Stewart Island & The Catlins (NZ)

After a wonderful time in the Southern Lakes area of New Zealand, we drove our motorhome Vwhā, along the Southern Scenic Route toward Stewart Island. On the way, we stopped at the interesting Clifden Suspension Bridge.

Marg on the historic Clifden Suspension Bridge, Southern Scenic Route

Built in 1898-1899, it was the longest bridge in New Zealand. It is now registered with the Historic Places Trust and although closed to vehicle traffic, you can still walk over it.

Heading further south, took us through Tuatapere to the coastline of Te Waewae Bay. This bay sits along the coast of Foveaux Strait, and is a marine mammal sanctuary.

Leigh at McCracken's Rest, Te Waewae Bay, Southland, NZ

Enticed by regular glimpses of the Bay as the road turned south-east, we stopped at McCracken’s Rest for a closer look. The Rest gave us fantastic views over the Bay, the turbulent waters of the Strait, and the tiny one million-year-old Solander Islands.

Driving on, we soon arrived at Gemstone Bay. The sandy beach there is often the recipient of semi-precious gems such as garnet, jasper and quartz, that wash up in the stormy seas. Along with several other ‘collectors’, we gathered a few attractive pebbles, not really believing they are actual gemstone – but they are pretty! 

Next, we drove through the lovely town of Riverton/Aparima. 

Riverton/Aparima, Southland, NZ

The township is set in a very beautiful location between the Jacob’s River Estuary and several beaches edging the Foveaux Strait. With a charming port harbouring colourful fishing boats, and streets bounded by quaint cottages, artists' studios, cafes, and interesting shops, this little town forms an attractive picture.

At almost 200 years old, Riverton/Aparima is the oldest Pākehā settlement in Southland, and one of the earliest in New Zealand. 

We then reached Invercargill, the southernmost city in New Zealand. We drove around a lot seeing some interesting colonial architecture, but it was not vibrant and in fact, a little sad-looking, so we continued on to Bluff. 

Stirling Point signpost, Bluff, NZ

Bluff is often thought to be the southernmost point in New Zealand, and thinking that, the signpost at Bluff’s Stirling Point has been the subject of many traveller photos; including ours! 

But actually, the southernmost point is Jacquemart in the Campbell Islands, 600 km south of Stewart Island. The signpost only marks the southern end of State Highway 1. 

Bluff is the oldest Pākehā town in New Zealand, being established in 1824. It has a rich history of whaling, sealing and shipping, and is world famous for its Bluff oysters. 

We grabbed some oysters and fish’n’chips from the local takeaway when we arrived, and then headed to the Bluff Camping Ground for the night.

The next morning, we drove to the Bluff Ferry Terminal, parked Vwhā, and caught the ferry to Stewart Island.

The settlement at Oban, Stewart Island, NZ

We had a smooth crossing and disembarked in Oban the main settlement on Stewart Island. We were immediately captured by this small quaint village, and picturesque beach.

Leaving the wharf, we walked the short distance to our accommodation at the Stewart Island Backpackers where we had a small and colourful twin room. It was simple but adequate.

After unpacking, we walked up over the hill to Golden Bay to catch another ferry; this one to Ulva Island, off Stewart Island.

Quaint ferry to Stewart Island's Ulva Island

Ulva is a 10-minute boat ride on a very quaint old ferry. We were heading to the island because of its reputation for walks among unspoiled flora and native birds.

The walking tracks are well-formed and marked, and as we made our way around the island, we found it to be really peaceful.

It is a wonderful environment for endangered birds, and we saw several of the cute little robins/toutouwai that are very inquisitive and hop around your feet. We also came across several native parrots/kākā making a huge racket, and got really close to them. We heard saddlebacks/tīeke and bellbirds/korimako, but they remained out of sight unfortunately.

Nosey weka aiming for Marg's phone on Ulva Island

After a few hours of walking, we had lunch sitting on a small sandy beach where we were visited by a very inquisitive weka. It headed for Marg’s backpack and phone, then fossicked around in the sand at Leigh’s feet. These nosey, native flightless birds were in abundance on the Island and we even saw some in their nest.

We also spotted more common birds such as tui, fantail/pīwakawaka, wood pigeon/kererū and others. It was a beautiful walk and we loved the unspoiled bush and sandy beaches. 

