Get off the tourist trail, see the Catlins with a real “Local”. Join Ibby Ibbotson, the expert on the Catlins. Born and bred in the Catlins and doing the rural mail service for the passed 20 years, plus or minus, he has some great stories to share while you see this “off the beaten track” Catlins Tour.

Join Ibby, at 8 am in Owaka as he begins his rural Catlins mail and newspaper run. See how the Rural Delivery Service works in New Zealand, providing a service to the rural community from mail to package delivery to prescriptions. Check out all the nooks and crannies that only Ibby knows about: Narrow back country gravel roads, farms, native forest, historical buildings, hideaways and his great stories about the history and characters that inhabit this, history rich, rural region of New Zealand. Ibby will take you on his morning run to the Chaslands, via the Puho Trail, then stop at the Whistling Frog Cafe for a coffee, hear the local banter and catch up on the local news, before continuing back up to Owaka via the historic settlements of Puketiro and Tawanui.

Arrive back in Owaka by lunch time and join Ibby and his wife Lindsay for lunch at their lifestyle farm on the outskirts of Owaka. He grows his own Catlins tomatoes and you will get to pet a lamb and maybe give it a bottle of milk. After enjoying a country lunch with Ibby and Lindsay, you will help Ibby with the afternoon rural mail run up the Owaka Valley to see a different view of the region via the backroads. You will then arrive back in Owaka at around 3 pm at the end of Ibby’s mail run. A day to remember!

Book at the Whistling Frog Cafe or online: www.catlinsnz.com The day in the Catlins with the Postie package is: $100 per person, which includes lunch with Ibby and a coffee at the Whistling Frog Cafe. (Max two persons.) Ibby has Sunday and Monday off, so the best time to book is Wednesday thru Saturday. This trip is a real treat and everyone who has done it absolutely loves it! Highly recommended... Rachel R: “Well worth doing... Ibby is a legend...!”

 

There is so much to see and do in this amazing area of New Zealand's South Island.

Whether you are a hiking enthusiastic or a weekend stroller, the many attractions offer an incredible diversity of flora, fauna and scenery.

We at the Catlins Whistling Frog Holiday Park love The Catlins and we have come up with our top picks of where to go and what to see. About our app: All maps and most information are included in the app so there is no problem with internet connections when you are out and about enjoying The Catlins.

Features for each highlight: - General information on the highlight - Difficulty of access - Approximate distance where applicable - Local weather (internet required) 

Accommodation and food availability at your Base Camp

We hope you join us soon at The Catlins and remember:

“TWENTY years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

This special region of southern New Zealand, known as The Catlins offers such an opportunity. The Catlins, with their rich maritime history, “Roaring Forties” trade winds, wild coastlines and pristine wilderness, makes an ideal detour along the magical highway, identified on maps, as The Southern Scenic Route. This recently paved, newly discovered scenic highway, links Queenstown to Dunedin and Invercargill. Well worth the slight detour, The Catlins, will provide the variety you crave. A veritable feast of the best New Zealand has to offer with a plethora of jaw-dropping coastlines, rare Antarctic wildlife, ancient podocarp forests, both living and fossilized, stunning waterfalls and spectacularly carved ocean sea caves. The Cathedral Caves in particular, are a ‘must see’ and being located in the geographical heart of the Catlins, make this area a logical overnight stopover, as they are tidal dependant.

The Catlins takes the definition of variety and natural wonders to new heights. You can indulge your passion for photography, nature walks, wild coastlines or seek solitude. You will explore trails, surf in secret coves, watch rare yellow-eyed penguins as they make landfall to feed their young or swim with the friendly Hector’s Dolphins, the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world. Not far from the craziness of the marquee tourist attractions of Queenstown, via the Southern Scenic Route you will experience a New Zealand that dates back to Gondwanaland and the time that the giant ‘moas’ and other native species ruled the forests. The spectacular beauty of the Catlins portion of the Southern Scenic Route allows you to feel that you are truly a world apart.

 您是否计划前往美丽的新西兰？留在卡特林斯，看海豚，海狮和享受我们的汽车旅馆，小木屋，露营地和餐厅。旅行团欢迎。

 

Android 

Apple