The CatlinsLocation of the Catlins in New Zealand's South IslandLocationCountry: New ZealandIsland: South IslandStatisticsPopulation: Area: LocationCoordinates: AdministrationRegions: Otago and SouthlandDistricts:Clutha District and Southland DistrictMain towns and settlements: Owaka, Papatowai, Waikawa, Tokanui, Kaka Point, FortroseParliamentary electorate: Clutha-Southland
The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprise an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand.The Catlins. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 12 November 2010. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions. It includes the South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point.
A rugged, sparsely populated area, the Catlins features a scenic coastal landscape and dense temperate rainforest, both of which harbour many endangered species of birds, most notably the rare yellow-eyed penguin. The coast attracts numerous marine mammals, among them New Zealand fur seals and Hooker's sea lions. In general terms the area enjoys a maritime temperate climate. Its exposed location leads to its frequently wild weather and heavy ocean swells, which are an attraction to big-wave surfers, and have also caused numerous shipwrecks.
People have lived in the area since around 1350 AD. Prior to European settlement, the region was sparsely inhabited by nomadic groups of Māori, most of whom lived close to river mouths. In the early days of European settlement the area was frequented by whalers and sealers, and saw milling became a major local industry from the mid-19th century until the 1930s.
Tourism has become of growing importance in the Catlins economy, which otherwise relies heavily on dairy farming and fishing.
The region's population has fallen to less than half its peak in the early 20th century. Some 1,200 people now live in the Catlins, many of them in the settlement of Owaka. This is linked to population centres to the north and southwest via the area's only major road, part of the Southern Scenic Route. Owaka contains the area's main school, the Catlins Area School, catering for students from year 1 to year 13. There are three other small primary schools throughout the Catlins district. Owaka also has a medical centre, the nearest hospital being in Balclutha. The Catlins is governed at local level as part of the Clutha and Southland Districts and is represented at national level as part of the Southland electorate.
Geography
The Catlins area covers some and forms a rough triangular shape, extending up to inland and along a stretch of coast in extent between the mouths of two large rivers, the Clutha River in the northeast and the Mataura River in the west.Lalas, C. and Murphy, B. (1998). Increase in the abundance of New Zealand fur seals at the Catlins, South Island, New Zealand, Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 28 (2), 287–294. .
The rugged, scenic coastline of the Catlins features sandy beaches, blowholes, a petrified forest at Curio Bay, and the Cathedral Caves, which visitors can reach at low tide. Much of the coastline consists of high cliffs, up to in height, and the land rises sharply from the coast at most points.Peat (1998), p. 11. For this reason, many of the area's rivers cascade over waterfalls as they approach the ocean (notably the iconic Purakaunui Falls on the short Purakaunui River).Catlins Waterfalls, Department of Conservation. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
The South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point, projects near the southwestern corner of the Catlins. To the west of this lies Waipapa Point, often considered the boundary of the Catlins region, beyond which lies the swampy land around the mouth of the Mataura River at the eastern end of Toetoes Bay. But various people place the western boundary of the Catlins region in different places, and some more stringent definitions exclude even Slope Point.Peat (1998), p. 7. A proposed boundary circulated in 2009 by the New Zealand Geographic Board ran roughly north from Slope Point, then inland around the Catlins Ranges and east to Nugget Point. Tourist organisations objected, asking that the boundary be moved further west to include Fortrose.The Catlins Place Name Report , New Zealand Geographic Board, 16 September 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
Several parallel ranges of hills dominate the interior of the Catlins, separated by the valleys of the Ōwaka, Catlins and Tahakopa Rivers, which all drain southeastwards into the Pacific Ocean. The most notable of these ranges is the Maclennan Range. Between them, these hills are often simply referred to as the Catlins Ranges. Their northwestern slopes are drained by several tributaries of the Clutha and Mataura Rivers, most notably the Mokoreta River, which flows mainly westwards, reaching the Mataura close to the town of Wyndham.
The highest point in the Catlins, Mount Pye () stands north-northeast of Waikawa and close to the source of the Mokoreta River, and marks part of the Otago-Southland border. Other prominent peaks above include Mount Rosebery, Catlins Cone, Mount Tautuku, and Ajax Hill.Topo50 map CG13 (67MB TIFF file), Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 29 September 2010. The Catlins has several small lakes, notably scenic Lake Wilkie close to the Tautuku Peninsula. Catlins Lake, near Owaka, actually consists of the tidal estuary of the Catlins River.Peat (1998), p. 26.
Shipping has found the Catlins coast notoriously dangerous, and many shipwrecks have occurred on the headlands that jut into the Pacific Ocean here. Two lighthouses stand at opposite ends of the Catlins to help prevent further mishaps. The Nugget Point Lighthouse stands above the water at the end of Nugget Point, casting its light across a series of eroded stacks (the "nuggets" which give the point its name). It was built in 1869–70. The Waipapa Point light, which stands only above sea level, was the last wooden lighthouse to be built in New Zealand, and was constructed in 1884 in response to the tragic 1881 wreck of the Tararua. Both of these lighthouses are now fully automated.Peat (1998), pp. 24, 57.
