Sometimes it takes something really special to make you get off your butt and go and be a tourist in your own backyard.
In my case that something special was actually someone special – a cousin visiting from the UK who I had only ever met once before – and who in fact, is the only cousin I have ever met in my whole life.
I first met Adrian, a cousin on my mum’s side, briefly, back in 2018 when his travel itinerary in New Zealand left only an afternoon to meet after, quite by chance, he tracked my sister, brother and I through mum’s death notice posted in the Rotorua newspaper way back in 1993.
That in itself is quite a story. But having met him once I thought it unlikely that we would ever cross paths again. However towards the end of 2025 I received a message saying he was heading back down-under, and had 3 days on his itinerary for a visit to Invercargill – enough for a day trip to The Catlins to do some touristy stuff, as well as talk family stuff.
So we took him to The Catlins.
The Catlins – an area of awesome natural beauty – is tucked away in the south eastern corner of New Zealand’s South Island, and in all honesty much more than one day is needed to see and do everything that the area has to offer.
But one day was all we had!
So off we went, heading for the Waipapa Point Lighthouse.
Waipapa Point Lighthouse
The drive from home (Invercargill) to our first stop – Waipapa Point Lighthouse – took just over an hour, allowing for a few photo stops along the way.
Waipapa Point Lighthouse was first lit in January 1884, 3 years after the ship Tararua foundered on the offshore reefs with the loss of 131 lives. The lighthouse has been fully automated since 1975.
Very often fur seals and sea lions can be spotted on the beach at Otara Cove, just below the lighthouse.
The day we visited a monster sea lion was lying on the beach just out of sight in the lower right corner of the photo below. Because of him I was reluctant to venture on to the beach itself.
Slope Point
The next stop on our day-trip was Slope Point, another 21km up the road.
A popular misconception is that Bluff, the small town at the southern end of the country’s State Highway 1, is the southernmost point of mainland New Zealand.
Not true. That honour belongs to Slope Point in The Catlins.
It is a 10 minute walk through farmland from the carpark to Slope Point itself – a walk well worth taking even if the wind is howling in off the southern ocean.
I’m using a little bit of photographic license here. I was so busy snapping shots of cousin Adrian at Slope Point using his phone, that I missed grabbing a picture on my own camera – hence I have used a photo I took on my visit to Slope Point a few years ago.
McLean Falls
The next stop on our backyard tourist trip was McLean Falls.
At about 22 metres in height, the falls are on the Tautuku River, at the end of a 1 kilometer bush walk that takes you through typical, dense, beautiful green New Zealand bush, at times alongside the Tautuku River and some of the smaller streams that run into it.
Most of the walk is fairly easy going, but be prepared for a series of steep rising steps that take you right to the edge of the falls themselves.
Purakaunui Falls were also on the itinerary for our day out, but unfortunately time was against us so we didn’t make it there. We did, however, make time for a quick visit to the Florence Hill Lookout which provides a magnificent view down and along Tauatuku Beach.
Again – you’ll notice that this photo is taken from an early time and camera. I got talking to a guy who was riding a lovely BMW GS1200 who had been down to Invercargill for the Burt Munro Challenge.
As an ex-motorcyclist I was just a wee bit envious…
tourist in your own backyard” day.The Florence Hill Lookout marked the end of our “day as tourists in our own backyard”, but I have to say that I found it quite exhilarating and am looking forward to another day on the road as a tourist.
So look out for a Part 2 of this story sometime in the future – the not too distant future I hope.
As for cousin Adrian – as I press “Publish Now” on this story he is in Rotorua, visiting my brother Chris, before heading further north to a relaxing week in the Bay of Islands.