The Catlins is a fabulous part of NZ and Curio Bay is a treasure amongst treasures. We had two nights in the region and the first was here.

Fossil forest

With little time to muck about we shot back out the door fairly quickly. A short distance away is the famed fossil forest AND yellow eyed penguin nesting ground. Real bang for your buck – not that you’ll pay a cent to see them. On arriving at the carpark we were excited to see a sign saying we were likely to see the penguins.

A short path takes you to viewing platforms where you have an elevated view over the petrified forest and, depending on where they happen to be at the time, a penguin or two or more.


Overlooking Curio Bay, home to the fossil forest and yellow eyed penguins from the viewing platform you can see some of the fossilised tree trunks. No penguins in immediate proximity, we went down for a closer look at the fossil forest which being low tide, was visible. 180 million years ago (the mind boggles!) the area was further south and a forested coastal floodplain, part of the super-continent Gondwana. Most of what is now New Zealand was under the sea. A series of natural events over a gazillion years or so saw the demise of the living forest and birth of the petrified forest.

Today it is one of the best examples in the world of a fossilised forest. Extremely accessible, it stretches from Curio Bay down to Slope Point where Mike and I visited earlier in the day. Unfortunately over time unscrupulous people have removed bits of petrified wood for souvenirs but hopefully the forest will stay much as it is today for hundreds of future generations to enjoy.

Yellow eyed penguins

Yellow eyed penguins are among the rarest in the world and are native to NZ. I was inspecting old dead tree trunks and rock pools and was suddenly aware of a quiet commotion behind me. A penguin had come ashore in an unexpected place near where we and the handful of other people were and proceeded to make his way through the group to the nesting area.

Department of Conservation signage asks people to keep at least 10 metres from the penguins. Everyone was respectful of this and just quietly watched the little guy make his overland journey. This was slow business as their routine seems to be shuffle forward, stop for a while to monitor for danger, and then repeat these steps numerous times. It was a privilege to watch. The penguin happened to go quite near to one lucky person and he would’ve taken some excellent shots. I on the other hand was further away and totally kicking myself for not bringing my zoom lens. Grrrr!!

Yellow Eyed Penguin, Curio Bay

The main observation area protected the coastline containing the nesting ground. We returned here in fading light just after 8pm which is the best time to watch the adults as they return from a day spent finding food in the ocean. A few were visible in the distance and before long there was one just in range for a few photos. After we saw the penguins we headed off to grab some food and shut eye ready for the rest of our journey the next day. I really loved seeing these rare penguins, we were so lucky to be able to see them!

Purakanui Falls

The next day we decided to take a drive out to some waterfalls. There are numerous stops along the way to various waterfalls but the one we went to today was Purakanui falls, easily the most recognised waterfall in this area. Appearing on numerous calendars, scenic sites, and websites, if you want to see a waterfall this is THE one. Only a 4km dirt road off the main track, and a 10minute walk in. Owaka is the start or end of the Catlins, go towards Balclutha and turn off to Kaka Point and Nugget Point if you want to see more seals and rugged coastlines. You arrive in Balclutha at the south end of the main street, turn right and proceed down the Main Street and over the huge concrete arched bridge which spans the mighty Clutha river and onwards to Dunedin. Dunedin was made a home by the Scots who settled this place in the 1840's, after the whalers had already tamed the land. The name Dunedin is gaelic for Edinburgh. Otago University, the first in NZ, dominates the city along with the iconic centre piece The Octagon ( pronounce it Octagin). Magnificent buildings and churches landscape this area, nearby is the most photographed building in NZ, the old Dunedin railway station, now a museum. Windy wet and cold today, as I remember it from past visits. We saw people cycling in shorts and shirts, brave hardy souls.

Nugget Point

We then carried on to visit a lighthouse with a view- Nugget Point. We reach the Nugget Point car park and begin our 10-minute walk up to the lighthouse and viewpoint, following a road that then turns into a footpath clinging to the side of a mountain’s edge. Seagulls slowly glide above us then swoop down past the lighthouse in the distance. Vegetation has kept a leaning shape thanks to a life of relentlessly being blown the sh*t out of by the wind. Only seemingly getting a break today when there’s little wind and only the beaming sun straight ahead of us.

The path then moves onto the ridge for the final 50 metres to the lighthouse. Little side sections have been made along the path to take in the views of pebble-filled bays getting lashed by waves on one side, while the other side of the mountain is having a peaceful day. Aspects of the walk, from frequent weather conditions to wildlife, are pointed out by stone interpretation panels.

THE NUGGETS!
Like all activities we have found in The Catlins, we reach the finale in no time. Just in front of the lonely lighthouse is a viewing deck looking down to those famous “nuggets”. These huge lumps of rock sticking out of the sea were named by Captain James Cook, the English dude who was the first European to set foot on New Zealand, after their resemblance to nuggets. However you interpret them, they are a stunning sight!
We now see where all the seagulls were swooping down to. One nugget has been claimed by the seagulls. We can see the little white dots occupying the nugget (and hear the noise too). A flat nugget with a pool stretching through the middle has some moving black shapes bobbing in and out of the water, which we realise are seals! We can even here those guys too! At this point, we wished we owned a pair of binoculars. The zoom lens on our camera just won’t cut it.

In the vegetation leading down the slope below the viewing deck, heaps of small birds fly from branch to branch, flax to flax. No matter how many people come here to capture some wonderful photos and soak in the views, Nugget Point totally belongs to the wildlife and the sea.