Gentle natural beauty, beaches, solitude…. these are aplenty on the Southern Scenic Route, the major road running west to east, from Southland to Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand.
This tranquil route is not one to be rushed, because every now and then some beautiful spot keeps appearing as you amble along, some on the main road while others require you to take a diversion.
OWAKA – Our Base
We drove eastwards from Southland and chose Owaka as our base to explore the eastern part of the Southern Scenic route. It is a bit less than 2-hour driving distance Invercargill on the west and 1-1/2 hours from Dunedin in the east.
Owaka is a small village with just 3-4 good choices for accommodation, and you need to book in advance. It is the most central place to stay for roaming around in this region.
Here’s a map of the driving route from Owaka.
There are some lovely waterfalls, viewpoints and hikes on this route. A 3-4 day stay would be ideal to spend time exploring this place. As with most places in this region, rain is an uncertain factor here and when it does rain, it is quite bad – best for TV, popcorn & slouching – provided the power lines haven’t collapsed.
BEST STOPS IN SOUTHERN SCENIC ROUTE
PURAKANUI FALLS
This popular and most photographed waterfall is located just 17kms south of Owaka in the Purakaunui Falls Scenic Reserve.
It is a three-tire cascading waterfall on the Purakanui River, with an imposing height (20 meters).
There is a convenient car park, and a good 20-minute walk through rainforests gets you to the top and bottom level viewing platforms. The lower level gives the best view of the falls.
It’s a pretty place with the sound of birds and thundering water.
MATAI FALLS & HORSESHOE FALLS AND MATAI RAIL TRAIL
This is a series of two falls – Matai and Horseshoe falls – located on the Matai Stream in the Catlins forest park.
The approach to the falls is an easy and enjoyable walk through a lovely rainforest. The path splits, with the lower section leading to a wooden platform that is built over the stream to provide a good lookout point. There are picnic tables at the site.
The 10-metre high Matai falls are classified as ‘horsetail’ type of waterfall.
After you have had your fill of the Matai falls, you can walk towards the upper section of the route through a rather steep flight of rocky stairs to view another waterfall – Horseshoe falls – which is different from Matai.
There is one more attraction here!
As you walk back towards the parking lot, there is a downward sloping diversion route leading to an ancient Catlins Railway line. This offers a good one-hour return walk through some woods and embankments of the old railway line. There are a couple of good informative signposts on the history of this place and convenient picnic tables have been provided.
JACK’S BLOW HOLE
Located about 6 kms from Owaka is Jack’s blow hole. You need to drive through some rough gravel roads to reach this amazing location.
The highlight of this place is the rather challenging 1 to 1-1/2 hour walk through farmlands with steep slopes and steps to reach the blow hole. You are rewarded with stunning coastal views from high up during the walk.
The 55-metre deep blow hole needs a strong high tide for spouting to occur and be seen in action. We could see the blow hole but not the spouting when we visited.
When we returned to the car park, we took some lovely walks on the beach. Motorhomes and campers park here overnight to view the sunrise that is supposed to be worth watching.
FLORENCE HILL LOOKOUT
About 28 kms from Owaka is Florence Lookout in an area called Papatowai just off the Southern Scenic route.
Here you can enjoy panoramic views of the Tautuku Bay.
There is a glow in this view due to the quartz content of the sand. It is best seen on a sunny day.
KAKA POINT & NUGGET POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Drive eastwards from Owaka for about 30 minutes, and you arrive at a junction where Kaka Point is on the left route and Nugget Point and Lighthouse on the right.
There is just enough parking at the Nugget point and you might make it if you reach early.
The views are awesome even from the parking lot. The walk itself is about 30-45 minutes but you will be on steep, cliff-top path without barriers.
The white light house and the jagged rocks, known as nuggets, are the highlights of this viewpoint. It is a popular spot for photographers for sunrise and sunset views. Bring your binoculars to zoom on fur seals, sea lions and other wildlife parked near the nuggets.
Head back to the parking lot and drive up to Kaka Point. Apart from the views, there are some good trails with sweeping views of the Molyneux bay.
