The small cemetery at Waikawa offers a pretty view, even on a grey afternoon. : Taking the scenic route

Evelyn McDonald (left) and Ruth Hayes are dwarfed by one of the many fascinating displays at the Waikawa Museum. : Taking the scenic route

A stand of trees at Slope Point reveals the southernmost point of the South Island is aptly named. : Taking the scenic route

Teens tend to a fishing net at Fortrose, where the Mataura River meets the sea. : Taking the scenic route

Boats for work and pleasure line the wharf in the early evening at Riverton. : Taking the scenic route

There are hours of fossicking to be had at Gemstone Beach, Western Southland. : Taking the scenic route

Helen McKay, of Yesteryears Museum Café, stands in front of the 1870 coal range on which she occasionally whips up pikelets for visitors to Tuatapere. : Taking the scenic route

Last Light Lodge proprietor Craig Rutland and partner Violaine Dumas in Tuatapere. : Taking the scenic route

The Purakaunui Falls are a short walk from the road. : Taking the scenic route

A bush walk in the Catlins; Graham Renwick with his teapot collection in Owaka. : Taking the scenic route

Freedom camping in Purakaunui Bay. : Taking the scenic route

Photos by Shane Gilchrist and Stephen Jaquiery. : Taking the scenic route

A person has the beach to themself at Tautuku Bay (below) on the Southern Scenic Route. : Taking the scenic route

The Southern Scenic Route has been a lifeline to smaller communities. : Taking the scenic route

Petrified stumps and fern prints date back 160 million years at Curio Bay. : Taking the scenic route

A road sign on the Southern Scenic Route. : Taking the scenic route