The Catlins Forest Park:

After being in New Zealand for roughly 8 months, we have been able to see a good majority of the places that we’ve wanted to. Of course, there are always more roads untravelled, an endless amount of hikes and adventures to do, and a few other harder to reach places that we still hope to see before leaving, but luckily that list seems to be getting smaller the more adventures that we do.

The last one of these areas that we recently crossed off of our list was the Catlins. This is an area in the south-east corner of New Zealand that lies on the coast. It’s covered in rainforest, has very impressive waterfalls, and some really incredible beaches and coastline.

This trip was particularly special for Hilary and I because we were joined by two of our good friends from Canada, Riley and Bronwyn, who were in New Zealand visiting for a few weeks.

Also, you might know this already, but I f’ing love maps. I haven’t figured out why this is yet, but I couldn’t help myself from making a map with the driving route and all of our favourite spots in the Catlins. You can scroll around on the map and open it up in a new window if you want to have a better look.

A Quick Video from the Catlins:

I am interrupting the regularly scheduled programming to bring you a brief announcement. I’m just kidding, I just heard someone say that on T.V. once and thought it sounded appropriate here. I really just wanted to show you a quick video that I made after editing some video that I took with my quad while we were in the Catlins, but I wasn’t sure how to fit it into the post. As you can see, what I resorted to probably wasn’t the most effective way. Especially because I’ve now had to write about 4 or 5 sentences explaining what’s happening. Anyways, feel free to ignore everything that you just read above. Unless you’ve already read it, then it’s probably too late. So instead, just warn your friends and family of the pitfall that is this paragraph so that they can detour around it and get straight to the video. Anyways, let’s stop this nonsense. Without further ado:

Where to Stay While You’re in the Catlins:

Before I get into the really cool things that you can see in this area, I’ll quickly tell you about where to stay. On either side of the catlins there are two towns, one called Invercargill, and another called Balclutha. Neither are very nice towns so I wouldn’t plan to stay at either unless you have to. Instead, there are a few nicer locations within the Catlins area instead.

First off, we stayed for two nights, one on either side of the area. I think that this is a good way to do it, and two nights is definitely enough, although more time is always nice if you want to stretch things out a bit.

But, carrying on, we stayed one night at Curio Bay (in an Airbnb) and another in Kaka point at the motor camp (which has cabins if you don’t have a tent or campervan). This is a good way to do it because there is lots to explore in either of these two places and then about a day’s worth of places to visit between them.

The 8 Best Things to See and Do in the Catlins:

The Catlins area is a definite must-see in New Zealand and here is a quick list of my favourite things in the area that you can’t miss:

1. Curio Bay and the Petrified Forest:

Curio Bay is on the western side of the Catlins and this is where we stayed for our first night (you can also do this trip in the reverse direction if you wanted). We stayed in a really cool house that we rented from airbnb that overlooked the bay and was surrounded by rolling green fields.

This is one of the first things to see when you’re entering the Catlins from the west (or the last thing if you’re coming from the east), and there are a few things to check out in this small area.

Look, another map!

There is a large bay called Porpoise Bay which has a long stretching sandy beach. There isn’t a ton to see at Porpoise Bay, but it’s a great place for a walk or to hang out if the weather is hot.

Curio Bay itself is quite small, but is a good place to possibly see some marine life like yellow-eyed penguins or seals.

The petrified forest is just beside Curio Bay and is really cool to explore. There is a walkway down the cliffs which takes you to a large rock outcropping. It doesn’t look like much from afar but when you get closer you can see the petrified remains of tree stumps and fallen logs. Meanwhile, all around you there are waves crashing on the rocks and cliffs. It’s quite a dramatic spot and is definitely worth some time.

2. McLean Falls:

Our next stop heading east was McLean Falls. It’s an easy 30 or 40 minute walk roundtrip and is really spectacular. The falls are set in a really tight canyon that is covered in green mosses and trees.

The first section of the waterfall that you see is right at the bottom of the tight canyon where the water pours over a couple of steps before becoming the gentle river flowing through boulders and fallen logs.

The path continues further and takes you up a steep incline where you reach the top section of the waterfall. Here the waterfall flows over a wide band of rocks in a series of steps. And above this is the main waterfall which drops into a large pool. It’s a bit tricky to get to the base of this one, but it is possible with a bit of scrambling.

There are a ton of waterfalls in the Catlins, but if you’re short on time and only want to check out a few of them, McLean falls should be at the top of the list.

3. Florence Hill Lookout:

There is a really nice roadside lookout just before reaching the town of Papatowai that is worth a quick stop. Unfortunately, I didn’t even think to take any pictures so I can’t show you first hand, but I’ll leave it as a surprise for you and you’ll have to stop for yourself to see what it’s like.

