Cathedral Caves

Fiordland & Southland


Cutting back into cliffs right on the beach, the huge, arched Cathedral Caves were carved out of the limestone by 160 million years of waves. Named for their acoustic properties, they are only accessible for two hours at either side of low tide (tide timetables are posted on the website, at the highway turn-off and at visitor information centres) – and even then they can be closed at short notice if the conditions are deemed dangerous. Cash only.

If you’re happy to wade, you can walk in one entrance and out the other.

From SH92 it’s 2km to the car park, then a peaceful 15-minute forest walk down to the beach and a further 25 minutes on foot to the caves.


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