THE CATLINS, New Zealand | Petrified Forest (Curio Bay), Slope Point + Nugget Point

The Catlins is an utterly captivating corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It's a spectacular, rugged coastal stretch between Invercargill and Balclutha. We wish we spent longer in this area to explore more of its wonders but we thoroughly enjoyed what we did get to see during our time there.
First stop was Slope Point which is officially the southern-most point of the South Island of New Zealand. You go through private farmland to get to the cliff's edge and ocean views but note that if there are sheep present, there's no public access during the lambing season of Sep - Nov.
For lunch we ate at Niagara Falls Cafe. Fresh, wholesome food with locally sourced ingredients, it was a great spot to refuel, warm up and dry ourselves off in before continuing on with our exploration of The Catlins.
Niagara Falls Cafe
Address: 256 Niagara-Waikawa Road, Niagara 9884
Hours: varies between summer + winter months check out their Facebook page for updates
/ niagarafallscafe
After a great lunch we headed over to Curio Bay where we got to see the very special Petrified Forest that dates back to the Jurassic period. You can walk around the petrified forest during low-tide so it's best to check when that is prior to visiting. Also, to see the rare yellow-eyed penguin you need to go either in the very early morning or late afternoon. Remember to be respectful of their space and keep at least 50 metres from them though.
Petrified Forest Curio Bay
Address: 25 Mair Road, Curio Bay 9884
www.marineweather.co.nz/forec...
Nugget Point aka "The Nuggets" had fantastic views. It's an easy, short, slightly uphill walk to get to the viewing platform plus if you're lucky you might be able to spot a fur seal colony on the rocks at sea level to the left of the track on the way to the lighthouse.
When visiting Nugget Point, don't forget to pull over at Roaring Bay too which is another little scenic area where you might get the chance to spot rare yellow-eyed penguins.
#thecatlins #catlins #newzealand #nz
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VLOG DATE: 1 & 2 Aug 2021
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[@Skiwi51]

You drove past our old holiday home, about 6 km back from the lighthouse..It's stil standing, despite a tree falling through it and some idiot shooting at it from the beach out front..fortunately it was empty at the time.. My late Dad built it in about 1950..we had many years of fun growing up there as kids, we spent most of our holidays there..My first childhood memories were made here..and I'm now almost 70...went back for a look 3 months ago...mid winter and the weather was perfect..fine, mild, no wind, the view was endless... A special place.....now the road is sealed the journey is much easier..

[@PeterandYen]

Wow thanks for sharing the story about your batch 👍 sounds like a bunch of awesome memories that you've had there. What an awesome area to grow up in 😯

[@conradf2747]

“The smaller the town, the better the chowder”. So true.

[@PeterandYen]

😂💯👍

[@hudsonquay]

Caitlins remind me of the coast back home in County Mayo. Rugged, bleak and beautiful in a way that can’t truly be captured on film.

[@PeterandYen]

Totally right Dean! I keep mentioning in other comments that the place looked even more incredible in person. It is just amazing seeing the petrified remnants in person.

[@bromie21]

i had the same feeling, could have spent much longer exploring the south of the south. Bring on end of lockdown!

[@PeterandYen]

🤞 we're able to get the cases down low enough to get out of lockdown next week 😅

[@wm9696]

Invercargill born and raised, now living overseas, this video brings back some fantastic memories. Curio Bay and Slope Point were always one of my go to places to show overseas visitors when I’m back home. Good to see a break in the weather and a penguin sighting as well!

[@PeterandYen]

Think the area is way too underrated. Such an amazing area one of the highlights of our trip for sure. Your guests must have really enjoyed it 👍

[@josssd3677]

Its a great place it was my home for 27 years cleared many thousands of acres for farming deer and cattle and sheep, from slope point to hunter mountains to Owaka, we travelled from Pine Bush to Waimhaka to Waikawa Valley through the Catlans,, a great life, unti. The Prime minister Rob Moledon devalued all farm land 60% in one night,,,

[@LifetimeTravelmates]

southern most point! yoo hoo! even though it rained a bit, the landscape looks epic guys.ohhhh seafood chowder and pumpkin soup look amazing 😝 we will make sure to try seafood in NZ! look at the beautiful Petrified Forest! what a special location, guys! thanks for taking us to these cool places !

