We packed up early and hit the road south, leaving Te Anau behind with a flask of coffee and clear skies overhead. The drive wound through farmland and quiet backroads one of those stretches where every bend looks like a postcard.
🌉 Clifden Suspension Bridge
Our first stop was the Clifden Suspension Bridge, tucked away beside the Waiau River. Built between 1898 and 1899, it was once New Zealand’s longest single-span bridge (111.5 metres) and the first to cross this powerful river. Designed by engineer Charles Henry Howorth, it carried horse-drawn carts for decades before being retired in 1978.
Walking across felt like stepping through time the timber boards creaked beneath our feet, the cables hummed in the wind, and the river rushed below. The girls ran ahead laughing while Ali stopped halfway to take in the view. You can still feel the weight of history here, a quiet reminder of just how much craftsmanship and courage went into building something that’s lasted more than a century
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💎 Gemstone Beach
Next stop: Gemstone Beach, where the wild surf tosses up stones polished smooth by the Southern Ocean. Georgia and Dotty went straight into treasure-hunt mode, filling their hands with green, pink, and grey pebbles while the waves crashed behind them. The mix of colours is unreal —nature’s version of a lucky dip.
We sat on a piece of driftwood for a while just watching the tide roll in, that kind of peaceful moment you don’t plan but never forget.
🚗 The Road South
The road to the Catlins felt endless in the best way. We passed forests, open fields, and a few stray sheep that clearly didn’t care for fences. Every now and then, another view would open up a river valley here, a glimpse of the ocean there and you’d think, surely it can’t get better than this. And then it did.
🦭 Surat Bay
By the time we reached Surat Bay, the light had turned soft and golden. The beach stretched for miles, the kind of wild, empty beauty you only get at the bottom of the world. And right there, lying in the sand like it owned the place, was a sea lion. Massive, calm, and completely unbothered by us watching.
We wandered down the beach, collecting shells and letting the wind whip our hair. After a long day on the road, it was the perfect ending a little wild, a little magical, and pure New Zealand.
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