Originally, we were only going to spend 1 day in the Catlins, but we ended up changing our itinerary completely and spending 3 days instead! There is so much to do here, and the wildlife is some of the best we saw in our 3 months in New Zealand. If you are a nature / wildlife lover then I would absolutely recommend squeezing a few days in the Catlins into your schedule.
The Catlins is located in the south east of New Zealand, 2 hours from Dunedin and just over 1 hour from Invercargill. It is known for its wild weather, native forests and dramatic coastlines as well as its wildlife such as sea lions, and the rare yellow-eyed penguin. The easiest way to see everything the Catlins has to offer is by driving the Catlins Coastal trail from Fortrose to Waikawa, then the southern scenic route on the Chaslands highway from Waikawa through to Papatowai, finishing with the Papatowai highway to Owaka.
1. Visit Fortrose
We started off our time in the Catlins by visiting the Fortrose township which is the eastern entrance to the area. We didn’t stay here long but had lunch on the way through to Waipapa Point, but it was lovely and had lots of bird life on the mudflats by the river banks, and we saw lots of bar-tailed godwits and variable oystercatchers. There is also a great camping area simply called ‘Fortrose Township’ on Camper Mates that we drove past and looked ideal if you get to the Catlins late in the evening.
2. Visit Waipapa point
Our first proper stop in the Catlins was Waipapa Point which was stunning and we were lucky that we had great weather. From the car park there is a short walk to the left to a view point over the beach, and to the right to the lighthouse and beach access.
The lighthouse was constructed in 1884 in response to one of New Zealand’s worst shipping disasters and civilian shipwrecks, the wreck of the passenger steamer Tararua. The ship was on one of its regular trips between Otago and Melbourne when it struck a reef and wrecked, sadly killing 131 of 151 people on board.
In 1975 the lighthouse was automated and the keepers withdrawn but it still stands today and is a sight to behold.
The surrounding beaches are gorgeous and the ferocity of the sea causes huge waves to hit against the rocks, and you might be lucky enough to see your first sea lions here too!
3. Visit Slope Point
It is an easy 15 minute walk from the designated car park across private farmland to the most southerly point of New Zealand. There are some great views across the sea and some dramatic cliffs which lead to the famous yellow sign, signifying you are at the very bottom of the country!
Make sure to look out for these wind blown trees as you come into the car park! They are forced this ways after years of strong winds making them grow sideways.
4. Visit Curio Bay
The next stop is Curio Bay which is a World heritage site, renowned for its petrified forest and marine ecosystem. We also stayed at a great free camp overnight in nearby Waikawa, a 7 minute drive away so we could properly enjoy everything Curio bay had to offer…
Visit the Petrified Forest
The Petrified forest is an easy 10/15 minute walk from the Curio Bay car park and is truly unique. It features 180 million year old tree stumps on the beach which are all that remain from the Jurassic forest, when they were fossilised by silica in ash-filled floodwaters. Unlike animal fossils, petrified wood is incredibly rare and the forest in Curio Bay is recognised as one of the finest example of a Jurassic Forest in the world today. You can learn more about the petrified forest on information stands on the viewing platforms.
Look for rare hoiho/yellow-eyed penguins
Hoiho or yellow-eyed penguins are one of the rarest species of penguins in the world, with only 6-7000 remaining in New Zealand. Several of these rare birds nest on or around Curio bay and there is a chance you can see them around dusk, when they return from sea to feed their chicks. Their population has declined due to the clearance of coastal forest in which the penguins nest, and introduction of predators such as stoats, ferrets and dogs.
The best place to see them is at the viewing platforms of the Petrified Forest around the time the sun sets. We waited and watched from 8pm until 10pm and had a possible viewing just as we were leaving, but otherwise our night was not very successful! It is never assured that you will see one but people the night before had so there is always a chance! These penguins are very timid so it must be noted that you are not allowed on the beach from late afternoon as you risk scaring them off. We were very satisfied when a DOC worker told people off who had blatantly ignored the sign and gone on the beach anyway! There were about 50 people watching for the penguins when we were there, so it is worth getting there early to get a good spot.
