The Catlins region is full to the brim with incredible outdoor activities. The Cathedral Caves are some of the most impressive caves in the country and can only be accessed at low tide. Read on for my experience, including some helpful tips to make sure your visit goes smoothly!
What are the Cathedral Caves?
The Cathedral Caves are a pair of 160 million-year-old sandstone caves. Together, the length of the caves measures 200 m (656 ft). The caves are famous for their length and for their height (up to 30 m / 98 ft) — they’re called the Cathedral Caves because of their high ceilings and amazing acoustics.
The track to the caves goes through podocarp and kamahi forest before reaching Waipati beach. The forest walk takes about 20 minutes, and from there it takes about 10 more minutes along the beach to reach the caves. The way back up can take a little bit longer because it’s mostly uphill.
Side note: these caves are different from Cathedral Cove on New Zealand’s North Island. It’s an easy mix-up!
How to get to Cathedral Caves
The Cathedral Caves are located right off of the Southern Scenic Route highway, 2 hours from Dunedin and 1 hour 20 minutes from Invercargill. The land is owned by the Tautuku Māori land trust.
From the highway turnoff, you’ll need to drive down a narrow 2 km (1.2 mi) access road before reaching the carpark. There are public toilets and plenty of parking spots available.
What to know before you go
- The caves are only open from late October through May.
- You can only access the caves 2 hours before low tide and 1 hour after low tide. Make sure to check the tide times as they change daily!
- It costs $10 per adult and $2 per child to access the caves. Once you’ve parked your car, head over to the building in the parking lot to pay. They accept cash and EFTPOS.
- Plan to spend around an hour and a half at the caves. This will be more than enough time to walk down, explore at a leisurely pace, and walk back up.
- There are no dogs allowed at Cathedral Caves.
- Depending on the conditions, it’s pretty likely that you’ll get your feet wet walking through the caves. Make sure to wear waterproof shoes.
- It is also pretty dark inside the caves, so bringing a flashlight is helpful.
- Check out their official site for more info!
Our experience at Cathedral Caves
Walk down to the caves
I really enjoyed the 20-minute walk down to the caves. The surrounding forest is very lush and it has lots of interesting trees and plants. We also heard a few different bird songs here, making it a really peaceful and relaxing stroll.
Waipati beach
We reached Waipati beach just as a rainbow appeared along the water. Talk about good luck!
The beach itself was as lovely as the forest to walk through. It was relatively wide, flat, and the water reflecting off of the sand looked pretty cool. From the sign on the beach, we could see the massive caves looming in the distance. We walked around the side of the cliffs to reach the mouth of the first cave, which had a shallow pool of water in front of it. Luckily, we were able to jump over some rocks to make it inside without getting our shoes too wet.
Inside Cathedral Caves
Once inside, we kept walking towards the back, expecting that we’d eventually have to turn back around to make it to the second cave. To our surprise, the two caves are actually connected on the inside! You can enter the cave at one end and come out on the other — very cool.
The entrance to the second cave is where we found the best (and most iconic) photo opportunity. If you time it right, the water coming into the cave makes a really magical reflection of the sea and sky behind you. The way that the cave entrance frames the photo is really striking as well.
Once we were done exploring the caves, we made our way back to the parking lot. It took us about 30 minutes to make it back up through the forest. In total, we spent a little over an hour at the caves.
More to do in the Catlins
⇉ Best Waterfalls in the Catlins: A Full Guide to 8 New Zealand Hidden Gems
⇉ Nugget Point: All About the Coolest Lighthouse in the Catlins
⇉ Catlins Road Trip Itinerary: 4 Days in New Zealand’s Most Underrated Region
Thanks for reading this post on Cathedral Caves!
xoxo Niki
