Papatowai
Encyclopedia
Papatowai is a small settlement in the Catlins district of the southeastern South Island
of New Zealand
. The settlement is situated half-way between the cities of Dunedin
and Invercargill
, on the Pacific
coast close to the mouth of the Tahakopa River
. There is a permanent population of around 30 people but with most of the houses in the town being holiday homes (locally known as "cribs") the population rises dramatically during the holiday seasons, particularly around New Year's Day and Easter.
Papatowai is surrounded by native podocarp forest and there are numerous walks in the area to waterfalls, and sand beaches in addition to bushwalks. There is also a walk to an archaeological site where it is possible to see middens left by early Māori inhabitants of the area. In the past, the bones of moa
have also been found here.
The Papatowai Challenge, a 15.7 km bush and beach run and walk, is held annually on the first weekend in March. The 2008 event attracted over 360 people.
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...
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...
. The settlement is situated half-way between the cities of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
and Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast close to the mouth of the 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....
. There is a permanent population of around 30 people but with most of the houses in the town being holiday homes (locally known as "cribs") the population rises dramatically during the holiday seasons, particularly around New Year's Day and Easter.
Papatowai is surrounded by native podocarp forest and there are numerous walks in the area to waterfalls, and sand beaches in addition to bushwalks. There is also a walk to an archaeological site where it is possible to see middens left by early Māori inhabitants of the area. In the past, the bones of moa
Moa
The moa were eleven species of flightless birds endemic to New Zealand. The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about ....
have also been found here.
The Papatowai Challenge, a 15.7 km bush and beach run and walk, is held annually on the first weekend in March. The 2008 event attracted over 360 people.