We had a wonderful 4 days in this eastern part of Southern Scenic Route and reluctantly, drove towards our next destination – Dunedin.
Great views, experiences and few people – that is the highlight of this part of New Zealand.
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Love nothing more than a road trip with beautiful spots along the way. Thanks for sharing this New Zealand road trip itinerary, I’m saving it for our future trip.
This is such useful info, as we’ll be back in NZ later this year. Nugget point looks like a perfect sunset spot – dunno if I’m brave enough to manage the path without fencing! I bet the lighthouse offers amazing views.
I haven’t made it to New Zealand yet. Once planning my visit will definitely include
the Southern Scenic Route on my travel itinerary. Thanks for sharing!
I would love to take this road trip and hike to those waterfalls! The “nuggets” are so cute! Would love to trek that path as well. I do hope to get to New Zealand one day and I am saving this post for that time.
You always see pictures of NZ’s mountains but never the coast – but wow, I don’t know why!! It looks stunning! I’d love to do this drive one day!
We will definitely plan to travel along the Southern Scenic Route when we finally make it to New Zealand. Owaka looks like a great base to explore the area for a few days. You now we love waterfalls and would plan to see them all. And we would hang around and wait for the blow hole to spout. So many spots for stunning panoramic views. We really do need to get New Zealand on our travel planning board.
I can see why the Okawa is the right based on the southern scenic route. You got to do day trips to beautiful nature. The view from the track to Jack’s Blow Hole is stunning! I think it didn’t feel like an hour walking there. The panoramic view from the Florence Hill Lookout is stunning, too! Too bad you didn’t get to see the glow from the beach.
Owaka looks like a great place to set your base for a few days of exploration. I have recently visited a few lighthouses and find them so pretty, so I would definitely like to go to Nugget Lighthouse and the Kaka Point. I wouldn’t mind doing the uphill hike, to get those beautiful views. I always try to include some hiking in my trips. And mentioning that, the walk to the Purakaunui Falls sounds pretty nice, through the rainforest. The waterfalls itself looks worth visiting.
I never visited this part of New Zealand when I was there, even though I was so close. It looks stunning, like the rest of the country and I would love to visit this area, hike to the waterfalls, to the blow hole and see the nuggets. I can’t wait to get back to New Zealand and I will be certain make sure to see more of the south island and this area.
Visited both North and South Islands of New Zealand, everyone I met told me Sothern Island is prettier than the North, couldn’t agree more. The Southern most place I visited was Milford sound, have yet to visit Owaka. Everyone I met suggested that a visit to as they called it the place of canoes is a must. Was limited on my time, on my next visit will be following your Map.
When I think of New Zealand, I think of wonderful lush nature and this did not disappoint! Now I have a plan to follow and Owaka seems like a great base for seeing the Purakanui Falls. I would definitely be hoping for an active blow hole experience to watch. Kaka Point and the Nugget point lighthouse is high on my list to visit as well. thank you so much
The view at the Kaka Point and Nugget Point are amazing. It is definitely worth the drive. Thank you for the heads up about the steep, cliff top path. We’ll definitely consider taking this southern scenic route should we get a chance to visit NZ again.
We only visited the North Island on our New Zealand trip. But I knew that we have to go back to explore the South Island. I really enjoyed reading your post as this is an area I was not familiar with. The Parakanui Falls make a great picture motive and I love lighthouses – so I would definitely visit Nugget Point!
What a gorgeous drive! I’ve never been to New Zealand, but I want to head there so bad. All of the natural beauty of the coastline is stunning. And I’d love to see the lighthouse, too. It seems like an idyllic way to spend time in a beautiful country!
We didn’t get to kaka point and missed the blow hole but its such a gorgeous area here. We loved Purakaunui Falls and walking around the trails. It was so lovely and the sound of birds mixed with the cicadas in summer was so loud but I loved it. It felt like we had been transported to a wild kingdom. I’m heading back next year and adding florence hill lookout to my south trip. We went and the weather came in fast, so no view for us lol.