The Catlins

The Catlins is an area in the southeastern part of the south island that is covered in temperate rainforest that harbors many endangered species of birds. The coastline is rock, tall, and steep in spots and is very beautiful and fun to explore.


This was the second time I have been in the Catlins and both times it was windier than I can ever believe possible on this green earth. These trees demonstrate how windy it is and how often. Although it looks like these trees are in the process of having their socks blown off, they have actually just grown this way because of being constantly win-blown. At the time of this picture, it was quite calm.


This is Curio Bay where, during low tide, you can walk along the beach and see remnants of a forest that has been petrified over 170 million years ago. The forest was covered by volcanic mud flows and the wood was impregnated by silica that literally turned the trees to stone over several month's time.


In this photo, you can see the wood grains of a 170 million-year-old tree. Amazing!


This is a petrified tree stump. God only knows whether it formed from a fallen petrified tree or if the tree fell and the stump was petrified. I'm sure it made a sound though. I am pretending I am the host of a science television show.


In the autumn, the sun noticeably sets very early. It is dark here by 7:00 pm. We made it to nugget point before dark, but had to stop and take this beautiful picture before we got there.

It was a quick tour of the Catlins and we didn't get to see the Cathedrel Caves because they were closed due to high serf and strong winds. We freedom camped for one night and endured the freezing cold weather. That being said, it is still a beautiful place to visit any time of year.