[@PeterandYen]

No worries thanks for watching 😁🤙 the catlins visit was a special one. The area was just amazing

[@tashilim3453]

you guys are very knowledgeable. if i see a rock, i will just think...cool rock with patterns.

[@PeterandYen]

😂 thanks Tashi we did do a bit of research before we went

[@TwoHungryDiners]

Awesome vlog guys! Regardless of the weather thrown at you, you always find a way to make it fun and awesome. So cool you're able to spot some penguins and seals. 😍 Oh yes, that seafood chowder looks very hearty and delicious. Perfect weather to eat soup! Can't wait to see the next video from Dunedin 👍

[@PeterandYen]

Thanks guys glad y'all enjoyed it. Hahaha dunedin gonna bring back some good memories for you both hopefully 😁🤙

[@dannytang6671]

Thanks Peter and Yen… lovely place and thumb up for sharing.

[@PeterandYen]

No worries thanks for watching 😊✌

[@bookwormfaith]

all going well, and the bubble reinstated by new year, and this will be me in Jan XD

[@PeterandYen]

Awesome 👌 sounds like a realistic time frame too

[@Flaskkorv]

Awesome

[@PeterandYen]

Thank you 🤙

[@MarleeCraig]

Hi Peter and Yen, I seriously think you lovelies are the only ones whose traveled all of Aotearoa and vloged about it. Your videos are totally awesome ❤️

[@PeterandYen]

Hiya Marlee, thank you for your kind words! ❤️ We've tried to visit as much as possible.. there's still a few places we haven't been able to share yet... maybe summer this year 🙂🙂

[@FoodandFootprints]

Wow closer to the South Pole than the Equator! Definitely looks mystical with the fog

[@PeterandYen]

😁👍 what a place, had a blast in the Catlins

[@RaceCarFriends]

This video was really therapeutic for me, plus now I want clam chowder lol.

[@PeterandYen]

Hahahaha hope you managed to get some clam chowder 🤤 that sounds yum right now

[@RaceCarFriends]

@@PeterandYen lol not yet but I'm working on it.

[@donbrashsux]

Amazing Catlins ..great to see this all during wild winter just seems more fitting ..the petrified Forrest is a must see for me ..I’d love to get there one day .. Peter you are the Mark Wiens of NZ food with your food facials and comments

[@PeterandYen]

😂 thanks for the comparison did used to watch a lot of Mark back in the day. The catlins is such a gem 💎 of a place. Want to go back there the petrified was one of the highlights of the trip for me ❤

[@SeoulMan2020]

It’s awesome Peter you got to fulfill a childhood dream…and top it off with a yellow eyed 🐧….how insanely cool is that??? Seafood chowder looked amazing…must be true the smaller the town the better the chowder😋. And the quote of the day: “ Wilderness. We’re wilderness people now!” “I don’t think I’d go that far.”🤣🤣🤣 Keep ‘em coming Yen🤣🤣🤣Great vid guys! Stay safe always!

[@PeterandYen]

😁 this area of New Zealand was really awesome to explore think the video doesn't do the area justice. The feeling of seeing a petrified forest while imagining dinosaurs 🦕 used to roam this area is pretty special. Yen continuing to bolster my confidence with her words of encouragement 😂😂

[@missymason2377]

Amazing Amazing place...so educational

[@FoodandFootprints]

That seafood chowder looks great! Packed full of goodness and perfect for the cold weather. Ohh love lemon ginger tea

[@PeterandYen]

Love a good chowder with loads of sea creatures inside 🤤🤤🤤

[@raywayski]

So happy that the weather cleared up! I need to stop watching your Vlogs when I’m hungry! It’s because now I want a bowl of seafood chowder! 🤣🤣🤣 Glad you fulfilled seeing the petrified forest and the yellow eyed penguins. We got to see them at the “Penguin Place” in Harrington Point.I liked the “special Jurassic Park effects!” 👏👏

[@PeterandYen]

😂 yes! Glad you noticed the jurassic park effect. Yen was really proud of that one hahahaha. We were wondering who would be first to mention that🏆

[@user-qo1hi3be2s]

thank you)

[@PeterandYen]

Np thanks for watching

[@arstiahsu793]

Wow the Catlins!! Putting this in our bucket list. Thanks Peter and Yen.🤩😘 when in Dunedin you may want to visit Lanarch castle the only castle in NZ.