Due to its position at the southern tip of New Zealand, the Catlins coastline lies exposed to some of the country's largest ocean swells, often over .Kirkpatrick (1999). The Natural Hazards map on plate 23 shows the Catlins gets waves twice as often as much of New Zealand, including notable surfing locations such as Raglan and Piha. The region has enjoyed a growing reputation for big wave surfing,Swarbrick, N. Lifesaving and surfing – Big-wave surfing, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, New Zealand Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Updated 2 March 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2010. with regular competitions,Southern Scenic Route – A Traveller's Guide , p. 18. Department of Conservation, Wellington: 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2010. award-winning rides,Swell times in NZ, scoop.co.nz, 20 March 2003. Retrieved 9 September 2010. and coverage on the Discovery Channel gathering publicity for the sport.Hareb, P. Big wave surfers coming to our shores, Sunday News, 12 July 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2010. The Department of Conservation proposed protecting the Papatowai surf break in 2008, citing its national significance for surfing.Policy 20, p. 14, Proposed New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2008 , Department of Conservation. March 2008. Retrieved 1 March 2010.Skellern, M.; Rennie, H. G.; and Davis, M. (2009). Working towards the protection of surf breaks, Planning Quarterly 172, 12–15.
The landscape of the Catlins features in many poems by celebrated poet Hone Tuwhare.Hone Tuwhare, obituary, The Times, 25 January 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2010. Born in Northland, Tuwhare lived in Kaka Point from 1992 until his death in 2008,About Hone. The Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust. Retrieved 6 December 2010. and became one of the area's best-known inhabitants. His family plan to establish a writers' retreat at his crib there.Tuwhare family setting up crib for writers in Catlins, Radio New Zealand News, 28 October 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010. The film Two Little Boys, starring comedians Bret McKenzie and Hamish Blake, was filmed in the Catlins early in 2011.Constantine, E. Sarkies taking 'Two Little Boys' to the Catlins, Otago Daily Times, 10 December 2010.Clayton-Brown, K. Film-maker heaps praise on Catlins, Southland Times, 3 February 2011.
Climate The Catlins has a cool maritime temperate climate, somewhat cooler than other parts of the South Island, and strongly modified by the effect of the Pacific Ocean. Winds can reach considerable strength, especially on the exposed coast; most of the South Island's storms develop to the south or southwest of the island, and thus the Catlins catches the brunt of many of these weather patterns.Wilson, J. B. and Cullen, C. (1986). Coastal cliff vegetation of the Catlins region, Otago, South Island, New Zealand , New Zealand Journal of Botany, 24, 567–574. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
The Catlins—and especially its central and southern areas—experiences considerably higher precipitation than most of the South Island's east coast; heavy rain occurs infrequently, but drizzle is common and the region averages around 150 days of rain per year. Rain days are spread fairly evenly throughout the year; there is no particularly rainy season in the northern Catlins, and only a slight tendency towards more autumn rain in the southwest.Kirkpatrick (1999). The map of rainday seasons on plate 8 shows 27.5%–30% of raindays fall in autumn west of Tautuku or thereabouts, with no significant season north of that. The rainfall variability map on the same page shows that the coefficient of variation of annual rainfall for the Catlins is between 10% and 15% (with variation being highest along the coast). The average annual rainfall recorded at the Tautuku Outdoor Education Centre is about ,Peat (1998), p. 13. with little variation from year to year.
Fine days can be sunny and warm, and daily maxima may exceed in mid-summer (January/February). A more usual daily maximum in summer would be . Snow is rare except on the peaks even in the coldest part of winter, though frost is quite common during the months of June to September. Typical daily maximum temperatures in winter are .
History The first people known to live in the Catlins, Māori of the Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha, and Kāi Tahu iwi (tribes), merged via marriage and conquest into the iwi now known as Kāi Tahu. Archaeological evidence of human presence dates back to approximately 1350 AD.Anderson, A. and Smith, I. (1992). The Papatowai site: new evidence and interpretations, Journal of the Polynesian Society 101 (2), 129–158. The area's inhabitants were semi-nomadic, travelling from Stewart Island in the south and inland to Central Otago. They generally dwelt near river mouths for easy access to the best food resources. In legend, the Catlins forests further inland were inhabited by (wild giants).The Catlins Coast: educational resource kit , p. 7. Department of Conservation. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
The Catlins may have offered one of the last places where the giant flightless bird, the moa, could be hunted, and the timber of the forest proved ideal for canoe construction (the name of the settlement Owaka means "Place of the canoe"). No formal Māori pā (villages) were located in the Catlins, but there were many hunting camps, notably at Papatowai, near the mouth of the Tahakopa River.Buckingham and Hall-Jones (1985), p. 7.