The Catlins is a region of southeast New Zealand, a patchwork of rainforest, rocky coast and rolling farmland that most people drive straight past on the way to Invercargill or Dunedin. It sits on the southeastern corner of the South Island, between Balclutha and Fortrose, and it is wilder and quieter than the more famous parts of the south. There are very few towns, a lot of sheep and long unsealed stretches that make the area feel properly remote.
The coast is the attraction. Nugget Point has a lighthouse, built in the 1870s, on a cliff above a scatter of rocky islets that look like nuggets, with fur seals and sea lions lounging below. Curio Bay has a fossilised forest, some one hundred and eighty million years old, exposed on the shore at low tide, and yellow-eyed penguins, among the rarest in the world, come ashore at various places along the coast in the evening. Purakaunui Falls, a tiered waterfall in the forest, is one of the most photographed in the country. The rainforest here is cool, wet and mossy, with ferns and podocarps, and birdsong everywhere.
On a bike, the Southern Scenic Route winds through the area, with farm roads, forest sections and open views to the sea. The tarmac is generally good on the main route, though it narrows and can be patchy in places, and some side roads to the beaches and falls are gravel. Weather is changeable, with cool air from the Southern Ocean and sudden rain, and wind can be strong on exposed headlands. Summer is the best time, but even then warm layers are wise. Sheep and cattle sometimes wander onto the road.
Services are scarce. Papatowai is a tiny settlement with a shop and cafe, and Owaka and Balclutha, further north, have shops and fuel, but you should not rely on anything in between, and it pays to fill up before entering the area. Mobile coverage is patchy.
Take a picnic and enough time. The Catlins rewards slow travel, and you will want to stop at several beaches, walk a forest track and watch the light fade over the rocks before you move on.