The Catlins District starts twenty minutes drive southeast of Balclutha. Revered by eco-tourists, the Catlins is a place of awesome natural beauty. Dense forest, deep valleys, towering cliffs and rocky coastal bays, inlets, and estuaries where the great Pacific Ocean bites into the land.

It is a short drive from Balclutha to the growing seaside town of Kaka Point. Here there is a camping ground surrounded by native bush, and sheltered from the northwesterly winds. An excellent bush walk, tennis courts and a bowling green are nearby. Motels, Backpackers, other accommodation, and a store with licensed restaurant are easy to find. Kaka Point has a lifeguard service during the summer months for swimmers, and is a safe and excellent beach for surfing.

Further around the coast is the Nuggets Lighthouse, which first began operating in 1870. This is an exceptional viewing point for wildlife such as the NZ Fur Seal, NZ Sea Lion, and occasional Elephant Seal. Nearby is the aptly named Roaring Bay where you can see rare Yellow Eyed Penguins in the early morning or prior to dusk as they come and go to sea. Dogs are definitely not permitted in this unique wildlife haven.

Inland from Kaka Point, 17 kms distant, is the township of Owaka. Just before arriving in Owaka you travel over Tunnel Hill. A short walk leads you into the southern most railway tunnel in New Zealand, excavated by hand in 1891-1892. The tunnel is 807 feet long and required 2,000 cubic yards of bricks, which were made on a site close by.

Just a short distance down the road on the left is the turnoff to Cannibal Bay. This is a great beach to observe NZ Sea Lions close up - but no closer than 25 metres! Walk to the end of the beach and over the sand dunes to Surat Bay where the sailing ship "Surat" was wrecked on New Years Day in 1874. Sea Lions haul ashore in this bay also and they frequently spend time in the sand dunes so take care if you venture off the beach!

Owaka is the service town for farming, forestry, and rapidly growing tourism. There is a range of accommodation options available in and around the township. Backpackers, Motels, Farmstays, self-contained Cottages, Hotel and at nearby Pounawea, two excellent camping grounds. For eating out there are two diners, licensed restaurant, and hotel. Services include a garage, medical centre, pharmacy, and a supermarket. Owaka has a caf'e of the Internet variety, and the unique Catlins Quilt shop. Please note that Owaka has no banking facilities. Most shops there have EFTPOS and accept credit cards for purchases, but the closest banks & ATM services are in Balclutha, Gore or Invercargill.

The Catlins district offers a diverse range of walking and tramping tracks, sea and river fishing, superb photographic opportunities, bird watching, spectacular waterfalls and coastal scenery, boating, and some rare and interesting wildlife. Or you could simply relax, or have a game of bowls, golf, or swim in the heated swimming pool!

When you arrive in Owaka make your first stop the Catlins Information Centre located in the Department of Conservation building opposite the Catlins Inn. The Centre is operated by the Clutha District Council with information on Tourism Service Providers and large scale map available in the entranceway opposite the Catlins Inn for after-hours access.

The Information Officer will help you plan your trip and accommodation as you travel through the Catlins on the Southern Scenic Route. A number of tourist operators conduct guided trips of the Catlins so if you wish to sit back and enjoy the scenery whilst someone else does the driving and informative commentary, just ask at the Information Centre for details. If you are interested in the local history a visit to the Catlins Museum is a must do.

The closest camping grounds to Owaka are located at Pounawea just 4 kms away.
The veteran flat-bottomed scow  "Portland" moored in the Owaka River, rises and falls on the tides as you approach Pounawea. This is another great holiday spot with good trout fishing in the Catlins River, and for the mouth-watering flounder in the estuary. There are walks, picnic areas, and a children's play ground right on the waterfront. A great facility for large groups is the Keswick Park Camping and Convention Centre at Pounawea. The Pounawea Camping Ground is located adjacent to the scenic reserve and estuary, which offer great bird watching opportunities.

Jacks Blowhole is a 30-minute walk over farmland and is best viewed at high tide and rough seas. The tunnel is 200 metres from the sea, the hole itself being 55 metres deep. There is nothing else like this in New Zealand. Please respect the access over private farmland and leave gates as you find them.

Want a longer tramp in the Catlins Bush? 22kms from Owaka is the Tawanui picnic and camping area (clearly signposted off the Southern Scenic Route), and a starting point for the Catlins River Walk. The 5 hour one way track has swing bridges, access to the river to catch that fresh trout for tea, and as a bonus the keen observer will likely see Mohua (Yellowhead), Fantails, Bellbird, and many more native birds.
In January each year the Owaka Lions Club holds "Catlins Woodstock" adjacent to the Tawanui Road with bands and music for all ages.

