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"To walk with the Sutherlands along these lonely beaches is akin to taking a guided tour of a renaissance cathedral; but here the treasures are the fossils, the middens left by Maori communities, the yellow eyed penguins, the ancient podocarp forests full of rimu, totara, matai and rata and the kingfishers, tuis and bellbirds." Cate Brett, NORTH AND SOUTH MAGAZINE
The Catlins region in southern New Zealand is a rugged natural retreat where wilderness and farmland coexist, where beech and podocarp rainforest with abundant native birdlife still extends from hill tops to the coast. The headlands and beaches of the varied coast are home to sub-antarctic wildlife such as yellow-eyed penguins, oceanic seabirds and sealions. The Catlins is a place for those who love nature to stay a while and enjoy the freedom of the many ecotourism opportunities for exploration.
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What we offer caters for the varied tastes of visitors to The Catlins. You can choose cosy self-catering cottage accommodation with advice from us on how to discover the area; or come on our friendly fully catered walks or ecotours with us to explore, see the wildlife and learn about natural and human history.
We have known the Catlins from childhood and have welcomed guests for our ecotours and eco-friendly accommodations since 1990. Our ecotours emphasise rare wildlife viewing and nature education and are highly rated. (Awarded the New Zealand Ecotourism Award 1993, New Zealand Activity and Adventure Tourism Award 1996 and recommended by travel guides such as 'Lonely Planet' and 'The Rough Guide'). With our life-time commitment to and knowledge of conservation and education we provide quality experiences. We have three children: a 36 year old daughter(and son-in-law), a 35 year old daughter and a 23 year old son. We are also proud grandparents to two lovely little girls and owners of a dachshund named Cloudberry and a seaside home we built ourselves overlooking beaches, river estuary and ancient forest. If you value nature and learning, and care for the earth, come and share these things with us by staying in one of our cottages or join one of our Catlins walks or ecotours.
Kia Ora, welcome to our web site.
Fergus and Mary Sutherland.
