The Catlins
- For the television series, see The Catlins (television series)
The Catlins (sometimes The Catlins Coast) is an area in the south of the South Island of New Zealand which lies between Balclutha and Invercargill. Most of the area is in the Otago region, but some of it crosses the border into the Southland region. The Catlins lies along the southern coast of the South Island mainland. The South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point, lies just beyond the southwestern end of the Catlins.
Geography
The Catlins area covers some 1600 km² and is roughly triangular in shape, extending up to 60 kilometres inland and along a stretch of coast 80 kilometres in extent.
The Catlins also boasts a rugged scenic coastline. Natural features include cliffs, sandy beaches, several waterfalls (notably the iconic Purakaunui Falls), blowholes, a petrified forest at Curio Bay, and the Cathedral Caves, which are accessible at low tide. The South Island's southernmost point, Slope Point, is close to the southwestern corner of the Catlins.
The interior of the Catlins is dominated by several parallel hill ranges separated by the valleys of the Owaka, 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 Catlin Ranges. The highest point is Mount Pye, at 720 m (2361 ft), which marks part of the Otago-Southland border. Other prominent peaks above 600 metres include Catlins Cone, Mount Tautuku, and Ajax Hill.
The northwestern slopes of these hill ranges 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.
Several small lakes are found in the Catlins, notably Lake Wilkie, close to Tautuku.
Climate
The area's climate is cool temperate and considerably wetter than most of the South Island's east coast. Heavy rain is rare, but drizzle is common and 200 days of rain in a year is not unusual. Snow is rare except on the peaks even in the coldest part of winter, though frost is quite common.
Natural history
Wildlife
The Catlins coast is a common haunt of New Zealand Fur Seals and Hooker's Sea Lions, and Elephant Seals can occasionally be seen. Several species of penguin also nest along the coast, notably the rare Yellow-eyed Penguin (hoiho), as do Mollymawks and Gannets, and the estauries of the rivers are home to Herons, Stilts, Godwits and Oystercatchers. Bitterns can also occasionally be along the reedy riverbanks.
In the forests, endangered birds such as the Yellowhead (mohua) and Kakariki (green parakeet) may be seen, as may other birds such as Tui, Fantails, and Kotuku.
Many species of fish, shellfish, and crustacea are found both in the local rivers and sea, notably Crayfish and Paua. Hector's Dolphins can also often be seen close to the coast here.
The proposed establishment of a marine reserve off the coast of Nugget Point in the heart of the Catlins has proved controversial with the small local communities, many of which still rely on fishing for their livelihood.
Flora
The Catlins area is noted for its dense podocarp forest (which covers some 600 km² of The Catlins). The forest are thick with trees such as Rimu, Totara, Silver Beech, Matai and Kahikatea, as well as many species of native Fern.
The Catlins Coast's plant life includes many native species adapted to the strong salt-laden winds found in this exposed region. Tussocks and flaxes are a common sight, as are native Gentians, though sadly the endangered native sedge pingao can now rarely be found.
Geology
The hill ranges of The Catlins form part of the Murihiku terrane, an accretion which extends inland to the Hokonui Hills to the west of Gore. These ranges are strike ridges composed of Triassic and Jurassic sandstones. Fossils of the late and middle Triassic Warepan and Kaihikuan stages are found in the area. Curio Bay features the petrified remains of a 150 million year old forest.
Population
The Catlins area is very sparsely populated, and the region as a whole has a population of only some 1000 people. The largest town in the Catlins, Owaka, has a population of only 400. It is located 35 kilometres southwest of Balclutha. The only other settlements of any great size are Kaka Point (population 150) and Waikawa. Most of the area's other settlements are either little more than farming communities (such as Romahapa, Maclennan, and Glenomaru) or seasonally populated holiday communities with few permanent residents. An outdoor education centre, run by the Otago Youth Adventure Trust is located at Tautuku, almost exactly half way between Owaka and Waikawa.
The Catlins area's best known inhabitant is probably poet Hone Tuwhare, who lives at Kaka Point.
Transportation
Only one main road traverses the region, running northeast to southwest as an alternative road to State Highway 1 which skirts the Catlins to the northwest. This road - formerly designated State Highway 92 but now no longer listed as a state highway - winds through most of the small settlements in the area, and was only comletely sealed during the late 1990s (a stretch of about 15 kilometres southwest of Tautuku was surfaced with gravel prior to that time). A rail line, the Catlins River Branch, formerly linked the area with the South Island Main Trunk Line, but this was closed in 1971.
History
The first people to live in this region were Maori of the Kati Mamoe, Waitaha, Kai Tahu iwi. These peoples were semi-nomadic, travelling from Stewart Island/Rakiura in the south and inland to Central Otago. In legend, the Catlins forests were inhabited by Maeroero, wild giants.
The region was first sighted by Europeans in 1770 by the crew of James Cook's Endeavour. The first European settlement was by sealers and whalers in the early years of the 19th century, with a whaling station established on the Tautuku Peninsula.
The Catlins take their name from the Catlin River, itself named for Captain Edward Cattlin (or Catlin), a whaler who purchased an extensive block of land in the area on February 15 1840 from local Maori for £30 and muskets (a purchase which was later rejected by New Zealand's land commissioners).
During the mid-19th century, the area developed into a major sawmilling region, much of the wood being shipped north to the newly developing town of Dunedin from the ports of Waikawa and Fortrose, the latter of which had a 200 foot long jetty (long since disappeared), built in 1875.
The coast is notoriously dangerous, and there have been many shipwrecks on the headlands that jut into the Pacific Ocean here. The most notable of these, and also one of New Zealand's worst shipping disasters, was the wreck of the passenger steamer Tararua, en route from Bluff to Port Chalmers, which foundered at the southwestern end of the Catlins on April 29 1881 with the loss of all but 20 of if the 151 people aboard.
The logging of native timber declined through the early and mid-20th century, and much of the remaining forest is now protected by the New Zealand Department of Conservation as part of the Catlins Forest Park.
Economy
Fishing and tourism now account for much of the regions income, although there is considerable farming on the cleared hills on the periphery of the region. The rugged natural scenery makes the Catlins a popular destination for both ecotourists and for weekend trips by people from Dunedin and Invercargill, the two nearest cities. A large number of baches (holiday cottages) are found at places like Jack's Bay and Pounawea.
External link
References
- Bishop, D.G., and Turnbull, I.M. (compilers) (1996). Geology of the Dunedin Area. Lower Hutt, NZ: Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences.
- Dann, C., and Peat, N. (1989). Dunedin, North and South Otago. Wellington: GP Books.