Owaka Museum & Catlins Information Centre

Fiordland & Southland

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Vaguely canoe-shaped in honour of the town name (Owaka means 'place of the canoe'), this modern museum is a pleasant surprise. Salty tales of shipwrecks are well explained in short video presentations, Māori and frontier stories grippingly displayed, and an interesting array of artefacts exhibited. It doubles as the main information centre for the Catlins; ask about the 24km Catlins River–Wisp Loop Track.

One of its prized possessions is a marae stone brought to Aotearoa from the island of Mehetia near Tahiti, 4000km away, by early settlers. It was recently rediscovered in the Catlins.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Lighthouse on Nugget Point.

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    7.46 MILES

    Reach one of the South Island's most jaw-dropping coastal lookouts via the 900m Nugget Point (Tokatā) walkway. Wave-thrashed cliffs give way abruptly to…

  • Lost Gypsy Gallery

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    Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…

  • Purakaunui Falls

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  • Cathedral Caves

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    17.42 MILES

    Cutting back into cliffs right on the beach, the huge, arched Cathedral Caves were carved out of the limestone by 160 million years of waves. Named for…

  • Roaring Bay

    Roaring Bay

    6.81 MILES

    Your best chance of spotting rare yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) is from a hide at Roaring Bay, 8km south of Kaka Point's main drag. The hide is accessible…

  • Matai & Horseshoe Falls

    Matai & Horseshoe Falls

    9.01 MILES

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  • Florence Hill Lookout

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  • McLean Falls

    McLean Falls

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Nearby Fiordland & Southland attractions

1. Teapotland

0.12 MILES

Get a selfie in this wacky collections of teapots and statuettes arranged in Graham Renwick's garden.

2. Purakaunui Falls

6.71 MILES

If you only see one waterfall in the Catlins, make it this magnificent cascade down three tiers of jet-black rock. It's an easy 10-minute clamber to reach…

3. Roaring Bay

6.81 MILES

Your best chance of spotting rare yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) is from a hide at Roaring Bay, 8km south of Kaka Point's main drag. The hide is accessible…

4. Nugget Point

7.46 MILES

Reach one of the South Island's most jaw-dropping coastal lookouts via the 900m Nugget Point (Tokatā) walkway. Wave-thrashed cliffs give way abruptly to…

5. Matai & Horseshoe Falls

9.01 MILES

Two falls for the price of one! A fork in the road leads you, on the left, to the graceful drop of Matai Falls, while stairs to the right bring you to…

6. Lost Gypsy Gallery

11.99 MILES

Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…

7. Florence Hill Lookout

12.91 MILES

Three kilometres southwest of Papatowai, a short gravel road leads to sweeping Tautuku Bay, which can be viewed from on high at the Florence Hill Lookout…

8. McLean Falls

16.87 MILES

A lovely walk along wooden walkways and fern-fringed tracks brings you to the attractive McLean Falls, named for an early 20th-century settler renowned…