Community spirit evident within new visitor centre
The $2.5 million Tumu Toka Curioscape visitor centre is the gleaming new jewel in Southland’s tourism crown. Currently 150,000 people a year visit Curio Bay, making it the second biggest tourist attraction in Southland after Milford Sound.
Tumu Toka Curioscape provides a place where they can relax, enjoy a coffee or meal, buy meaningful mementos of their visit and learn about the natural history of this unique area.
The new centre, designed and built by Calder Stewart, incorporates a cafe´, public toilets and the Gateway Experience interpretation area.
The visitor centre itself is in part hewn from the local landscape. Beautiful rimu timber featured in panelling, counters and table tops inside the cafe´ came from 500-year-old trees that were made available to the South Catlins Charitable Trust by DOC 10 years ago after they blew down at Haldane.
The spectacular Gateway Experience cleverly integrates the past and present with seamless visual and interactive storytelling about the area’s history, geology, flora and fauna. It includes a 25-seat theatre and exquisite examples of petrified fossils. ‘‘We’re quite proud of it,’’ trust chairman Paul Duffy says. There is a real sense of community evident. Southern Tourism Holdings operates the business for the South Catlins Charitable Trust, providing an attractive source of employment for locals and motivated visitors on extended visas who have fallen under Curio Bay’s spell.
Original work by southern Southland artists features among the souvenirs available, and the menu, too, has a local flavour.
Tumu Toka Curioscape’s licensed cafe´ comfortably seats 50 people inside and another 30 outside, where visitors can enjoy the breathtaking view overlooking Porpoise Bay.
The cafe´ is open daily from 10am until 10pm, subject to demand.
TICKET PACKAGE
To help make the entire experience more accessible and affordable for families a new ticket package has been introduced.
A $45 family pass allows a couple entry to the Gateway Experience as many times as they like over 12 months, with free access for their children.