Catlins Coaster

November 23rd – Te Anau – Catlins Coaster – Dunedin

After a super early start & a shuttle bus that smiled & waved at me as I waited for it (a quick, somewhat assertive call to the Magic folk) & I was on my way from Te Anau passed deer, cattle & sheep in the fields on to a bus switch spot in Mossburn. On through towns of Winton, Waikiwi to Invercargill to hang out at the Southland Museum & Gardens & I site awaiting the Catlins Coaster bus. By the way, Invercargill is about to be inundated with motorcycle enthusiasts as this is the big Burt Munro Indian Motorcycle bike races weekend (pretty cool stuff!) Once Brian, our driver for the day, & his trainee, Josh found all 8 of us we were off. Very cool informative, guy next door type guys. Brian explained in great, humour filled detail the places we went, the wildlife we saw & the native trees & flora we saw along the way. For instance, the white bait fishing season & the huts along rivers we passed. Oh the description of the Eucalyptus Gum trees, Cabbage trees, Rimu, Southern Rata, Kamahi, & Mati along Lake Wilkie was an interesting biology lesson in itself.

Today, I saw the Great Southern Ocean which stretches all the way to the Antarctic Ice flows & the Pacific Ocean along the peninsula. I learned, although it does make sense when you think about it, that the winds along this part of NZ are all westerly winds, meaning it is often cold. These winds also sculpt the trees to grow in that direction, especially when pelted with sea salt spray (such is the case at Waipapa Point & Lighthouse). Waipapa Point with Lighthouse was erected back in the 1830’s after a horrible shipwreck of the Tararua lost 131 people only 500m offshore, one of the survivors had to walk for days, borrow a horse in order to ride in to the most local postshop to give word of the wreck. Out at Waipapa point we were able to walk down to the beach & see up close (like less than 10m away) sea lions bathing in the sun & sand. Very funny creature.

This was way more rich, green farmland COVERED with thousands of sheep, some recently sheared, some with some wool growth back & some who look like they have never been sheared.

Oh & I forgot to mention but the pictures do show just what a gorgeous, sunny blue sky filled day it was 

Places we passed along the way included:

Fortrose – an old whaling town for Southern Right & Humpback whales

Porpoise Bay – saw no porpoise or hector dolphins which are native to the area but enjoyed the roaring waves on the beach & the crushing of the surf along the rock breakpoints making for an awesome lunch spot

Curio Bay – cliffs walk down to the 170-180 million year old petrified forest encased in rock. The yellow-eyed penguins call this stretch home & we were lucky enough to see several hop up on the rocks & waddle/jump their way back up to their nests along the tree shoreline.

Waikawa – harbor for crayfishermen

Niagara Falls – yes, Brian did make us stop here & make me pose for a photo beside what is barely a trickle of water once he knew I was Canadian.



Lake Wilkie – a small lake that over thousands of years will cease to exist due to the continual growth of the Catlins Rainforest around it.

Tautuku Beach – amazing viewpoint of the lines of waves rushing in & the green cliffs in the distance dropping into the clear blue sea.

Lost Gypsy Gallery in Papatowai– small quirky shop with handmade games, puzzles & trinkets of all kinds

Purakanui Falls

Owaka – slowly reviving after the sawmill closure back in 2002

Cannibal Bay

Tunnel Hill – old railway south from Dunedin

Nugget Point & Lighthouse – green steep cliffs with roaring waves, a pod of 3 seals followed us out as we walked to the lighthouse, windswept seaweed pooling along the Nugget Rock with squawking gulls. We stood in the penguin (Maori – hoiho) hide & watch the penguins as they preened themselves before climbing the cliffs to their nests.

Balclutha – along the Clutha River, the largest in all of NZ.



Long, fun filled day & now in Dunedin at the YHA, an old hospital built in the early 1900s. Very cool building & look forward to exploring Dunedin in the next couple days.