Haere Mai ~ Welcome to The Catlins... To Te Anau & Gore Queenstown p To Dunedin u 1 (Ōtepoti) u To Dunedin NB: Minimal cellphone To Te Anau & (Ōtepoti) p coverage in The Catlins Queenstown Old Coach Route Clinton Mataura 93 Clutha River (Mata-au) Published by: Catlins Coast Incorporated 1 Balclutha a non-profit community organisation (Iwikatea) ‘Our aim is to promote The Catlins as a place to live, work and visit, and to help retain The Catlins heritage and natural history’ A donation towards the development and printing of the map would be gratefully received – Bank account number: 03-1734-0072024-00 Enquiries and additional map orders to [email protected] Clinton-Owaka Valley Road Edendale 1 Slopedown Road Romahapa Wyndham Catlins Coastal Rainforest Park WISP RANGE 1 t To Invercargill Owaka Valley Road Kaka Point (Rakitāmau) Historical shipwreck (Waihopai) Hunt Road Z site Key Eftpos & Credit Card Owaka River Tunnel (pin number required) Hill X Accommodation Tahakopa The Wisp RATA RANGE 2 0 starts/ends here and Services River Owaka Valley ATM Catlins Catlins Y Accommodation Mokoreta Maclennan River River Walk Key Township THE CATLINS River BERESFORD RANGE & Wisp 6 Nugget Point P Loop COASTAL RAIN- Owaka W Roaring (Tokatā) Localities DOC Camping Ground THE CATLINS Track FOREST PARK 10 7 4 COASTAL RAINFOREST Pounawea Bay (Hakaparāoa) FOREST RANGE Q New Haven 1 Main Highway Camping Ground Tahakopa Road PARK Tawanui 5 3 9 8 V Cannibal Bay (Ōrakiutuhia) Mataura River T THE CATLINS Mokoreta- Surat Bay Southern Scenic Route Playground COASTAL RAINFOREST PARK Jack’s Bay Heritage Trail SOUTHLAND / OTAGO 11 Falls Rd U Food MACLENNAN RANGE O aunui Jacks Blowhole Waikawa Tahakopa (Ōtemakura) Fortification Purak t To Invercargill Valley Major / sealed roads THE24hr Fuel – card only R (dedicated pin number) (Waihopai) Waikawa Minor / gravel roads River POUNAWEA Dump Station Waimahaka Valley Road THE CATLINS S W COASTAL RAINFOREST Camping grounds, bush and estuary walks. Information Centre Quarry Hills 12 Purakaunui Recycling Centre PARK Tautuku A 13 Papatowai Bay X TUNNEL HILL 18 Waikawa Waipati River i-Site Tokanui River N Short track to tunnel excavated by hand Post Shop 23 (Chaslands) River Fleming L between 1891-92 for Balclutha to Owaka I River 14 M Information Kiosks OFFICIAL VISITORS GUIDE 2021/2022 Tokanui 16 Chaslands Florence Hill Railway. Medical Centre THE CATLINS Lake WilkieLookout Long 15 K Fortrose B COASTAL H Tautuku Bay Y NUGGET POINT (Tokatā) and Museum RAINFOREST 19 17 Point Wheelchair Access 24 Niagara ROARING BAY (Hakaparāoa) PARK G Progress Valley (Irihuka) Lighthouse built in 1869. Viewing point for Waipohatu J Public Toilet Golf Course Tracks Fur Seals and Penguins. 40min return. E Cathedral Caves Public Telephone Toetoes 20 Waikawa P CATLINS RIVER – WISP LOOP TRACK Z KAKA POINT (Rakitāmau) No Dogs Haldane access may be restricted Forest and beach walk, fishing, diving and Bay Includes two 12km routes, The Catlins River Walk WiFi Otara Waikawa Chaslands Mistake and Wisp Loop Walk. The routes can be walked boating. Camping ground. No Drones Porpoise Harbour (Makati) in either direction as a 24km two day tramp or 22 DRIVE TIME IN MINUTES – distances are selected direct routes and times are indicative only Attractions Bay Curio Bay one long day tramp. DOC Campsite & picnicking. 21 The best place in The Catlins to see Mohua, a rare 105 10 30 45 90 30 50 70 40 80 55 25 30 35 Waikawa A O’NEILL WALK C F K TAUTUKU BOARD WALK native forest bird. 130 30 90 25 140 70 80 120 90 130 85 20 20 Waipapa Point 15min return. Weir’s Curio 1. Board walk to Estuary, 30min return. Q Picnicking and walks. 135 40 60 15 100 45 45 80 50 90 80 25 Tokanui D Bay 2. Historic walk, 20-60min return. TAWANUI B FORTROSE Waipapa Beach 130 20 60 40 115 50 75 95 75 120 80 Slope Point (Tumu Toka) LENZ Reserve nature walk 1hr return. R PURAKAUNUI FALLS Boating, fishing, golf and campsite. Point Slope 55 65 35 80 50 35 75 20 20 40 Purakaunui Falls L A picture of beauty. 20min return. Shipwreck only exposed at low tide. Point LAKE WILKIE 45 90 50 105 30 60 100 10 40 Pounawea Reflective and peaceful. 30min return. C WAIPAPA POINT S PURAKAUNUI BAY 65 60 20 70 50 20 60 30 Papatowai Attractive beach. DOC Campsite and picnicking. Walk to the historic lighthouse and 1881 M FLORENCE HILL LOOKOUT 35 80 40 95 20 50 90 Owaka I McLEAN FALLS Shipping disaster cemetery. F CURIO BAY (Tumu Toka) Beautiful views over Tautuku Bay. T CATLINS LAKE (Kuramea) The walk to the McLean Falls takes 125 50 70 70 105 80 Mokoreta Ancient geological site of Pull-off and lookout walk. D SLOPE POINT G under 40min return. N 71 40 15 55 70 McLean Falls international importance, the NIAGARA PAPATOWAI The Southernmost point of the South Island. Picnic Point Forest and beach walk, 40min U 100m from the sea. NB: 170 million-year-old Petrified FALLS JACKS BLOWHOLE 20 100 60 115 Kaka Point Magnificent views. Approx. 