The Catlins River flows 42 km southeastward through the Catlins in the southeast corner of South Island to the Pacific Ocean at Pounawea. The river's upper estuary is known as Catlins Lake, while the lower estuary is shared with the Ōwaka River and is also referred to as the Catlins River mouth or Pounawea Estuary. The river's source is west of Mount Rosebery, 15 km southwest of the town of Clinton.
The Catlins River Walk is on the eastern edge of the Catlins Conservation Park. The track follows the Catlins River from the Tawanui campsite at the south end to The Wisp at the north. It is mostly easy, with short, steep sections. It takes 5 to 6 hours to do the whole track, end to end. You can also use Catlins Road, a rough forestry road, to go between the Tawanui Campsite and The Wisp and to connect with the track at Wallis Stream and Franks Stream. Note that the map marked has been set at the Tawanui Campsite.
The walking times for the various track sections are 2.5 hours from Tawanui to Franks Creek, 1.5 hours from Franks Creek to Wallis Stream, and 1 hour from Wallis Stream to The Wisp.
There are pros and cons to driving the Catlins Road. It starts with a reasonable surface by the campsite, but it is a forestry road and becomes narrow, rough, and barely suitable for a standard vehicle. There is no cell phone service, and an AWD is recommended. A mountain bike would also be a good option. As we discovered on our first attempt to reach Wallis Stream from The Wisp, this and other connected forestry roads get closed without warning. It is best to check at the visitor centre in Owaka first.
On the other hand, the Catlins Road allows you to avoid the less interesting start and end of the track. Both are on the east side of the river and are with exotic trees and pine forests. The sections on the west side through the magical mature rainforest, dominated by big silver beech trees, are the main attraction. If you want to walk in without doing the whole track, start from The Wisp, as it provides quicker access to the west side of the river.
Other attractions include four-wire suspension bridges. These are perfectly safe, but you may feel more exposed than standard NZ swing bridges the first time. You will get several chances to try them out; at least they are not single-wire! Along the way are numerous rapids and some low waterfalls, especially near Franks Stream. Walking down from the Catlins Road to the track at Franks Stream, you can also pick out a higher waterfall on the stream.
The track is known for its bird life, including rare rifleman and mōhua (yellowhead). In December and January, there are the scarlet native mistletoe flowers of Peraxilla Colensoi in many beech trees. This was prominent near Franks Creek and common in the beech forest at the Tawanui campsite end.
The Tawanui campsite is substantial, with plenty of room for hikers. Book online to use it. There is no camping at The Wisp, but there are picnic tables and a basic toilet.
Another option that roughly doubles the hiking time is the Wisp Loop Walk. This combines the river track with forestry roads (with track markers) that take you through the exotic forest to the Rocky Knoll extension track. From there, you can get to the top of Rocky Knoll in the Rata Range, the highest accessible point in the Catlins at 500 metres. Choose a fine day to do this!
To get to The Wisp, take Owaka Valley Road northwest out of Owaka for 16.9 km, then turn southwest onto Chloris Pass Road. This 5.6 km gravel road goes over a pass between the Rata Range to the east and the Wisp Range to the west. You will see a lot of flowering rata trees in December and January, and the drive is worth it for this alone. Catlins Road connects with this road before the pass but is unsigned and easy to miss.
There are two options for getting to the Tawanui campsite. Start on Owaka Valley Road, but turn southwest onto Morris Saddle Road after 7 km. This is also a scenic gravel route with fabulous views from the south side of the Rata Range. Alternatively, take the Southern Scenic Route past Catlins Lake and head towards Papatowai. After 10 km, head north on the Catlins Valley Road and follow this as it meanders alongside the river to the hamlet of Tawanui. Turn north onto Morris Saddle Road, then west onto Catlins Road (Tawanui Campsite access road) after 1 km.