[@PeterandYen]

💯 this place is such a gem 💎 wanted to go back as soon as we left. 😉 you should be able to see the castle next week

[@nickandhelmi]

hiking boots for any weather - agree yen, it would be good if its sunny.. but regardless the foggy mist still is perfect.. still can see and has the mellow atmosphere it creates.. :) i enjoy it time to time.. gotta make the best of it i supposed. i like small portion too when i travel, i (nick) get so sleepy after eating too good of a meal.. i have to be honest i dont eat a lot of clam chowder :) - you are making me want to try the NZ version of a lot of things haha.. petrified wood xD feels like rock! hehe one lonely penguin XD - wish there was more for that incredible feeling. HAhaha that pterodactyl - it does look amazeballs, kinda feels like nusa penida when you had a wide angle shot down there to the nuggets. nice sunnies yen :)

[@PeterandYen]

Oooo true it does look a bit like nusa penida! It's crazy that New Zealand has so many of these kind of beautiful attractions but there are barely any people there. Feels like you've gotten to see some treasures all to yourself 💎👌

[@RudyVisuals]

Wow the views at Slope Point are stunning and I think the fog actually adds a nice atmosphere to the area especially around the petrified forest 😃 It's really cool to see all of those preserved logs and tree stumps I am guessing that there aren't that many tree fossils because wood just decays too quickly compared to bones

[@PeterandYen]

What a sight the petrified forest was, imagination on overdrive thinking about all the dinosaurs that would have passed through the area in the past 😯👍

[@chriskeentechnician]

Such a stunning coastline. I need to go back for some further exploring!!

[@PeterandYen]

💯 sounds like a good plan

[@actorrai4322]

That soup after the rain, Mmm mmm. I always wanted to see the penguins in wild. Lucky you guys.

[@PeterandYen]

That was super lucky, honestly thought there would be tons of them but the fact that there was only one and we saw it makes it extra special

[@actorrai4322]

@@PeterandYen awesome guys. Hope we will see them too one day 🤞.

[@rlim9947]

Wow, such a remote part of the world, you were in the wilderness. Great video guys.

[@PeterandYen]

Hahaha yes wilderness people 🤣

[@bukidnonhuntermc1358]

Stunning views. New friend here watching from Philippines

[@lh6135]

Brilliant again guys. I liked seeing the Petrified Forest providing such good perspective, thank you, definitively on my list and growing. Loving this mini series so far!

[@PeterandYen]

No worries thank you for watching. The forest is 💯 worth visiting. Even better in real life

[@TheMamuchos]

Even with the gloomy day, the water looks so blue and beautiful. Mystical for sure Peter. Looks awesome! That is our kind of weather though lol That is the perfect meal for a rainy day for sure 😋 What a wonderful marvel guys, the history of it and the look of it, fascinating! I love dinosaurs too!! What a wonderful experience and penguins 😍 New Zealand is fantastic! Can't wait to visit one day, thanks guys for making us feel closer to your beautiful country.

[@PeterandYen]

😁 yo bring Nala if you can and when you do eventually visit. So excited to see your new campervan and also follow along where y'all go. Actually Europe would be an amazing place to camper around 🤔😍

[@TheMamuchos]

@@PeterandYen yes, funny thing is I've been asking Lieles to do campervan in Europe since 2018 and he always said no because he was afraid to drive in Europe, and look at him now 😂😂

[@orlandowaldstein685]

Good afternoon Peter and Yen. Thank you for your sterling efforts with the video. I was wondering-where there are signs telling a story or information about a particular spot-would you be kind enough to pause and record the information on the video please? At the moment, you glance over the signs a bit and the signs could give us a deeper understanding of the area. Any help would be most appreciated thank you. Cheers for Auckland

[@darylmckay]

Check out the description, heaps of details there 😀

[@RoseKerin]

Lovely to see your wonderful travels

[@PeterandYen]

Thanks Rose glad you're enjoying the videos

[@sabyasachibanerjee124]

Another nice video to prep up before our trip. Plan to cover of these places as we drive from Dunedin to Invercargil

[@PeterandYen]

Catlins is really awesome, would have spent longer in this area. Lots of other cool spots we wanted to check out. We'll save it for our next visit.

