Catlins Coastal Route: 170 km in Otago / Southland
The Catlins Coastal Route is a named touring highway in Otago / Southland. The governing figure used here is 170 km (Southern Scenic Route · Catlins), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 2 days. Grade: Scenic highway. Season window: Year-round.
Part of the Southern Scenic Route but worth its own page. Nugget Point lighthouse and Curio Bay petrified forest are the stops. Owaka is the village. Unsealed side roads to the actual viewpoints.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: Balclutha, Owaka, Kaka Point, Invercargill. Cabins and holiday homes load live around each stop; hut and trailhead pins without a town page still search by radius.
Book DOC huts and Great Walks on the DOC system where that applies. Town beds are what this site lists. Carry the day’s food on remote legs — several of these routes have no shop between ends.
Stop by stop
Balclutha — Clutha mouth. Owaka — Catlins village. Kaka Point — Nugget Point road. Invercargill — western finish.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow Southern Scenic Route · Catlins. Confirm opening dates, slips and hut bookings on the operator or DOC page before you travel; alpine and West Coast tracks close or reroute after weather.
