Catlins-raised reporter
Took a scenic trip through the Catlins between Kaka Point and Fortrose. Here, she writes about the journey from Papatowai to Waikawa.
While travelling through the Catlins, one thing I’ve noticed is the way the forest glides so closely to the coast. On my way from Papatowai to Tautuku Bay I stopped off for a walk down to Lake Wilkie, where nestled between the native trees is a small lake, where birds are chirping and bugs are abundant.
Sometimes it feels like only in New Zealand would you be able to climb over a fallen tree, trip over some large tree roots only to find a beautiful and remote little paradise on the other side.
Lake Wilkie was formed after the last ice age, it used to be much larger but slowly the vegetation around it has reclaimed its place.
No fish have been ever been found in the lake, but it is home to small invertebrates and plankton.
Tui and kereru fill the trees above, and the sound of the whistling tree frog can be heard if you listen close enough.
I was lucky enough to visit the lake after it had rained, the frogs were whistling the entire time.
After making my way back to the car I headed off to Tautuku Bay.
At the Florence Hill Lookout, I met a lovely family from France.
They too, were yet to see a sea lion. I started to think maybe I was not destined to see one up close.
From the lookout, you can see the expansive Tautuku Bay, but I was perhaps more interested in the cows in the paddock nearby.
It amazed me that they were happily chewing grass a mere 20 metres from a cliff drop.
Tautuku is home to an outdoor education centre.
Some of my favourite memories of scouts were formed there, charging down on what I thought at the time was a massive flying fox.
Less impressive a decade later, but it still looks like a lot of fun.
I stopped off to see if the Cathedral Caves had been reopened, not yet.
The caves were formed by waves eroding away sandstone, in time the overhanging rocks collapsed leaving the caves with a cathedral-like appearance.
Luckily, I’ve been before so I know the awe-inspiring impact they have on visitors. Especially when the glow worms are active.
Onwards I went on my journey, heading through the Chaslands Highway.
I stopped off at Niagara, to visit the very humorously named Niagara Falls, which when compared to their larger namesake are barely noticeable.
The falls are about a metre high and without the signage would be easily missed.
I made my way from Niagara to Waikawa, where I stopped off at the museum to understand the history of the area.
There I met Ruth Hayes, who grew up in the area.
The Hayes descends from the original family who settled in Haldane in 1846.
The Hayes family were some of the first European settlers to the area.
Ask a local about the Hayes family and you’re likely to hear an endless amount of stories, even I went to primary school with five Hayes’.
If you were to ask her, Ruth could probably spout off a list of who married who in the area going back almost a century.
Growing up in the area, she rode to school on a pony.
She has seen a lot change in the area.
Settlers found gold on the beaches, then the sawmills were built, then a stone quarry was opened but nothing ever quite ‘‘made’’ Waikawa, she said.
In recent years, the Catlins have become a tourist destination.
Tourism had more of an impact than any of the other ventures in Waikawa, Ruth said.
She has lived in the area for most of her life, and when she was away she missed home.
‘‘I lived in town [Invercargill] for a wee while and I felt the loss of community because everybody here knows everybody.’’
In her hometown, she feels secure.