Having had a fabulous day walking and bird spotting, we caught a different, and very fast ferry back to Stewart Island.

The weather closing in at Stewart Island

That evening, we walked out to buy dinner and noticed that the wind was getting up, the harbour was becoming rough, and rain was pending. 

Our destination was the South Seas Pub, the only place in town to get a meal, apart from buying something from the local 4-Square store! We were lucky to get a table as it was quiz-night, and the whole town seemed to be in the pub. 

The food was great and we returned the next morning for breakfast. But the weather had deteriorated overnight and was becoming steadily worse, so we caught an earlier ferry back to Bluff.

Next, we headed to the Catlins, a picturesque area along the southern coast.

Marg at the beautiful McLean Falls, The Catlins, Southland, NZ

The narrow road wound up, down and around in the very wet weather, and we passed many sightseeing places without stopping. Then, in a break in the rain we reached McLean Falls, and walked through beautiful native trees to see them. They have a narrow mouth at the top, followed by several widening cascades, making a very pretty sight.

Returning to Vwhā, we drove up the road and found the Whistling Frog Café and Campsite and decided to say for the night. 

We visited the café for dinner and somehow, got the last serving of pork spare ribs which we enjoyed with a very nice wine. It was a good way to finish a long, wet day.

The next day, we drove to the Cathedral Caves.

Marg entering Cathedral Cave, The Catlins, Southland, NZ

These caves have been carved by waves crashing into a cliff of 160-million-year-old Jurassic sandstone, that soars more than 30 metres above the beach.

There are two impressively high passages that you can only walk through at low tide, so timing was important.

After parking, we paid to cross through private land, then walked downhill through beautiful bush full of birdsong, to arrive at the spectacular, wide, sandy Waipati Beach. It was a short walk along the beach to the cliff face, and as we entered the caves, we marvelled at their impressive size. 

Leaving there we drove on to the Purakaunui Falls. One of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand, these falls are on a NZ stamp. 

Purakaunui Falls, The Catlins, Southland, NZ 

We walked a well-maintained trail through dense and wet bush, passing lots of rushing water to reach the actual waterfall. It cascades down over three tiers but we found it dribbling down, and felt it didn’t quite live up to the hype. I guess we expected more water after so much rain.

The weather continued to be really wet so we decided against more sightseeing, and to return to the Catlins in better weather. 

Then we continued on to Balclutha, admiring the historic bowstring bridge across the Clutha River. 

We were headed to the Otago Peninsula to visit the Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head. 

Royal albatross gliding over Otago Peninsula, NZ

We were fortunate to be at the Centre at a time when there were several albatross flying around, loving the windy weather. They are amazing fliers; with their enormous 3-metre wing span, they just lift off and glide on the ocean breezes.

The Royal Albatross is endangered and the Centre is the only mainland Royal Albatross breeding colony in the world.  

The Centre’s observatory sits right above some of the albatross nesting spots, and a live-cam aptly known as the 'Royalcam', beams albatross nesting activity to a world-wide audience.

Royal albatross mum, dad and chick, Otago Peninsula, NZ

We were very lucky to see a number of fat white fluffy chicks, some with one or two parents with them. There was also a large group of juveniles on the cliff edge testing their flying skills. 

These seabirds usually mate for life and breed only in New Zealand. They can live into their 60s, and spend about 85% of their lives at sea. They are huge, standing at around 1.15 m high, and weighing between 6.2 to 8.2 kg!

As it was getting quite late, we next headed to the wee village of Portobello and the camp there, which proved to be a nice and quiet place to spend the night. 

The next morning, we drove into Dunedin.

Historic railway station, Dunedin, NZ

Once we found van-sized parking, we walked around to explore this attractive city. It has a mass of beautiful historic buildings, with the Dunedin Railway Station being an example. 

The city also has a really vibrant feel. It is a UNESCO City of Literature, and New Zealand’s first University, Otago, is in Dunedin. We saw several students dressed up in Irish green ready for St Patrick’s Day celebrations that night. 

Dunedin’s heritage though, is Māori and Scottish. It was settled by Māori around 1300 and by Scottish settlers in 1848. 

We felt this city has more to offer and hope to visit it again sometime. But for now, we are moving north to our next destination which is Aoraki/Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand.

This is part of a bigger blog on our travels around the South Island of New Zealand. The first blog is called “NZ's South Island-the top”