Land Activities

Get Off the Main Road

The Catlins is where land activities are at in Southland, and the golden rule is simple: take the detours. The main highway doesn't do the place justice. But peel off onto the gravel and you'll find walks like Nugget Point / Tokata, where raw Pacific coastline, fur seals, and sea lions compete for your attention, or the short bush walks to McLean Falls and Purakanui Falls which are genuinely lovely, especially after rain. Tautuku Beach is a beauty of a walk too. None of these are big all-day commitments - most are 20 to 30 minutes - but they add up to something pretty special if you give yourself the time.

The Quirky Bits Are Worth It Too

Down at the southern tip, Slope Point is the real southern point of the South Island and the walk out there is exposed and windy in the best possible way. Around the corner, Waipapa Point Lighthouse sits on interesting raw coastline with sea lions often hanging about on the beach below. And if you're near Papatowai, don't miss The Lost Gypsy Gallery - it's one of those places that's genuinely hard to describe but you'll leave grinning. Blair's built something pretty special there.

Give It Time

The honest advice here is that people who rush through the Catlins come away a bit flat, while those who take two or three days tend to rate it as one of NZ's best. The walks are short but there are a lot of them, and the coastline between stops is the kind of raw, edge-of-the-earth stuff that takes a bit of time to sink in. If you're only going to do one bigger walking experience, the Tuatapere Humpridge Track is well worth looking into for those who want something more substantial.