← Dunedin Marathon·2 nights

The Catlins: Two Nights on the Wild South Coast

A remote coast of rainforest, waterfalls, lighthouses and a fossil forest, where sea lions sleep on the beaches and the roads are nearly empty in spring.

Duration2 nights
TransitAbout 1 hour 30 minutes by car south of Dunedin via Balclutha
DepartsDunedin

After the Dunedin Marathon: The Catlins

The Route: Dunedin → Balclutha → Nugget Point → Owaka → Curio Bay → Invercargill or Dunedin Logistics: Hire car. About 1 hour 30 minutes to Nugget Point, on sealed roads through the region. Marathon Month: September Duration: 2 nights

Dunedin ──(approx. 1 hr, SH1)──> Balclutha ──(approx. 30 mins)──> Nugget Point ──(20 mins)──> Owaka
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                                             Curio Bay ◄──(approx. 1 hr, Southern Scenic Route)───┘
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   Invercargill Airport (IVC) ◄──(approx. 1 hr 20 mins)   or   Dunedin Airport (DUD) ◄──(approx. 2 hrs 15 mins)

The Dunedin Marathon ends at Emerson's Brewery in mid-September. South of the city, the Catlins cover the corner of the South Island between the Clutha River and Invercargill: a thinly populated coast of podocarp rainforest, river mouths and headlands, where sea lions come ashore on the beaches. It is quiet all year and very quiet in September. That is part of its appeal.

September in the Catlins is early spring, and the weather is cold, wet and windy as often as it is fine. Pack for winter. Some businesses and seasonal attractions reduce their hours or close until October; the Cathedral Caves, reached through private land at low tide, are usually closed over the winter months, so check before planning around them. The waterfalls, full after winter rain, are at their best.

Drive south from Dunedin on State Highway 1 to Balclutha, then follow the Southern Scenic Route towards the coast. Fuel up in Balclutha or Owaka; stations are few.

Night One: Nugget Point and Owaka

Nugget Point, Tokatā in Māori, is a headland ending in a string of rocky islets, with a white lighthouse of 1870 above them. The walk from the car park to the lighthouse is about 900 m each way on a gravel path cut into the side of the headland, with a gradual rise and a steep drop to the sea on one side. Fur seals and sea lions haul out on the rocks below.

Purakaunui Falls, inland from Owaka, drops over three tiers of rock in the forest. The walk from the car park is about 10 minutes each way on a well-made track through beech and podocarp forest, with steps down to the viewing platform at the end.

Owaka, the Catlins' main village, has a museum on the area's Māori and settler history and a handful of places to stay and eat.

Night Two: Curio Bay

Curio Bay, at the southern end of the Catlins, holds one of the world's best-preserved fossil forests: stumps and fallen logs of trees that grew about 180 million years ago, in the Jurassic period, now turned to stone and exposed on the rock platform at low tide. It is reached by steps from the car park, then flat, uneven rock. Yellow-eyed penguins sometimes come ashore here in the evening; stay well back and follow the rangers' signs.

Next door, Porpoise Bay is a sheltered sweep of sand where Hector's dolphins are sometimes seen, more often in the warmer months.

Where to stay: Motels and cottages in Owaka and Kaka Point are the most practical bases for the first night. Near Curio Bay, a few self-contained cottages and holiday parks serve the south of the region; book ahead, as choices are limited.

Where to eat: Owaka has a café-bar and a small general store; outside the villages there is almost nothing, so carry food for the day. Evening meals are often best arranged at the place you are staying.

Getting Home

From Curio Bay, Invercargill Airport (IVC) is about 1 hour 20 minutes west, with flights to Christchurch and Auckland. Dunedin Airport (DUD) is about 2 hours 15 minutes back up the coast. Leave in daylight: the Catlins roads are narrow and winding, with stock and wildlife on them at dusk.