Catlins Rainforest - New Zealand's Unspoiled Southern Coast

Design and Photo © Rhonda Albom 2008
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The Catlins Coast is the area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand, between Balclutha and Invercargill.

The total population of the Catlins is about 1,200 and the land mass is approximately 1900 km² (730 sq mi). The climate is temperate, and cooler than other parts of New Zealand. Be sure to wear layers, as when the winds come up it can feel quite cold, and when they are gone, it can feel hot in open areas. As the Catlins are largely rainforest, you should expect some drizzle at minimum, as it rains more than half of the days spread throughout the year. Typical summer temperatures are 18-20 °C (64-68 °F), while average winter temperatures are 10-13 °C (50-55 °F). We were there in springtime and you can see the heavy coats we are wearing in many of the photos.

Waipapa Point is located at the southwestern end of the Catlins, so it was one of the first bays we arrived at as we drove from Invercargill to Balclutha. The coastline of the Catlins is notoriously dangerous, and this spot is the scene of New Zealand's worst civilian shipping disaster in 1881. In total 131 lives were lost in the wreck of the SS Tararua, while only 20 survived.

In 1884 a lighthouse began operating on the point. It is one of the last two wooden lighthouses built in New Zealand. It is still active, and was automated in 1976.

In the video we identified this area only as "this is the Southern Ocean."

Creative Commons Photo by gibler_man

Curio Bay is home to the 160 million years old petrified forest, which is easily accessible at low tide. It is internationally recognized as one of the best examples of a Jurassic fossil forest in the world. The conifers were buried by ancient volcanic mud flows and gradually replaced by silica to produce the petrified logs/fossils now exposed by the sea.

Here our girls are sitting on and pointing to a petrified log.

Design and Photo © Rhonda Albom
Available on poster as shown or on T-shirts, mugs or novelty items.

Curio Bay is also a nesting site for New Zealand's yellow eyed penguin/hoiho, arguably the rarest of penguin species, with approximately 1600 breeding pairs in the current population.

The penguins generally return to Curio Bay daily around dusk. The viewing platform is up above the cliff, and can get quite windy, so dress warm. Be sure to bring binoculars. We were too far away to get a photo, but not too far for video. Be sure to check out our video below for some really cool shots taken on this beach. I took the photo shown here at Penguin Place in Dunedin.

Across the road from Curio Bay is Porpoise Bay, where a resident pod of endangered Hector dolphins often play in the surf. Sadly, there were none the day we were there. There is also a blow hole (not the most famous one in the Catlins) which is included on the video.

Endemic to New Zealand, the Hector's dolphin is the smallest sea-living dolphin, as well as the rarest oceanic species. This small grey dolphin with black and white markings and a round dorsal fin grows no more than 1.5 m in length. Female Hector's dolphins are usually 1.2 - 1.4 metres long and weigh about 45 kilograms, males are a little smaller and weigh about 10 kilograms less than the females.

Hectors Dolphin, New Zealand Photographic Print
Hectors Dolphin, New Zealand
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Despite the cool humid weather, and the on and off rain, the hikes through the rainforest were spectacular. The rain seemed to bring out the rich green colours and the hikes we chose all lead to amazing waterfalls. We were limited to the shorter hikes, as one of our daughters was on crutches at the time. I have added photos below of two of my favorite waterfalls:

* Purakaunui Falls - the most photographed of the Catlins waterfalls.

* McLean Falls - some say is the most striking of the Catlins waterfalls.

Both of these falls can be seen in our video. The photo is our younger daughter on a path to McLean's Falls.