Look for dolphins at Porpoise Bay
Porpoise Bay is located a short walk from the car park, through the campsite and down the beach access. It is a stunning beach and is also home to a nursery of Hectors dolphins which is the rarest dolphin species in the world. They are mostly found around the South Island of New Zealand, with a few in the North Island too, and there are only 15,000 remaining in the wild, making them classified as Nationally Vulnerable. Adults grow to only 1.5m long, also making them the smallest dolphins in the world!
We were lucky enough to see a whole pod of these dolphins playing in the sea and surfing the waves as they came into shore. They are very unique and totally different to any other dolphin species I’ve ever seen. I didn’t manage to get any photos this time round as they were a bit further out, so the video below is from a different time I saw them in Jackson Bay, Haast!
While we were walking along the beach looking for dolphins, a woman stopped us and told us there was a penguin on the rocks on the other side of the beach! We couldn’t believe that after waiting for 2 hours in the cold the night before we were now just in the right place at the right time! We raced round and sure enough there was a penguin, sadly it wasn’t the rare Hoiho penguin but a Fjordland Crested penguin but still very cool to see!
5. Take a walk to the McLean Waterfalls
The McLean waterfall is located along the Tautuku river and reaches an impressive 22m in height! It is well sign-posted and can be found 3km down a gravel track to the car park. From there it is a 800m walk through the Southland bushland, which took me 10 minutes. It is slightly steep at the end but not difficult at all, and well worth it to see the falls at the end!
6. Visit Cathedral Caves
On our second day, we started off by visiting the only paid activity on this list! The Cathedral caves costs $15 per person to visit and are located just off the main road down a long gravel track. You pay on the way into the car park and then it is a 20 minute walk down to the beach. The path is easy to follow but is slightly steep, so is harder on the way back than the way there! The two sea-formed passages together measure just over 200 metres and are up to 30 metres high in places. You can walk in one entrance, through the caves then out the other.
It is worth noting that the Cathedral caves are completely tide-reliant, so you must check their website for opening times before you go, as some days they are closed completely while on others they are still only open for 4 hours.
It is also here that we saw our first sea lion! As we were leaving, this guy came waddling down the beach, posed for his admirers and then swam off.
7. Have a look at the view from the Florence Hill lookout
As we were driving we saw a sign for this lookout and decided to pull over and were very glad we did! Sadly it was quite gloomy for us on the day we were there, but the views on a sunny day would be stunning. Definitely worth pulling over and looking out at Tautuku beach and Tahakopa Bay.
8. Have a look round Owaka town
We spent our second night in Owaka town, we originally wanted to stay at the only free camp in town but that was full so we stayed in the Catlins inn instead which was great! It was $10 per person and we got free WiFi and unlimited hot showers included so a great deal. Owaka is a funny old place, considering it is the largest town in the Catlins area there is not much to it! But there is a 4 square supermarket, petrol station and a few cafes so it does the job for one night.
9. See the sea lions at Surat Bay
About a 5 minute drive from Owaka lies Surat bay which is one of the best places to see sea lions. While we were there we saw one male snoozing on the beach and a female swam past too. As long as you keep your distance then they are totally harmless and fun to watch. New Zealand sea lions are one of the rarest sea lion species in the world, with only about 10,000 left in New Zealand and sadly are classified as Nationally Endangered.
10. Visit Nugget Point
To finish off our trip to the Catlins we visited another lighthouse. It was about a 15 minute walk along an easy path and was relatively busy. As you walk, there is lots of bird life surrounding the cliffs, fur seals and even more sea lions! Although in my opinion the lighthouse was nothing to write home about, the views from the lookout were spectacular. It was really fun to watch the sea lions swimming about and sunbathing on the rock, and we even saw another penguin! A kind stranger pointed it out to us, and it was hard to see with the naked eye but I saw it clearly with my camera and we believe it to be the rare hoiho penguin! We were very happy that on the last stop of our trip we finally saw one 🙂
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