Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOUTHLAND
New Zealand's 'deep south' is a starkly contrasting mix of raw coastlines, untouched wil-
derness and great swaths of farmland. Laid-back and lightly populated, it's a region where
getting off the beaten path goes with the territory.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Southern Scenic Route
The quiet Southern Scenic Route begins in Queenstown and heads south via Te Anau to
Manapouri, Tuatapere, Riverton and Invercargill. From Invercargill it continues north
through the Catlins to Dunedin. See
www.southernscenicroute.co.nz
or pick up the free
Southern Scenic Route
map to join all the dots. Public transport along this route is nonexist-
ent except for the Catlins coast section serviced by Bottom Bus.
Tuatapere & Around
From Manapouri the road follows the Waiau River south between the scoured Takitimu and
forested Hunter Mountains. Near Clifden is the elegant
Clifden Suspension Bridge
, built in 1899
and one of the longest bridges in the South Island. Information panels, a picnic table and
toilets encourage a pit stop.
Just south of the suspension bridge is the turn-off to
Lake Hauroko
, the deepest lake in NZ
and surrounded by dark, brooding, steeply forested slopes. The Dusky Track also ends (or
begins) here. The 32km-drive from the highway is mostly unsealed; Tuatapere-based
Lake
Hauroko Tours
(
Nov-Apr)
offers day trips
03-226 6681;
www.duskytrack.co.nz
;
tours incl lunch $120;
with a lake cruise.
Formerly a timber-milling town, sleepy
Tuatapere
(population 555) is now largely a farm-
ing centre. Those early woodcutters were very efficient, so only a remnant of a once-large
tract of native podocarp (conifer) forest remains.
Wilderness, however, is not far away. Tuatapere is the base for the
Hump Ridge Track
, con-
ceived and built by the local community, and opened in 2001. The three-day, 58km track
makes relatively easy work of a tramp across craggy heights. Rich in natural and cultural
history - from spectacular coastal and alpine scenery to the intriguing relics of a historic
