The Catlins - the name that conjures up images of a corner of New Zealand untainted by the modern world - a place where time has stood still and a visitor may enjoy forest, wildlife and the life-style of a bygone era. This image is a true reflection. Accidents of history have favoured protection of the Catlins and it still retains many accessible wildlife havens in its varied hill and scenic coast.Visitors to the Catlins should plan to stay at least two or three days to fully explore this very unique area with its wildlife and spectacular natural places. The Catlins is a great place to stay and enjoy, and to get a little off the beaten track!
The map below illustrates the Southern Scenic Route. The route runs from Dunedin in the North through to Invercargill in the South (passing through the Catlins) and up to Te Anau.It is clearly marked along the highway with frequent signposts. The road is now fully sealed, but is winding and narrow in places, so care must be taken.
The Catlins is a region of forest, countryside and coast between Kaka Point and Fortrose on the south-eastern corner of the South Island. Owaka, the main town, has a population of around 400 and a collection of essential shops and services. Accommodation in the Catlins area is full of local character, especially if you choose to stay in B & Bs, farmstays and self-contained cottages.
A quick history
The Catlins' first human inhabitants were Maori of the Kati Mamoe, Waitaha and Kai Tahu tribes, which today are known collectively as Ngai Tahu. No formal Maori pa (forts) were located in the Catlins, but there were many hunting camps. The area was once inhabited by giant flightless birds known as moa, and the timber of the forest was ideal for canoe construction.
European whalers arrived in the early 1800s, followed by settlers who came to farm the land and harvest the dense native forest. The area gets its name from Edward Cattlin, the ship's captain who purchased a large tract of land from local Maori in 1840. However authorities didn't formally transfer the land until 1873, a little late for Captain Cattlin who had died in Sydney 17 years earlier.
The Catlins coast has always been a challenge for mariners, and shipwreck stories abound in the area. The most tragic shipwreck occurred in 1881, when the SS Tararua struck the reef at Waipapa Point, resulting in the loss of 131 lives. It was the worst sea disaster in New Zealand’s history and led to the construction of the Waipapa Point lighthouse. Another historic lighthouse, at Nugget Point, guards the other end of the coast.
Photogenic geography
Beneath the Catlins' forest and farmland, Triassic and Jurassic sandstones and mudstones often reveal interesting fossils. At Curio Bay you'll find the petrified remains of a forest that’s over 160 million years old. The fossilised trees were closely related to modern kauri and Norfolk pine.
Another oddity is Jack's Blowhole, where a large sea cave has collapsed to leave a deep ocean-filled hole in the middle of a field. At the northern end of Waipati Beach you can walk to a series of tall sea caves - these caves are accessible two hours either side of low tide.
In most of the Catlins region the land rises sharply from the coast to the inland ranges. For this reason, many of the area's rivers pour over waterfalls as they approach the ocean. Purakaunui Falls is particularly beautiful, cascading 20 metres in three tiers. The most amusing waterfall is Niagara Falls, named by a surveyor with a sense of humour (they fall less than a metre).
Curio Bay
Curio Bay contains the remains of a fossilized Jurassic forest. At low tide, the fossil remains stretch from Curio Bay for 20 km around the coast to Slope Point and are some of the least disturbed in the world. By the late Jurassic period, New Zealand was an extensive landmass linked to nearby parts of Gondwana (Australia/Antarctica).
At that time Curio Bay was a broad floodplain flanked by active volcanoes which flooded the forests with volcanic debris. The lower parts of the trees were buried and turned to stone. The trunks that lie exposed were carried in by the flood and were partially buried. Due to the very complete nature of this process known as 'silification', the petrified wood and its texture are of an unusually high quality. It looks very much like real wood yet feels just like stone.
Curio Bay is the site of one of the world's finest fossil forests. The platform of petrified stumps, fallen trees and fern imprints are easily accessible at low tide, or can be viewed form the platform above.