4. The Lost Gypsy Gallery:

We actually never managed to stop here on our trip through because it was closed, but I’ve heard from people that it’s worth a stop. It supposedly costs $5 to check out and is right along the edge of the road in a small town called Papatowai. I won’t try to explain it because I’ve never actually been, but I found a really cool video about it that I’ve attached below for you to check out.

5. Purakaunui Falls:

Yet another waterfall to check out in the Catlins! Again, if you’re short on time (or you don’t quite have the waterfall fever like some of us…) then you might only want to check out a few of these. If that’s the case, then McLean Falls and Purakaunui above are the most spectacular.

It’s a really quick walk from the parking lot to the falls through thick forest. You then get to a viewing platform at the top of the falls where you can see the water tumble over a couple of tiers.

Then the path continues and you reach another viewing platform at the bottom. It was winter when we were here and we were in a bit of a rush to get to the next place before it got dark, but on a warm summer day with lots of time this would be an awesome place to explore further. I would have loved to take my shoes off and wander around in the water to get pictures from lots of different angles.

6. Cannibal Bay:

It’s a bit of a long drive on a fairly rough road to reach Cannibal Bay, but worth it in my opinion. It’s not really a beach where you would stay around and play in the sand all day because it’s quite hard packed, but it’s great for walking around.

The beach is one of my favourite in the Catlins as it’s quite secluded with cool scenery around.

7. Tunnel Hill:

There isn’t much to see at Tunnel Hill, other than the tunnel. Which is an old section of the railway that goes straight through a hillside. It reminds me a lot of the Karangahake Gorge Tunnel that we visited on the north island, but was a lot shorter of a walk to get to.

I tend to have a fascination with underground caves and tunnels for some reason, which I’m not sure if everyone shares, so if you do too, then you should definitely make this a stop. It’s immediately beside the main road through the Catlins and only takes about 10 minutes to walk to so I think it’s a great place to check out quick.

8. Nugget Point Lighthouse:

Finally, this is the one that I’ve been waiting to tell you about. It is definitely the highlight of a trip to the Catlins and was my favourite attraction. We stayed our second night in the Catlins at the nearby Kaka Point Motor Camp, which meant that we were only about a 15 minute drive from the lighthouse.

With awesome weather, clear skies, and no wind, this meant that we were able to get out to the lighthouse for sunset, middle of the night, and sunrise. Yep, three separate visits to the lighthouse in the span of about 12 hours.

It might seem like too much, but it was completely worth it! On our first visit to the lighthouse, we had been driving across the Catlins all morning and afternoon checking out beaches and waterfalls and it was beginning to get dark when we were getting close to the lighthouse. There was some colour beginning to appear in the sky and the light was fading and we thought that we were too late. We parked and rushed along the path to the lighthouse and made it in time to catch the last of the sunset.

Luckily, there was no wind and the sky was quite clear, and even though the sun was setting behind us, the colours spread all the way around the horizon.

One tricky thing about Nugget Point is that the waves are continuously crashing all around and there is a thick mist that hover all around. This means that you get a lot of mist and condensation on your lenses and gear which you have to keep wiping off.

The other thing to know about Nugget Point, is that there is a small trail up the hillside to your right as you’re walking towards the point where you can climb up the ridge to get a better vantage point. There are signs saying that you do so at your own risk, but the vantage that you get from above is really cool!

So after our sunset visit, we checked ourselves into the Kaka Point Campground and hung around a bit to warm up and rest. Around 10:00PM we then loaded up again and headed back to the lighthouse. Because it was winter, it was completely dark and very cold. But, it was one of those rare occasions where there was no wind, the moon had set so it was complete darkness, and there were no clouds in the sky to hide the stars. So even though it was difficult to head out into the cold again after a long day, it was totally worth it.

Then, about 6 hours after getting home from our night-time adventure, Riley and I woke up early to head back out to Nugget Point to catch the sunrise.

So even though 3 trips to Nugget Point might be a bit overkill, if you’re planning a trip to the Catlins, make sure that you have this place on your list and set aside some time to catch at least a sunset or sunrise here as it really is phenomenal!

Other Places to Check out in the Catlins:

Just like with any trip, there were some things that we had to skip, but I’ve made a small list so that you can hopefully include them on your trip through. Places like Slope Point and Cathedral Caves were closed for the season, and some of the other waterfalls we decided to skip because we were a bit short on time. But…if you’re in the Catlins during the summer season or want an extra dose of waterfalls, then you should check these out:

• Cathedral Caves
• Slope Point (The southernmost point of the South Island)
• Matai and Horseshoe Falls
• Waipapa Lighthouse

And, if you still want some more info, check out this link to backpacker guide for more info on this area.