Curio Bay

SH92, Catlins, 9884

Independent

“Wildlife and fossil reserve”

Curio Bay is located on the Catlins coast just 7kms from Waikawa. The area has a long history of Maori occupation and, as with the rest of the Catlins, was an important food source area for Maori. The area was later settled by European whalers and sealers in the 1850s and 1860s. There is an abundance of wildlife to see in this area. In the summer Hector's dolphins/papakanua play in the surf. Yellow-eyed penguins/hoioho nest in the area around Curio Bay/Waikaawa and fur seals and sea lions regularly haul themselves out of the water along the coastline. The fossil forest can be explored at low tide. There is a viewing platform and information panel overlooking the fossil forest.

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Reviewed by
AnBinNZ

5 Reviews
0 Helpful

December 25, 2019

The BEST time to explore Curio Bay in summer is between 6-8pm when the resident colony of Yellow-eyed penguins come ashore for the night. Watching the Curio Bay penguin parade is remarkably better than at the other sites up the coast towards Oamaru (except Katiki). First, there’s no “Hide” and you are free to wander around the Jurassic tidal-shelf and perch your butt on a petrified stump to watch the nightly waddle. Secondly, the penguins of Curio seem habituated to human presence, so they don’t retreat at the sight of a human. During “hoppy hour” the penguins pop out of the surf (a bit left/east of the view platform) and preen a bit before rock-hopping to their bush-line nests. These may be the best penguin photoops you’ll EVER get!

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