I was very excited to leave Dunedin and continue my journey south - I have no issues with Dunedin but exploring the Catlins has been a bit of an obsession for a while.

So bright and early I left the Dunedin NZMCA camp and headed off to Brighton Beach, where I had last visited about 65 years ago and from my hazy recollection nearly drowned in a small pool on the beach. So, after having a stroll on the beach, and not noticing any signs saying, “Ron almost drowned here” I decided to go to the Taieri River Mouth, and I was so pleased I did. What an awesome spot. I then went around to the Taieri Beach and even waded in the water - magic!!!

Getting somewhat lost

Having had such a great start to the drive I carried on through what I thought was the Scenic Highway to Milton. Hmmmm, it was neither scenic nor a highway. It seems that I had taken a bit of a detour that quickly turned into a narrow shingle road, up and down and around steep hills. The logging truck drivers who I saw (x3) all gave me quite strange looks, so I got the impression I was not on a well-used road. I couldn’t turn around easily so continued, hoping that at some stage I would find a sealed road, and hopefully a town.

I drove quite a few kilometres (quite a few indeed) and finally ended up about 8km from Milton. It was a relief indeed and after stopping for a refreshment I carried on to Balclutha, where I replenished my fridge and prepared myself for the next stage. I didn’t fancy staying in Balclutha, so went a few Km’s back to Kaitangata Motor Camp, where I stopped and then strolled around this historic coal mining town, It was nice and the Motor Camp had great facilities.

A day of real exploration

The next morning, I left Kaitangata and drove to the Liquid Laundromat in Balclutha. I have found that there is a really good consistency in cleanliness and capability with Liquid Laundromat, and even though I have a washing machine in my Motor Home, I tend to use that only for emergencies.

I left Balclutha about midday, fully restocked, food, water, diesel, and drove firstly to the Nugget Point Lighthouse. It was quite an easy walk, so I went right up to the Lighthouse. This visit was just outstanding and the views from the Lighthouse were staggering, but I was unable to capture this on my camera, the vista was just too large.

After Nugget Point, I drove down the Southern Scenic Highway (no detours this time) to Owaka, where I stopped at the Museum and received absolutely great service. Owaka is really at the core of the Catlins and the people there were tremendously knowledgeable and helpful. One of the recommendations they made was to drive the 8km to Pounawea, which I did. This is a fabulous campground - no affiliation with NZMCA but rates were reasonable, and the setting was majestic. I booked in for 2 nights and went for a walk around this historic site, historic for both Māori and Pakeha.

Exploring the Catlins and its history

The next morning was quite cold and blustery but there was nothing going to stop me riding my bike to Surat Bay and then Jacks Bay. So off I went, firstly to Surat Bay where I was able to negotiate my way on to the beach and ride my way around to observe the Sea Lions. There were quite a few and I ensured I didn’t disturb them, but it was really cool to stop and take some photos.

I then rode back, into a very cold blustery wind to Owaka where I visited the museum. It is really a trove of information and artefacts, and I spent a couple of hours just looking at the enormous cache of moa bones and watching videos of the more famous shipwrecks. Not to be missed. Rode to Jacks Bay but the sea was too calm for the blow hole to be active, so back to Pounawea.

Had a lovely, restful stay in Pounawea and I was really delighted with the campground, and its facilities - nice showers and clean toilets. There is also a great bush walk from the camp, through native forest, with significant bird life, to the estuary. Not a long walk but really cool.

A big day out

The next morning, I firstly drove to Florence Hill Lookout and the views were just spectacular. Note that I have only included one photo for each of the places I visited but I have more - space is at a premium for my articles

Then it was a short distance to Cathedral Caves. It is a bit of a drive in there, but I certainly was not alone - there were maybe 20 other Motor Homes/Vans. There was an entrance fee of $15 and we were given directions that said, “it’s about 30-45 minutes down to the beach, then head towards the Caves”, and “you only have a short window because the tide is coming in”. So off I went, noting that it was not just a gentle slope at times and that coming back up would be harder than going down.

The Cathedral Caves are just incredible, and it was hard picking just one of my photos to do it justice.

I had a good look around, inside and outside the cave, just contemplating about the wonder of nature and feeling so blessed that I have been able to take this trip. And then it was back up to the car park!!! It was, as I thought, significantly harder than coming down and I got my heart rate up to 138bpm. I was passed by a younger couple, but I passed a few families who were taking advantage of the rest stops. I would caution any person who is not physically active about this walk.

From there I drove to Waikawa, then to Curio Bay to see the Petrified Forest. Once again, this visit was awe inspiring and I walked the Living Forest as well as the Petrified Forest.

Unfortunately, the access to stand on the Petrified Forest was shut so I could only stand a few metres away and take pictures, rather than stand on/in a forest that existed when NZ was part of Gondwana.

Next was the ‘low point’ of the trip - a visit to Slope Point, the southernmost point of the South Island. It was great, only a shortish (20min) walk from the carpark, and I can now say that I have visited the northern, the eastern, the western and the southern points of New Zealand (main two islands).

The day concluded as I drove through Fortrose, a remarkedly pretty lagoon, and then on to the NZMCA camp in Invercargill. I did walk into the city and even had a Burger Fuel, the first takeaways I have had for months. I also did some grocery shopping and struggled to carry these items back to the park - a bit tired after walking over 16,000 steps today so slept well

Summary of my first real visit to the Catlins

The Catlins were as good, if not better than I hoped for, and I am in awe of the natural beauty of the area. It will not be the last time I come here, and I think late summer, early autumn is a really great time - not too hot, not too cold.

I am so looking forward to my next three days, EHayes, Motorcycle Mecca, Richardsons Transport Museum. I have allowed a day for each.