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.

First inhabited by the Maori people in the period 900-1700 AD, the Catlins is an area with a rich history. Captain James Cook sighted the area in 1770, but it was not until the period 1810-1830 that whalers and sealers arrived in the Catlins. The Catlins takes its name from Edward Cattlin, a ship's captain who made a land claim in the district in 1840. The first settlement of land by Europeans took place in the mid 1850's. 

Settlers arrived primarily to mill trees, the first mill being in operation around 1865. Nine timber mills were operating near the Catlins and Owaka Rivers by the 1880's. In 1877, 107 ships sailed from the Catlins area loaded with timber bound for house building in Dunedin and Christchurch. During the 1870's and 1880's many settlers took up land for farming. The farms were only 20-80 hectares and bought with state assistance. In the early 1900's, farms became larger and freehold. Since the end of the sawmilling era, the Catlins district has relied on farming as its mainstay. 

Coastal Catlins is full of interest. Here, close to the rich Sub-Antarctic feeding grounds, can be found some of the world's rarest marine animals - three penguin species (including Hoiho, the Yellow-Eyed Penguin), Hooker's Sea Lions, Hector's Dolphins, Elephant Seals, as well as New Zealand Fur Seals. Notable also are the seabirds: Mollymawks, Shags, Gannets and millions of Titi (Sooty Shearwaters). Rocky platforms carved by the sea, secret coves and sweeping beaches of gleaming, wave-combed sand are all part of the exhilarating variety of coastal scenery.