for sharing

[@leopardsgowild]

It was a hard spring in Southland this year, super wet, but winter was nice, dry and settled, the seasons are messed up sometimes aye. This trip def made up for that though.

[@GarthHaylock]

so good when you can get back to a great spot in the right weather to properly enjoy it. Awesome times on the coast. Can't help with the shark meat / species. Maybe a spiney dog fish rather that rig? Epic paua spot! I think fine cut is much better than minced, and yes it's definitely worth the time. Cream paua is so versatile and goes a long way. Great cold too.

[@leopardsgowild]

yea I'm wondering if it's spiney Dog, i hear those things aren't that good. I love me some creamed Paua, feel like doing another trip back down to the coast to get a bit more seafood.

[@jaredford8440]

So cool. Pretty hard to replicate memories like that 🌺 sweet mana wave Toby 👍🏼

[@leopardsgowild]

Pretty unique places aye, timewarp back in time.

[@jaredford8440]

@@leopardsgowild 💯👌🏼 mesmerizing places.... even when they whether is sand blasting your own face 🤣😉

[@allanwood4771]

Very well produced and well done .the music was just spot on cheers.

[@leopardsgowild]

Cheers for watching, glad you enjoyed the tunes.

[@ritchiecassidy9151]

Another awsome adventure ❤

[@leopardsgowild]

thank you, glad you enjoyed the adventure on the South coast.

[@nickbenfell4327]

So remember Orepuki and Cosy Nook from my childhood. Gemstone Beach was just called Orepuki Beach back then. Did you notice the crib (bach for north islanders) called Pollyfilla Palace at Cosy Nook. It may have been removed as the upper storey used to hang over the road a bit.

[@leopardsgowild]

hey man, not sure about that bach / crib one looked to have been recladded since we were last here, but a lot of them are lower than the rd, so we didn't go down to those ones. I don't think any were hanging over the road.

[@gregor393]

We used to surf this area in the 1960s, always loved the wild coast atmosphere.

[@leopardsgowild]

That is amazing, where did you grow up? the place is still pretty wild, maybe a bit of development going on in the area.

[@a-k6575]

Thank you for taking us along, another awesome day with your family, bis zum naechsten mal und tschüß.

[@leopardsgowild]

thank you for watching, its a very cool part of NZ aye.

[@brucestevenson8797]

Great video of Monkey Island and Environs haven't been there for yours...

[@leopardsgowild]

It's like going back in time in these places aye, we love them

[@nzmarkb8713]

I’m with you mate, I use google maps and zoom in on areas, I’ve found so many great campsites or places to explore that way. Another great episode 👍👍

[@leopardsgowild]

google maps is an endless resource, so worth taking some time to have a look around from above.

[@Scottygirlnz]

We loved that area and of course still have my 'gemstones' from the beach. Regarding chopping/mincing, look at the mini chopper (pull chopper) from The Warehouse or Kmart etc and only about $10 and does not use power. Chop your paua into bits and then put in the chopper, trust me it will mince it up!

[@leopardsgowild]

we used to have one of those little mincers, but we got rid of it before the paua diving days... some nice stones at Gemstone beach aye.

[@48rimu]

Another great video and info,cheers👍

[@leopardsgowild]

thanks a lot and Cheers for watching!

[@DonClark-eh3lq]

Hi guys, Monkey Island, Orepuki Beach, Gemstone Beach, really cool coastine and Cosy Nook is a real step back in time. We have spent a lot of time along there, always head out there when ever we go and see our daughter in Invercargill. One winter we went to Monkey Island and all took off our boots, shoes etc, left them back from the incoming tide, (so we could walk through the channel near the island) and shot up the island, and lol, got back to see all our footware washing all over the place, a kind've tidal surge must have come in and swept all the footware willy nilly and all over. Got them all back bar one jandal I think, but a bit heavier of course being filled with water and or water logged. You had a better experience there this time round with the weather, nice.

[@leopardsgowild]

I like these places like you say, it's a step back in time, just love it. Last time we were here, you could barely walk to the island without getting wet at low tide, the surge was to much, this time the tide was out so far it was incredible. too much ocean between us and antartica aye, those waves must get pretty big in a southerly.

[@allantaylor3288]

Awesome 👍👍👍

[@leopardsgowild]

Cheers mate, we love it down there, when it's not raining and blowing a gale lol.

[@TomRigginsAandO]

Beautiful country and great vid ! We could use some of the warmth here--btw--our house is under contract . Partly due to your drone vid when you were in NC--THANKS !

[@leopardsgowild]

Thanks so much Tom. I see you lot have a had a pretty cold spell last week... congrats on the contract on the house, I'm so stoked I was able to help put that little drone compilation together for ya'll, I hope it helped.

[@abdinz]

Mate, loving how you combine those in-between timelapse shots with the storytelling of your adventures. They perfectly showcase how dynamic and alive the South Island’s landscapes are. What gear do you use for those timelapses? The quality is top-notch!

[@leopardsgowild]

Thank you, I live me a good time lapse, I just use a gopro mate. Only camera i have other than the drone.

