If you’re planning to visit the Catlins, this post is for you. This is the step-by-step account of my Catlins itinerary that’ll help you plan your perfect trip.
You’ll learn:
- Which Catlins waterfalls are worth visiting.
- Important info about visiting the Catlins in the winter.
- The best time to visit Curio Bay.
And a whole lot more!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1, About The Catlins
2. Map of the Catlins Attractions
3. Catlins Itinerary (Short Version)
4. Catlins Itinerary (Long Version)
5. FAQs About Visiting the Catlins
1. ABOUT THE CATLINS
At Nugget Point
WHAT ARE THE CATLINS?
The Catlins are a sparsely populated region in the Southeastern corner of the South Island between Balclutha and Invercargill. The coastline has everything from large cliffs to sandy beaches with some hosting wildlife residents including seals, and the rare yellow-eyed penguin.
There’s also the rainforest covering the rolling hills throughout the region. Relying more on the farming and forestry industry rather than tourism it’s fair to say that the Catlins are off the tourist trail.
As the area is only 1,900 sq. km, it’s easy to do a Catlins road trip with a quiet highway through the region that the main attractions are never far away from.
If you want to learn more about the history of the region, this page is a great introduction.
WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN THE CATLINS?
For tourists, the most popular attractions in the Catlins are:
- waterfalls
- Curio Bay
- Nugget Point
- Cathedral Cave
As you’ll see later in this post, there are some other interesting things to do in Catlins.
2. MAP OF THE CATLINS ATTRACTIONS ETC.
Clicking on the image of the map below will open it up in a new window where you can click and scroll around.
3. CATLINS ITINERARY (SHORT VERSION)
***Waterfalls, hiking, galleries, wildlife, beaches.
***Ease of the trip
***camping in the Catlins
CATLINS ITINERARY: DAY ONE
- Started in Fortrose
- Waipohatu Walk
- Curio Bay
- Niagara Falls
- Koropuku Falls
- McLean Falls
- Stayed at Whistling Frog Resort
CATLINS ITINERARY: DAY TWO
- Cathedral Caves
- Lake Wilkie
- The Lost Gypsy Gallery
- Matai Falls
- Purakaunui Falls Track
- Barrs Falls
- Teapot Garden
- Tunnel Hill Track
- Nugget Point
- Stayed at Hillview Camp Site & Backpackers
This Catlins itinerary is based on my experience of travelling with a friend, Nina in a campervan. We didn’t have a specific budget but are both are on the side of budget travellers. We didn’t do much planning in advance, but knew we weren’t going to rush through it.
We spent a full two days in the Catlins as we spent the night at both the start and finish of the main road through the Catlins.
4. CATLINS ITINERARY TRIP REPORT
How cool is nature!
We arrived in Fortrose on the outskirts of the Catlins the day before starting the trip. Depending on how long your trip is, you might need to drive 3-4 hours to get to reach The Catlins so unless you’re visiting one of the cities nearby (Bluff, Invercargill, etc), you’ll need to add a travel day onto your Catlins itinerary.
We stayed the night at Moray Terrace freedom campsite which was okay. Nothing fancy, but that’s what you expect when freedom camping. There’s a little walk called the Cliffs of Fortrose you can wander to from the campsite.
DAY ONE
Top Highlights: Waipohatu Waterfalls walk, Curio Bay, Koropuku Falls, McLean Falls.
Lowlights: Niagara Falls.
The two glorious Waipohatu Falls (can you see me?)
Day one of our Catlins road trip started ominously with steady rain. Hoping for the rain to pass mid-morning, we went to Fortrose Cafe and Restaurant (recommended). Thankfully the rain did ease off so mid-morning we were off to the Waipohatu walk.
The Waipohatu walk was the longest hike (when does a walk become a hike?) of the trip. It took 45 minutes (each way) to walk the (muddy at times) trail to reach the waterfalls (one way). Luckily for you, the two waterfalls are close to each other. They’re both awesome!
The Catlins are off the beaten path as it is, and these waterfalls felt even further off the beaten path.
Next up, Slope Point, with its claim as the most southern point of the South Island. It’s a bit of a gimmick, but satisfying all the same! The walk takes 10-15 minutes to reach the cliche sign where you’ll see the cliffs plunging into the ocean.