As you travel south down the Southern Scenic Route, venture off to take in the beautiful Purakaunui Bay with its awesome cliffs and sweeping sandy beach. This is a popular camping spot in the summer holidays. Around the coast is Long Point, resting place for the ship Manuka which struck the Point in 1929. This is a great sea fishing area but as always around water, and especially the sea, extreme care is required!

The next stop is a must do! It is a short bush walk with great birdlife, to see the most photographed water fall in New Zealand, Purakaunui Falls. Linger a while and enjoy the majesty of the falls. From here travel back onto the Southern Scenic Route and to Matai Falls. There used to be a sizeable township here in years gone, but today little remains but these falls, which resemble a bridal veil. See if you can spot the remains of the Catlins Branch railway as you travel south - most of the track formation remains today.

On leaving Matai Falls drive southwards through rolling countryside to the old sawmilling township of McLennan and onto the popular coastal settlement of Papatowai. For many visitors this is a great central location for their holiday and exploration of the Catlins. At Papatowai you will find an excellent camping ground, Motels, Backpackers and self contained cottages to suit your accommodation needs.
The local store sells fuels at both ends of the scale, petrol for the car and a bottle store for the parched!

Papatowai provides great family entertainment with the "Big Dig" and sports day on the last day of the year, concluding with the big bang on New Years Eve! Easter is another fun weekend for locals and visitors alike. Around Papatowai there is a good fishing for the fly or sea fisherman. There are some great walking tracks in the area including one, which takes visitors to a Moa Hunters campsite.

Continuing south from Papatowai the sealed road becomes loose metal (gravel), so extra care and less speed is required. Florence Hill lookout is a must stop to take in the spectacular views of Tautuku Bay and Peninsula to the south, and Tahakopa Bay and Long Point to the north. Below the lookout is the magnificent Tautuku Beach, nature walk, extensive native forest, picnic area, and toilets, Tautuku Outdoor Education Centre, and Lenz Reserve Tautuku Lodge complex. The Education Centre and Tautuku Lodge offer excellent accommodation for small or large groups.

Lake Wilkie is a 20-minute walk and boardwalk around the edge of this delightful feature. Take your camera on this walk (as with all the other places to visit in the Catlins), for you might get reflections at any time of the year, or, in summer the Southern Rata flowers in the surrounding bush. The nearby Lenz Reserve is an excellent place for nature lovers. Native Wood Pigeons are prolific in this area, whilst adjacent to this private reserve on the other side of the Southern Scenic Route, you can follow the boardwalk out to the Tautuku River estuary and maybe sight the elusive Fernbird.

38 kms south of Owaka you will find the turnoff to Cathedral Caves. These can only be entered at low tide. Remember you must walk down the track through the bush from the carpark and along the beach to the caves - this will take around 30 minutes. Check out the sweeping Waipati Beach for wildlife on your way to the caves. A torch is essential to explore the caves lest you step on a Seal or Sea Lion! Heed the advice of the attendant at the caves carpark, it is for your safety!

Barely a kilometre south of the caves turnoff you will see the sign to McLean Falls on your right. From the carpark at the end of Rewcastle Road it is a pleasant 30 minute walk to McLean Falls, said by some to be more impressive than Purakaunui Falls.

Retracing your journey on Rewcastle Road rejoin the Southern Scenic Highway through the Chaslands with bush down to the roadsides and back onto the sealed road.
Leaving the bush turn left at the major intersection and travel onwards to Waikawa and Curio Bay. The stumps and fallen trees of the worlds finest fossil forest 160 million years old lie uniquely preserved, and exposed on a rock platform at low tide at Curio Bay. Leave the fossil forest undisturbed for others to enjoy in perpetuity.

Adjacent to this world significant jurassic identity there is a camping ground and store. Here also is access to Porpoise Bay, a swimming beach where Hectors Dolphin are regular visitors. Other wildlife are likely to be seen in this area. Call into the Dolphin Information Centre at Waikawa for some expert local knowledge and directions.

Travelling further south, visit Slope Point and Weirs Beach, the southern most point of the South Island. The last stop on the Southern Scenic Route is to the Waipapa Point lighthouse, and scene of New Zealand's worst shipping disaster in 1881. 131 souls died when the ship "Tararua" was wrecked just offshore.

There is good accommodation in this area catering for most requirements with Backpackers, Farm Stays, Self-Contained Cottages and Bed and Breakfast.

Your journey through the Catlins began and ends at a lighthouse, between which there is a diversity of wildlife, scenery, activity and opportunity for the energetic, and not so energetic. So take time out to enjoy the Catlins.

The Catlins, more than just a drive, naturally!