Road Trip through New Zealand: Bluff through the Catlins to Dunedin

Lighthouse at Waipapa Point

After starting the car we headed back toward Invercargill to take the scenic route through the Catlins on our way to Dunedin, totaling 268km. Our first stop in the Catlins was Waipapa Point; a golden beach and lighthouse. 

Next stop was Slope Point; the southernmost point on the South Island. It’s a 20-minute walk from the parking lot and you must walk across farm fields (for your information, you may want to wear hiking boots as the fields can get quite muddy).  Our third point of interest was Curio Bay when at low tide, a 180-million year old fossilized forest is visible in the rocks. It is also possible to see yellow-eyed penguins here but we have and will continue to miss the wildlife as most of them can be seen in summer (and our road trip is taking place during winter). 

 

I didn't measure my head before knitting this hat; Curio Bay.

       



    We continued on our journey skipping some sights that we either didn’t think were interesting or that Amanda (my friend) had already been too. We were both interested in seeing the Cathedral Caves, but to our disappointment the caves were closed for the week due to the recent storm – they are only accessible during low tide in case any of you are planning a trip.

     We stopped a little further down the road and checked out two nearby waterfalls, Matai Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The short walk to the falls made us feel like we were in a Lord of the Rings movie, because along either sides of the footpath are vegetation that doesn’t quite look like they all belong together but somehow they grow there. It just seemed a bit magical. There are plenty of other waterfalls to see and if you want to fully explore the entire park before nightfall you may want to allocate at least 5 hours to the area. We also drove down lots of smaller dirt side roads, like one alongside Cannibal Bay. The road is very narrow, twisting and turning but it is well worth the views.

Matai Falls

Horseshoe Falls

     Our last viewing stop was at Nugget Point. There you will find a delightful lighthouse perched on top of a cliff that can be reached from a piece of land that attaches that part of the cliff to the mainland. The track is flanked by steep cliffs on either sides with many sharp rocks sitting below. From there it started to rain and darkness came upon us quickly.

Lighthouse at Nugget Point

     We drove straight to Dunedin and a lovely couple, Stephanie and Neil whom we had met in Bluff, offered us a warm and dry place to spend the next two nights. We happily accepted their offer.