Catlins

The Catlins is the area on the southeast corner of the south island. You can find deserted bush and bays here. The climate in this region is a little bit more cold then the rest of the south island, because it's influenced by strong pacific winds. You can find a dense temperate rainforest here as well. Fortunately, the whaling and forestry have left this area, and ecotourism has made its entry here. Nowadays only about 1200 people live in this area. Some must sees in this area are the beaches, the petrified forest (middle picture), and the cathedral caves. The forests were petrified because they remained underground for a certain period of time. This causes the wood to be replaced by minerals, but the trees remain in their original structure. This petrified forest can be found at curio bay. The cathedral caves are some caves at the coastal lines. As you can see above ( see picture on the right) one cave forms an arch. These caves can only be visited 2 hours when the tide is low.

www.catlins.co.nz

back