[@stevee7556]

The time I went to Slope Point the waves were crashing halfway up those cliffs. It was pretty wild.

[@PeterandYen]

Wow that sounds wild! Must have been cool to see

[@ChandySaoStreeteats]

So cool to see a Penguin and a Seal just chiling out on the coast. Definitely worth the wait. Im now looking forward to your videos in Dunedin!

[@PeterandYen]

The Catlins just kept giving us more and more awesome stuff. Really enjoyed our time there didn't expect to see the seal and penguin 😁👍

[@YazzyYou]

If you're fascinated by dinosaur fossils, then you've probably already seen Gantheaume Point, Broome, Australia. If not, then you might want to head over there and put your shoe next to one of the many dinosaur footprints there.

[@PeterandYen]

Thanks for the recommendation Joseph, haven't heard about the area until your comment. From the Google images it looks amazing gonna try and squeeze it in an Australia trip when we get a chance 👍

[@fifi1561]

Another awesome video. Thank you both 😊. Looking forward to see Dunedin video. I've been there many years ago. Love it. Some day I shall be back.

[@PeterandYen]

No worries thank you for watching. Hope you get to go back someday too 🤞 it was the first time I've been back to Dunedin for many years too (Peter)

[@markdonnelly7225]

Hi i like your video

[@rexbrown2988]

Congatulations on another brilliant video . Walk to Nugget Point looks Amazing .The petrified forest just jogged my memory ~ when I was a kid, we found petrified wood on our farm at Purangi . You may have to get a couple of Swannies if you want to be real Wilderpeople 😊

[@PeterandYen]

Hahahaha dunno if yen and I would suit those swannies guess we're for ever city folk 😅

[@hendranovi6132]

please make more video peter and yen..

[@PeterandYen]

Once lockdown ends 😅

[@bledback2life]

Nugget Point is gorgeous! One of my best mates and I travelled there in early 2015, when we visited the Catlins. Unfortunately, we never quite made it to the lighthouse - we had a bit of an accident on the way there: our car slipped off the side of the gravel road, and we went off the cliff. Bit of a near-death experience for both of us. Somehow we survived (our rental car was totalled though!) - but we had to cut our trip short. :-P Nice to see what the lighthouse actually looks like. Another brilliant video! :-)

[@PeterandYen]

Woahhh glad y'all got out of there unharmed! New Zealand roads can be a bit tricky when I was younger my friend went off the road into a gravel ditch too... Lucky that ditch was there otherwise we would have gone off the cliff too 😅 ps lucky it was a rental 😅

[@berttroubleyn3475]

Wow, the Catlins look so wild and rugged. And the footage at Nugget Point was just spectacular! Bucket list just grew a little...

[@PeterandYen]

Hello hello Bert been watching a few videos of Botswana since last we spoke. Looks like a safari lovers dream. What did you get up to during your time there?

[@berttroubleyn3475]

@@PeterandYen Haha, looks like I triggered you. My absolute favourite there was the Makgadikgadi salt pans national park. We stayed right in the middle of the pans in a small oasis in a tented camp. Spectacular activities were: a night under the stars (cold but beautiful - no light or noise pollution) and walking among wild meerkats. They don't see you as dangerous and when you sit really still, they'll climb on top of you to use you as a lookout to check for predators. Another area of magnificent beauty is the Okavango Delta. We stayed in a reserve called Morengi but there are other options to discover the delta. The two places are in stark contrast: Makgadikgadi is seemingly dead and inhospitable (but dig 10 centimeters deep and the soil is full of critters), Okavango is extremely fertile and full of big and small wildlife. To the north of Botswana is Zambia with the amazing Zambezi river and - very close to Botswana - the spectacular Victoria Falls. If you visit the falls, try the Devil's Pool. It's a rush you'll never forget. As far as countries in the neighbourhood are concerned (if you're there, you might as well explore the rest of the region), I would be wary of Zimbabwe (not very safe there for tourists). But definitely recommend Namibia, because the scenery there is completely different from all other countries there: it's all desert, but different kinds of desert, each one more spectacular than the other.

