The Catlins
It is a marvelous trip from Wanaka through to the Catlins. The roads are windy and at times quite narrow, but the scenery is fabulous, particularly around Alexandra. Sadly, as driver, you do not have much chance to fully admire it. In five hours you go from the mountains and lakes of Wanaka and Queentown, through gorges with fascinating , colourful rocky outcrops , through the fertile, rather arid area of Alexandra, to the lush native forests of the Catlins. It is an ever-changing spectacle, along with ever-changing weather.
As expected, we arrived at our cute little cottage in Papatowai in rain. No worries! The garden looked so green and the tui song welcomed us, despite the dampness! The little batch, self-contained holiday home was really comfortable and only a short walk from the lovely Papatowai Estuary. I have auch happy memories of that place. We camped next to the estuaty in our campervan with Mark and David when they were just one and two and a half years old. Although it rained 10 out of 12 days, we had a brilliant time there enjoying the coast and the forests, which we often visited to get out of the rain. The dense bush and towering native trees provide a pretty good umbrella and waterfalls are at their very best!
Curio Bay was magnificent as always, the ominous dark clouds providing dramatic contrast to the golden sands and blue sea. The sea was extraordinarily rough after galeforce winds the previous night, so the waves smashing into the rocks and their spray spewing high above the rocks was just spectacular to watch.
The petrified forest in the next bay always captivates me. To think how many millions of years these trees have been around and yet we can still walk among them, even on them ( I try to avoid that), is incredible. We are so priviledged to be able to see this so close up.
Of course, there are plenty of little places to stop, walk and enjoy.
By the time we found a fantastic place to have our pocnic, the sun was venturing out from behind the clouds. The beaches around there are amazing, with their long stretches of golden sands and wonderful patterns from the streams and tides.
After the heavy downpours the day before, the Purakanui Falls were at their very best. They may not be very big by other standards but they are so attractive, so delicate, and their surroundings are truly wonderful.
The Catlins has some very quirky little towns, like Owaka, where I spotted this unique library.
The seal pups were just so cute.
Of course, even though I have seen them many a time, I always have to visit Moeraki boulders. I love them. I would just love to know how they got there. There seemed to be a couple of new ones by the cliffs, making me wonder how many more are hidden under the soil.
J. 
A great trip, culminating in an evening visit to the Blue Penguin colony. We saw about 175 of these little penguins, only 30cm tall, brave the massive crashing waves to jump ashore after their long day at sea. It was a fantastic visit. A perfect way to finish!
As expected, we arrived at our cute little cottage in Papatowai in rain. No worries! The garden looked so green and the tui song welcomed us, despite the dampness! The little batch, self-contained holiday home was really comfortable and only a short walk from the lovely Papatowai Estuary. I have auch happy memories of that place. We camped next to the estuaty in our campervan with Mark and David when they were just one and two and a half years old. Although it rained 10 out of 12 days, we had a brilliant time there enjoying the coast and the forests, which we often visited to get out of the rain. The dense bush and towering native trees provide a pretty good umbrella and waterfalls are at their very best!
Even though the forecast the next dayl was not so good and dark clouds hung over the hills, we set off southwards to Curio Bay. It was a good choice because we seemed to skirt the bad weather. We would arrive in a shower, wait a moment for the clouds to drift away, walk in fine but chilly and windy weather and then get back into the car as the next downpour arrived.
Curio Bay was magnificent as always, the ominous dark clouds providing dramatic contrast to the golden sands and blue sea. The sea was extraordinarily rough after galeforce winds the previous night, so the waves smashing into the rocks and their spray spewing high above the rocks was just spectacular to watch.
The petrified forest in the next bay always captivates me. To think how many millions of years these trees have been around and yet we can still walk among them, even on them ( I try to avoid that), is incredible. We are so priviledged to be able to see this so close up.
Of course, there are plenty of little places to stop, walk and enjoy.
Next day, with dark clouds around us once again, we headed north to Kaka Point lighthouse. On arrival, it poured for a couple of minutes and then cleared for just long enough to walk to the lighthouse and enjoy the truly stunning views along the coastline.
By the time we found a fantastic place to have our pocnic, the sun was venturing out from behind the clouds. The beaches around there are amazing, with their long stretches of golden sands and wonderful patterns from the streams and tides.
After the heavy downpours the day before, the Purakanui Falls were at their very best. They may not be very big by other standards but they are so attractive, so delicate, and their surroundings are truly wonderful.
The Catlins has some very quirky little towns, like Owaka, where I spotted this unique library.
I love the little-known and little-visited Moeraki lighthouse walkway. The views are sensational in every direction.
And there is wildlife aplenty. It was pretty difficult to walk on the cliffs because there were sleeping seals everywhere, and down on the beaches too.
The seal pups were just so cute.
Of course, even though I have seen them many a time, I always have to visit Moeraki boulders. I love them. I would just love to know how they got there. There seemed to be a couple of new ones by the cliffs, making me wonder how many more are hidden under the soil.
J. A great trip, culminating in an evening visit to the Blue Penguin colony. We saw about 175 of these little penguins, only 30cm tall, brave the massive crashing waves to jump ashore after their long day at sea. It was a fantastic visit. A perfect way to finish!
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