If you’re short on time, you can skip this, but I really enjoyed trying to stay upright in the super strong winds!
Looking out over Curio Bay’s Petrified Forest
Next up, a popular Catlins Attraction, Curio Bay. Most come to see the rare yellow-eyed penguins, but we hadn’t planned things quite so well and found ourselves here in the middle of the afternoon. It turns out the penguins return to shore at dusk, meaning no penguin viewing for us.
There’s the petrified forest here to. For me, it’s not wow-worthy as we struggled to distinguish the rocks from the logs. There’s a short walk through a forest, but nothing to write home about. Surfing in Porpoise Bay (next to Curio Bay) is also popular and would be epic if dolphins are about (this photo will convince you). But with the strong winds, we weren’t sticking around.
If it was a nice day, you could easily spend a half-day here and if you want to see the penguins, you might want to book accommodation near Curio Bay.
Up next, the silly Niagara Falls. They’re a short drive off the main road, but wow you’ve got to have a silly sense of humour to appreciate these. There’s the most subtle of bumps in the flow of the water that constitute the falls, and of course, the Niagara Falls Cafe works the name too. Give it a miss.
A nice discovery along the side of the road (Koropuku Waterfall)
As we were making our way toward McLean Falls, Nina saw a sign for the Koropuku Falls. The trailhead is located on the main road through the Catlins, with a 15-minute walk to the waterfall. There was no one else here which was unfortunate as Nina fell in the waterfall while trying to balance on a log. The walk does cross some streams and is slippery in some points. So while worth it, you need to be careful and wear proper footwear.
Our last stop for the day was McLean Falls. After the 15-20 minute walk through the forest, you’ll be facing the 22 metre waterfall with several viewing points. You can even get right to the top of the falls by scrambling steep tracks on the right-hand side of the falls as you’re looking at them. It’s not what I’d call safe, safe though.
Do check this page to ensure the track to the falls is open. Definitely worth a visit!
We stayed on a powered site at Whistling Frog Resort. It’s a popular option given it’s close to both McLean Falls and Cathedral Caves.
Tips:
- There aren’t too many petrol stations throughout the region, so give a little through to where you’ll fill up (the Campermate and/or Gasly apps are helpful).
- If you’re planning to buy food to make your own meals, there are limited supermarkets in the region.
- Organise your day so you can see the penguins arriving at sunset in Curio Bay.
DAY TWO
Highlights: Cathedral Cave, Lost Gypsy Gallery, Nugget Point, and Purakaunui Falls.
Lowlights: Barr Falls, Lake Wilkie.
The most famous Catlins waterfall.
We started day two early, being one of the first to arrive at the Cathedral Cave carpark. The caves are epic, even if we weren’t expecting the 30-minute walk to reach them (part forest and part beach walk).
They are 30 metres high, which is massive when you’re standing in front of them. Because the waves come into the caves at high tide, there’s only a narrow window you can visit them based on the tide timetable. Definitely worth a visit and paying the $10 entry fee ($5 for kids, free for under 5’s).
Lake Wilkie is a small lake which has some decent reflections. There’s a short walk (10-15 minutes) down to the lake through a nice forested area and then you’ve got a boardwalk by the lake. But it isn’t an OMG attraction. You’ll have lots of mirror lake photo opportunities around New Zealand so give this a miss if need be.
Inside The Lost Gypsy Gallery bus is an insane amount of creative inspiration
Now, I know some of you are going to see the word gallery and think it’s not for you. But, trust me when I say you need to visit The Lost Gypsy Gallery.
Nina wasn’t a fan of my request to stop here, but my friend had told me it’s awesome, so I was really wanting to see it! Seeing that coffee was served there convinced her to stop (phew). She liked the coffee and the gallery itself.
Most of the creations are inside the big bus. Blair has made dozens of cheap and cheerful inventions (some are interactive) which will make you smile. There’s also a sectioned off area that’s R13 you can pay to access for more thrills. This is a seasonal attraction, so check the website to make sure they’re open.
The Purakaunui Falls are the most famous waterfall in the Catlins. That does mean there are a lot of people walking the 5-10 minutes to reach them (relatively speaking). They’re a solid waterfall but keep your expectations in check. Personally, I enjoyed Waipohatu and McLean Falls more.
So many teapots!