[@PeterandYen]

Wow all of that sounds like an adventure of a lifetime... would be so cool having a lil Timon sit on top of your head looking for predators 😂 even digging the ground looking for unique grubs sounds like fun. No wonder you talked about the trip with such fondness, not something that many people will get to experience in their lifetimes. Always think the world is a pretty amazing place when you think you have a good bucket list then you hear about a bunch more stuff to add on 👌

[@rob1971]

Glad you made it to Slope Point 😊 It's a shame you didn't get better weather for it, it's what we'd call driech in Scotland. That chowder looked such a great way to warm up again though! Curio Bay looks awesome and it's so cool that Peter got to fulfill a dream, and the 🐧 was a nice bonus 😊

[@PeterandYen]

The Driech wasn't too bad at least it wasn't a full on down pour hahaha. The chowder was great it's one of our go to meals for a chilly day. Curio bay was on another level though one of my favorite places all trip ❤

[@rob1971]

@@PeterandYen yeah driech is usually defined as combination of mist and light rain with next to no wind, so slightly better than full on rain 😉 I had a bowl of Cullen Skink soup to warm me up last night for the same reason. That's me with another place to add to my list now! 😊

[@PeterandYen]

Had to Google Cullen Skink cause I was picturing a soup made of skinks which would be pretty interesting 😂😂 Google shows pictures of yummy smoked haddock chowder though 🤤 yum

[@darylmckay]

Thanks for educating us about the deep south. It's been heaps of fun. 😀

[@PeterandYen]

Nooo worries Daryl it was fun for us researching about the deep south too. Learnt a lot and I think found a few interesting gems 💎 along the way

[@darylmckay]

@@PeterandYen you guys really need your own television show!! 😀

[@PeterandYen]

The TV show would be a lockdown special right now 😅

[@darylmckay]

@@PeterandYen and totally have a big audience 😀👍

[@lida157]

As I went to Slope Point the whole meadow was FULL of sheep. It was so confusing to see this without even a single one.

[@missymason2377]

Love 💘

[@PeterandYen]

❤

[@kuyawill03]

9:35 I WAS SHOCKED HAHAHAHA

[@PeterandYen]

If only Peter turned around sooner he might have seen his beloved pterodactyl 😂

[@jgaggy007]

is there Bluff oysters? how about crayfish?

[@ouradventerousdays]

I remember we did the exact same thing, watched the penguins from the hut. It was late afternoon tho, toward to sunset. I don't think we been to the steep point tho. How are u guys going with lockdown? Do u have enough content to post?

[@PeterandYen]

We're doing great in lockdown... but kinda sad that our backlog is almost all used up cause we have no more content 😕 😅 let's just hope that the numbers get under control soon

[@ouradventerousdays]

@@PeterandYen we have been in lockdown since end of June n still in lockdown and the cases are going up each day. We are over 1500+ cases. Our gov goal is for adult population reach 70% - 80% double doses and open up. The goal is to get vaccinated and live with covid. I think NZ will be the same. Covid ain't going nowhere.

[@PeterandYen]

😅 our friends sent us videos of tik tokers at bondi Beach with like 1000s of people...

[@ouradventerousdays]

@@PeterandYen yes it was taken on the weekend. Nobody cares anymore because the cases aint going down. We only care about the number of people getting vaccine.

[@FoodandFootprints]

170 million years?!

[@PeterandYen]

Crazy right!

[@daveadams6421]

9:35 Pterodactyl Alert !! 👍😀

[@PeterandYen]

Hahahaha nice spotting! 👌

[@Viscous_Dampers_For_Houses]

.

[@cuibin1636]

我看过帅哥说上海话的视频，美女也是来自中国么？

[@PeterandYen]

Yen 来自马来西亚，但我们都在新西兰长大 🙂

[@cuibin1636]

@@PeterandYen LOL我本来猜是马来西亚或者新加坡，但又不敢确定，在新西兰长大难怪你们英语那么好，郎才女貌啊，祝你们永远幸福！

[@bobwallace5443]

Great video gee background music awful

[@morrisanderson818]

And here we have the 🫤🫤🫤 inappropriate adds being a nuisance as usual,shame for spoiling a awesome video KZbin,