[@bryanbadger6841]

As usual, another great episode. Thanks for sharing. Hey if you ever make it to the Lake Ferry settlement, S E coast of Wairarapa, there's a lot of paua, plus butter fish available. Hey Mike, if our paths should cross, particularly while you're on the Southern Island, I've got a spare hand mincer, you can have. Permanent loan. In fact I had one, for the Wairapa paua. We minced them with shallots, not onion, dropped in white pepper, and salt to taste, and fried them in a pan of garlic butter. Awesome. Never garlic margarine crap. A well known Nz Y.Tuber, once made a comment, online, that, "if you don't have butter, you're not a real Kiwi." It's not up for debate. Btw, my plans to spend winter in Murchison, are still all go. Thanks again for sharing. Great editing. Great music choice. Take care Leopards.

[@leopardsgowild]

Thanks Bryan, yes we are looking forward to exploring some of the Wairarapa area, some nice isolated beach front freedom camps out there with good diving. I load almost savoury food I eat with white pepper I love it. The good thing when cooking paua is soph doesn't eat it so we get all the butter and cream in there.

[@geofflewis8599]

Cool soundtrack..

[@leopardsgowild]

Thank you, got to get those good vibes aye

[@vagabondlife2018]

Awesome video Mike, especially as we are in Invercargill and about to head to Monkey Island next. Would love to get some Paua but as we don't have wetsuits, I think the water maybe a tad too cold to get some 😢

[@leopardsgowild]

I reckon you'd be alright now, you don't have to go out very far, if it's a sunny day, you'll warm up pretty quick, likely to be pretty busy there, as you can stay for upto 28 days... If the wind is blowing Either colac bay or Monkey bay will be sheltered as they both face opposite directions.

[@SpanielshuntingtrialingNZ]

It was hard to see but it did look like a Rig, with the white spots down the back. What bait were you using? Paddle crab and prawns are the best for Rig and you might also catch an Elephant fish or Moki on the same bait. Preparing Rig, gut, head and tail off and all fins straight away and into a chiller and it is fantastic crumbed baked or fried. However if you use a fish bait like pilchard you are more likely to catch a Dog fish (not particularly edible) or a Kāhawai. Anyway another enjoyable video😀.

[@leopardsgowild]

I was using octopus, which was recommended, I picked it up at the Pak n Save. Thanks for the advice mate.

[@drewsutherland5588]

Great video. Looks like a dog fish .have caught a couple at McCrackens rest

[@billschneider1893]

Hi Mile. I enjoy your series a LOT. You give your viewers lots of useful information about traveling in New Zealand. Your family interaction is lovely to see. You have excellent camera work. I cannot understand why you folk only have 10.6k viewer/subscribers. I wonder if a change of your program name might lure more subscribers. "Leopards go wild" can have many connotations. Leopards are big cats that live in Africa so I wonder if people who are quickly browsing think of the African big cat? I think that after so many wonderful, informative episodes you should have at least 50 to 75k subscribers. Think, NZMCA has far over 100 000 members call of whom could/would be interested in your series. You deserve better. Have a think how to change the name to get more subscribers. Can the title tell more about what the series is? Eg: A video guide to traveling New Zealand in a Caravan. Brainstorm.

[@leopardsgowild]

thanks for that mate, would be great to have more followers, I think maybe the earlier videos weren't so good, and may not have given the channel a good start. The name of the channel doesn't normally mean so much as the thumbnail and the title, apparently that means everything... I'm quite happy keeping the channel genuine and authentic and the Leopards is who we are, the channel seems to be growing by about 300 - 600 subs a month, so thats pretty good for me I reckon.

[@billschneider1893]

​@@leopardsgowild I'm pleased about the increasing subscribers. You folk deserve a lot more subs.

[@tonyroberts6334]

Gummy sharks love small crabs tied to large hooks

[@leopardsgowild]

Thanks for that mate, do you think any crabs will work or do they need to be paddle crabs, we had a go with some crabs from an Estuary in the Catlins, but no luck, they definitely were different kind of crabs though.

[@tonyroberts6334]

We used crabs from under rocks

[@lukeduke3001]

What time did the sun go down on the longest day

[@leopardsgowild]

the longest day we were in invercargill we didn't even say the sun once, it rained the entire 24hrs of the 21st of Dec, and likely the entire 24hrs of the 22nd. But at Monkey Island I think the sunset about 9.37pm.

[@hopaea7]

Where else have you gone but not taken the camera? I feel like I'm missing out now 😩

[@leopardsgowild]

Oh my gosh, you'll have to pop over to our patreon page to have a look...

[@032254855]

clifden caves are a cool spot to visit if your back down that way will get wet feet and possibly wet up to your waste if you slip in the big pool

[@leopardsgowild]

We kept discovering more cool things to see and do each time we return to an area, will add this one to the list thanks

[@032254855]

@@leopardsgowild is a tight little road not sure if you would get turned around with the big trailer you can carry on up the road and come out on to a main road will be about 15min on gravel if you do this. Also Wairaurahiri jets are worth checking out takes you through lake Lake Hauroko down the Wairaurahiri to the Fiordland coast are huts down there if you want to spend a couple nights diving / fishing and there are some big old wooden bridges from when a train used to go around the coast