20min return. Short walk to the J CATHEDRAL CAVES return. Old Coach Road Forest Track to Moa A high tide and extremely rough sea conditions are Forest wave washed platform The caves resonate with the sound 140 50 60 Fortrose small Niagara Falls. Hunter Sites, 1hr return. DOC Campground. required for spouting to occur. 1hr return. E WAIPOHATU is accessible 2hrs either side of of the sea, 1hr return through bush 75 40 Cathedral Caves Shanks’s Bush. Nature trail 30min. A tranquil picnic area offering a 20min low tide.Living Forest walkway, H KOROPUKU and along the beach. Access may V SURAT BAY 115 Curio Bay return wheelchair bush track and a longer predecessor of the petrified FALLS be restricted. For opening times, O MATAI FALLS & RAIL TRAIL WALK A long sandy beach named after the sailing vessel Surat, Balclutha Purakaunui Falls 3hr waterfall wilderness loop track. forest, 15min return. 40min return walk. check www. cathedralcaves.co.nz Matai Falls 30min return. Rail Trail 1hr return. wrecked in 1874. Sealions. Camping Ground. Welcome... Nau mai Haere mai... CCI) (photo: Only leave your footprints; only take photographs and memories... Tēnā Koutou katoa and welcome bring fresh growth to pastures and Contents to The Catlins, a major highlight forest while strong winds shape the 2 Welcome / Nau mai Haere mai of the Southern Scenic Route. forests and raise impressive waves Situated off the beaten track, The along the coast. Come prepared to 4 Origins and Our Past Catlins encompasses the area enjoy dynamic weather conditions. 6 Wildlife between Fortrose / Kaik and Kaka 8 Walks and Natural Attractions Remember The Catlins is another Point and inland to Mokoreta. 11 Emergency information special part of New Zealand /Aotearoa You will journey through rural 12 Camping information heartland and podocarp and that has steep topography and quite 13 Activities beech forest, past rugged large distances from main cities; this means cell phone coverage is not coastlines, hidden lakes and 15 Food & Services stunning waterfalls. The natural always accessible. Plan your days, keep landscapes are enthralling and the water on hand for long drives and 17 Accommodation wildlife is extraordinary. always take note of fuel stops as they are sometimes few and far between. 22 Map The Catlins southern location Care Code (back cover) bestows upon us long summer The Catlins has many wonderful days perfect for exploring. experiences to share. Accept our Vivid sunsets and long twilight invitation and stay a few days. Meet evenings lead on to ideal star the local people and relax on gazing opportunities. Rainy days ‘Catlins time’. Tatu te Whenua – please leave the land undisturbed Be sure to visit the local information centres at Owaka, Waikawa, Tokanui, Curio Bay Tumu Toka Curioscape and Fortrose / Kaik for helpful tips and local knowledge about The Catlins area. Cannibal Bay/ Oraki-utuhia (photo: Cicell Jenks) 2 THE CATLINS OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.catlins.org.nz THE CATLINS OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.catlins.org.nz 3 stayed with us, albeit with a slight Nevertheless, the early towns Origins and our Past modification to the spelling. The thrived. Fortrose/Kaik exported boundary of The Catlins today is wool, grain and timber. Waikawa Early Māori of Kai Tahu, Kati Māori legend reverberate not all of his holdings. was a bustling port town with Mamoe, Waitaha descent were with colourful escapades of a succession of industries the first to inhabit these lands. great chiefs and large hairy The first European communities including whaling, sawmilling, Many stories and encounters are monsters of the forest known centred around short-lived gold mining, stone quarrying, etched into the fabric of this once as Maeroero. whaling stations during the flax milling, sheep and dairy forgotten coastline. Descendants 1830s. Sawmilling then became The region’s namesake was a farming. Owaka in the north are still part of this special area the sustaining industry. The ship’s captain who regularly was settled later during the keeping their ancestors’ memories prosperity of these early carried exports to Australia. 1860s and, again, sawmilling alive for the next generations. settlements relied on shipping Edward Cattlin purchased a and timber exports became big and good port access. Early Māori made use of huge tract of land from local business. the available stone and tool Māori in 1840. However, Dense forest meant an isolated By the 1920s the railway had resources on this coast. With authorities later reduced his existence and volatile seas caused arrived, Waikawa harbour had many birds including moa and claim and did not formally many shipwrecks along The Catlins silted up and coastal shipping an abundance of seafood/kai transfer title until 1873.