Hilltop

Fiordland & Southland


High on a hill 1.5km out of town, with native forest at the back door and surrounded by a sheep farm, these two shipshape cottages command spectacular views of the Tahakopa Valley and coast. Rent by the room or the whole house ($340 for nine people); the en-suite double is the pick of a very nice bunch.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Fiordland & Southland attractions

1. Lost Gypsy Gallery

0.67 MILES

Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…

2. Florence Hill Lookout

1.24 MILES

Three kilometres southwest of Papatowai, a short gravel road leads to sweeping Tautuku Bay, which can be viewed from on high at the Florence Hill Lookout…

3. Matai & Horseshoe Falls

4.03 MILES

Two falls for the price of one! A fork in the road leads you, on the left, to the graceful drop of Matai Falls, while stairs to the right bring you to…

4. McLean Falls

4.98 MILES

A lovely walk along wooden walkways and fern-fringed tracks brings you to the attractive McLean Falls, named for an early 20th-century settler renowned…

5. Cathedral Caves

5.18 MILES

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…

6. Purakaunui Falls

5.69 MILES

If you only see one waterfall in the Catlins, make it this magnificent cascade down three tiers of jet-black rock. It's an easy 10-minute clamber to reach…

8. Teapotland

12.33 MILES

Get a selfie in this wacky collections of teapots and statuettes arranged in Graham Renwick's garden.