The Catlins Ranges are a series of rugged, roughly parallel hill ranges in the southeastern corner of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

. They take their name from the name given to this part of the country - the Catlins

The Catlins

The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions...

. The ranges lie mostly in Otago

Otago

Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

, although their western extremes lie in Southland Region.

There are four distinct ranges: the small Rata and Beresford Ranges in the northeast, the Maclennan Range in the southwest, and the Forest Range, which can be considered as an extension of the Maclennan Range. Each of these ranges is oriented along a northwest-southeast axis. The ranges are separated by the valleys of the Catlins

Catlins River

The ' flows southeastward through The Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. Its total length is , and it shares its estuary with the Owaka River, flowing into the Pacific Ocean at Pounawea, south of Balclutha....

 and Tahakopa River

Tahakopa River

The Tahakopa River flows southeastward through the Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. Its total length is , and it flows into the Pacific Ocean east of Waikawa, close to the settlement of Papatowai....

s. Inland, close to the watershed

Water divide

A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...

s of these rivers, the boundaries between the ranges become indistinct, part of the reason why they are often grouped together under the one name.

The Maclennan Range is the largest of the ranges in terms of length, being some 25 km (15 mi) in length, but most of the highest hills are found inland in the area where the ranges are not easily differentiated. The highest point in the Catlins Ranges is the 720 m (2361 ft) summit of Mt. Pye

Mount Pye, New Zealand

Mount Pye is a rugged hill in the southeast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the highest point in the area known as the Catlins, rising to 720 m . It is located 40 km southeast of Gore, and forms part of the border between the Otago and Southland regions. The headwaters of many...

, which is located 25 km (40 mi) north-northeast of Waikawa

Waikawa, Southland

Waikawa is the name of a small settlement in Southland, New Zealand, at the southwestern edge of The Catlins.The township is now a small fishing settlement, but at one time in the late 19th century was a major port, shipping timber from the sawmills of the Catlins north to help build the new town...

. Other prominent peaks include Mt Rosebery (719 m; 2359 ft), Ajax Hill (698 m; 2290 ft), Catlins Cone (698 m; 2290 ft), and Mt Tautuku (691 m; 2266 ft).