Catlins coast

 

The Catlins coast has a mix of stunning coast and lush rain forest and isolated beaches. Our first stop was the historic Waipapa Lighthouse at Waipapa Point. It's the sight of NZ largest civilian shipwreck. In 1881  131 of the 151 passengers lives were lost on the SS Tararua on Waipapa reef. Today we were the only ones there and a lone sea lion surfing in the waves below.  What  an isolated life the lighthouse keeper and his wife must have had, there is nothing for miles. 

We could see a big front rolling in to add to the dramatic location.  

On a sunny day the little sheltered beach directly below the light would be lovely, you'd just have to watch out for territorial seals. 

There's a lot of big sky on this coast, surfies must love it down here. 

Onwards to Slope Point.  This beats Bluff and is New Zealand's most southern point on the south island. It's a stunning mix of golden tussock grass, deep blue sea and sheer cliff faces that are constantly being carved and shaped by the high seas. 

The winds must be fierce here, the trees are all sloping in the direction of the prevailing wind. 

Onwards to Curio Bay - another absolute stunner of a place.  Once you get your eye in you can see that as you walk along the rocky tidal pools that your are walking on a petrified forest. 

The ancient fossil forest dates back 180 million years. It is now home to the little yellow eyed penguin who nest here  and during summer if you are lucky you could spot the rare Hector's dolphin. No show on the wildlife for us today,  spotting the fossil forest everywhere you looked was incredible. 

By this point we were ready for a coffee break and each little settlement we approached we had high hopes for a cafe but no luck.   We kept exploring the little beach tracks and found an old wharf at Waikawa bay tucked away - beautiful spot. 

Still no coffee but time to stretch our legs and explore the Tautauku estuary. Stunning, large estuary with the most amazing amount of sea snails and crabs I've ever seen in an estuary. This must be  a wading birds paradise.  

In a 'blink and you'll miss it' settlement of Niagra Falls we found the best coffee spot on the Catlins coast. It looked to be in an old school house which has been turned into a cafe and gardens - a peacful haven with the most beautiful garden setting out back.  Home made bread, eggs from the farm, the best carrot cake in the south island, a gem of a spot. The settlement was named by a wag of a surveyor who found a small waterfall up the road, hence Niagra falls. 

Coffee and food on board the Catlins coast road was calling. We stopped at the top of Florence Hill and looked back to the spectacular Tautuku Bay. 

A bit further along we came to the little settlement of Pounawea. Again another river estuary that leads to a large basin that is home to several species of wading birds. 

We spotted several Dotteral and Spoonbills that were far off in the estuary.  A perfect spot for them as not much human intervention to destroy their magnificent habitat. 

Our final stop for the day was Owaka. It is the heart of the Catlins coast with a local pub, a couple of cafe's, a book shop and believe it or not an amazing interior design and gift store. The store ships to all over New Zealand and had some beautiful stock... a bit like a little version of Martinborough but southern styles.   

Obviously some quirky folks in Owaka, check out the teapot front garden...where all good teapots go to retire. 

The most unusual sight of the day goes to the gal riding on the back of the ute around some winding country roads holding on to the dog... southern styles :)