You’ll pass through Owaka on your road trip, and given you’ll drive right by the Teapotland (location here), take a couple of minutes to stop and have a look. There are teapots of all shapes, sizes, and themes. Drop a couple of bucks in the box to show your appreciation. There’s a Four Square in Owaka too!
The Matai Falls are another solid waterfall. They’re not what I’d called outstanding, but they’re worth the 10 minutes walk it takes to reach them. They’re similar to the Koropuku Falls, but the walk is a lot more family-friendly.
Slightly better than Niagara Falls, the Barr Falls are not worth visiting. Perhaps after a long period of rain.
We were doing well time-wise so decided to stop at the Tunnel Hill Track. This is a section of what was a railway track through a pitch-black tunnel that functioned in the 19th-century. You ‘ll need some light (phone light does the job) and it’s a good way to spend 30 minutes walking to the other end of the tunnel and back.
The final spot on our Catlins itinerary was the Instagram worthy Nugget Point. There are a bunch of activities you can do at Nugget Point, but most people are happy enough walking to the lighthouse for the view and back (the views are awesome!).
That’s what we did with the goal of returning for sunrise in the morning (the Instagram photos look epic), but failed at the waking up part. We also didn’t check out Roaring Bay which is right alongside Nugget Point.
I’d love to do one of the kayak tours around Nugget Point next time I visit.
Tips:
- The Cathedral Caves are only accessible from late-October to late-April.
- Visit the Cathedral Caves website to see get visitor hours and go as early as you can.
- The Lost Gypsy Gallery is only open from late-October to April (six days a week).
- If you’re going to Nugget Point for sunset/sunrise photos, check Instagram for where the best viewpoints are.
5. FAQS ABOUT VISITING THE CATLINS
She was windy at Slope Point!
WOULD YOU CHANGE MUCH ABOUT THIS CATLINS ROAD TRIP?
I guess it’s normal, but the Niagara Falls, Barr Falls, and Lake Wilkie could have been missed. They weren’t major time sucks though so it’s not a big deal.
Curio Bay didn’t live up to the hype, but the weather was to blame for a lot of that. We also weren’t aware of the penguins arriving at sunset, so that was our fault, as was not waking up for the Nugget Point sunrise.
In short, because of our bad planning, there’s plenty of room for you to improve on the itinerary. Still had a blast though!
I’d love to go and check out the blowhole and a couple more waterfalls on the way next time. I feel like it’d be fun to meet more locals too somehow.
I’d have liked to have visited Roaring Bay by Nugget Point, and perhaps done something else activity-wise at Nugget Point (such as sea kayaking). We couldn’t do much given the weather at Curio Bay, but perhaps we could have gone to McLean Falls first before heading back to Curio Bay to see the penguins at sunset. This would have meant doubling back, but that wouldn’t have been the end of the world.
IS 2 DAYS IN THE CATLINS ENOUGH?
If that’s all you have, yes and that might be the case if you’re ultimately going from Queenstown to Dunedin but have some spare time.
In a perfect world, three days would give you more chill time and allow you to spend more time at Curio Bay, Nugget Point, and the chance to visit a couple of other sites in the Catlins.
ARE THERE MANY RESTAURANTS IN THE CATLINS?
We were making food in the campervan pretty much every meal. The meals at the Whistling Frog Resort were super expensive so we didn’t eat there. The fish and chips from the shed in Owaka were super good though. There’s a few restaurants in the Catlins, but given the nature of the region, try and call in advance to check if they’re open and leave some backup snacks etc. in your car.
BEST TIME TO VISIT THE CATLINS?
I’d avoid visiting the Catlins in the winter due to the Cathedral Caves and The Lost Gypsy Gallery being closed. And if you’re planning to go surfing in Curio Bay…it’s not going to be so fun in the middle of winter!
The best time to visit the Catlins is in the summer. At this stage they’re still off the beaten path so anytime in the summer should be fine (maybe book everything you can in advance over Xmas and New Year).
ARE THE CATLINS WORTH VISITING?
Yes! Planning a Catlins itinerary doesn’t take too much effort given there’s only one main road through the region, and most of the popular attractions are not too far from it. On your trip you’ll get too see a remote side of NZ which is awesome.
I hope this helps you planning your Catlin’s itinerary. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jub@churnewzealand.com or leave a comment below. Chur.
What to read next:
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.