The Catlins

One of the many deserted beaches in the Catlins.

We headed south after leaving Fjordland, making a beeline for the southern coast. This part of our trip would lead us off of the typical path taken by most people visiting the South Island. We were heading into a really remote area known as the Catlins.

As we approached the coast we stopped at some limestone caves to have a look. Amy and the kids decided to stay behind and I headed in alone to have a look around. That move ranks pretty high up there in the Stupid Things I've Done category but thankfully it all worked out all right. I couldn't get my camera to focus in the darkness of the cave but I found graffiti there from the late 1800's and some really neat limestone formations. After scrambling through the caves for 300 meters I found myself staring at a huge underground pool of water which completely blocked the exit. I had to turn around and try and reverse my steps (harder than it sounds) and ended up popping out of a third entrance to the cave. Whew.

The entrance to the cave. The kids and Amy went in about 20 meters, enough to spot some glow worms and convince Amelia that she was not going to take up spelunking.

After spending an uneventful night in a small southern town, we grabbed some provisions and headed down the coast into the really remote areas. As we approached the Catlins reserve, traffic was stopped by an errant flock of sheep:


By this point in the trip, we could see Stewart Island, the third of the major New Zealand islands. Didn't realize NZ had 3 major islands, did you? Most people don't talk about it much because it's essentially uninhabited. The whole thing is a nature preserve and the weather...well, you can probably guess what the weather is like being located that far south.

Given our location, we were taken completely by surprise when we came across a bluegrass festival being held in the middle of a sheep pasture.


It was surreal listening to Johnny Cash and an assortment of Appalachian music being sung in a Kiwi accent in South Nowhere, but everyone had a great time. It was laid back; there was no admission fee and the men's bathroom was a sheet of plastic strung between two stakes in the middle of a pasture.

You can make out the stage on the left and some of the local residents (sheep) on the right.

Amelia and me in between dances.

Quinn enjoying some hummus while sporting Amelia's hat.

After a relaxing afternoon of music we continued on to a beach in the Catlins. We camped on top of a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean. The views were really nice and the wildlife in this area was impressive.

The view from our campsite.

The sun came out the next day and we headed to the beach. Amy and I got our feet wet just to see what the water was like; it was painful but we did get a good laugh out of it. The kids then went to work digging a big hole.


Soon a sea lion swam up out of the ocean and started cruising around the beach. You can see him in the background of this picture:


It wasn't long before we had to scoop up the kids because the sea lion liked the look of their hole. He looks sweet enough in the pics but sea lions can be fairly nasty if you get too close.


This wasn't our last run in with the local fauna. Sea lions regularly visited the beach and a rare species of tiny dolphin also came in remarkably close to shore. The dolphins occasionally play around with people brave enough to swim in the frigid water.

Amy keeping an eye on another sea lion.

Right next to the campsite was a spot that I'd been looking forward to seeing; a petrified forest from the Cretaceous. 270 million years back, some flooding had covered a forest in silt and the entire thing became petrified. The ocean eroded away the covering rock and you can now walk around and look at the stumps and logs when the tide is out. It's still possible to make out the growth rings in the wood. Amelia really got a kick out of this.

Amelia checking out a petrified log.

Soon a thick fog rolled in and blanketed the area. It made for some really neat pictures, though.

One of my favorite photos from the trip; Amelia checking out the petrified forest and the coast.

Quinn and Amy playing in the pools at the petrified forest.

The sunsets here were nothing short of spectacular. Here are a few photos I took of the Southern Ocean at dusk:





Up next: back towards civilization. Dunedin and the butterfly exhibit, the extraordinary Mount Cook, and our return to Christchurch.