Catlins Coast, Invercargill, New Zealand

Have you ever visited the Catlins? The locals say that it is mainly overseas tourists that come to visit and very rarely do they get any New Zealanders coming to stay! It is a spectacular spot located on the South Eastern corner of the South Island. It was somewhere I had heard lots about and had wanted to visit for ages, so we booked some flights to Invercargill and headed away for a weekend to explore this remote corner of our country.

We flew down on a Friday night, picked up a rental car and headed out of town. Pick up something to eat before you head out of Invercargill, or stop at the supermarket along the way, as there aren’t too many options when you arrive late at night. Our destination – Curio Bay was just over an hour’s drive from Invercargill airport. 

The Curio Bay Salthouse Motel is a great spot to base yourself. Located right on the beach, and with just three rooms, this is a gorgeous modern boutique B&B with lovely hosts. We fell asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and woke up to see dolphins surfing in those waves, just metres from your bed. We had a feeling that this place was something pretty special!  ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).