21/01/2026. Owaka / Catlins Environ. Grade 2.5. Hikers. Leaders: Bill Cubitt and Peter Beal.
The weather (albeit a little windy) and tides turned up trumps for the 29 hikers who gathered on the Pounawea waterfront at 10.00am on Wednesday morning.
We commenced the day with a brief walk through the bush reserve at the rear of the Pounawea camping ground – this stand of Catlins rainforest contains some of the largest remaining Rimu and Totara trees in the district and is a good introduction to the greater Catlins Forest Park.
Morning tea followed and then as a group we convoyed to the start of the Old Coach Track at Papatowai.
This walk follows the route used by horse drawn wagons bringing supplies to the early settlers and Sawmillers in the Papatowai, Chaslands and Tahakopa districts prior to the establishment of the Catlins railway.
We had some great views of the Tahakopa Valley as we walked the track through a lovely mix of Totara, Silver Beech and King Ferns. On reaching the beach we walked around the point to where we could view the full extent of Tahakopa Beach where the wagons had travelled along back in the late 1800s and also the cliffs and profile of Long Point where the Union Steamship vessel The Manuka, ran aground in 1929. We concluded this section of the track with a visit to the Māori middens which are sadly almost obliterated by the constant effects of wind and water – early Māori used this area as a Moa hunting camp from the mid 1200s through to the 1600s. This whole Catlins area encapsulates the history of both Māori and European settlements and activities over the course of the centuries.
Arriving back at the cars we drove to the Papatowai Domain for a very pleasant lunch in the sunshine. Following our meal we walked the Picnic Point loop track which in its initial stage passes through an area of very old Catlins rainforest – the sight of some of these gnarly old trees prompted one member to remark that it was like being in Middle Earth!
The second section of this walk returns to the Papatowai Domain via the beach and features some amazing rock formations, Māori middens and panoramic views of the surrounding bush clad hills, the Papatowai estuary and the Pacific Ocean.
Back in the cars we travelled up to the Florence Hill lookout which overlooks the beautiful Tautuku Beach and Peninsula.
The final act of the day saw almost our entire group indulging in the very scrummy ice creams at Peakes Kitchen in Papatowai.
It was a great day out in a very special part of the world (said a very biased author!) with a lovely group of people. *Food for thought – a camp in the Catlins in 2027 would be a beautiful thing! Bill
Link to background information and earlier tramps and hikes in the same area.