Florence Hill Lookout, Tautuku, Catlins: 3rd October

 A view of the central Catlin's at Florence Hill

On our way south to Lake Wilkie and Curio Bay we stopped at the lookout point on Florence Hill. The lookout is on the coast side of the road and clearly signposted from both directions. 

Tautauku Bay from the lookout at Florence Hill

 There is a very fine viewpoint here with a fantastic aspect over Tautuku Beach and forests to its rear. There is also a blowhole near here at Rerekohu or Spouting Island which is visible from the lookout and active in heavy seas. 

Bruce the Britz van parked at Florence hill

...Bruce was our motorised home for a week...

Tautuku Beach has a number of forest tracks including the one to Lake Wilkie and is an excellent place for some outdoor adventures. We didn't manage to visit all the spots here I was interested in so I am thinking a return trip may be on the cards for sometime in the future. We noted there are a couple of holiday resorts, motels and B and B's here so accommodation is close to hand. 

Lake Wilkie is inland from Tautuku Beach

Here is a film clip I made at Florence Hill which gives you a good idea of how exposed it is up on that headland. 

There is a series of information panels located at the lookout which details the flora, fauna and history of the region. It is worth reading them to gain some insight into the surrounding area. 

Map of the important locations around the Catlins

Florence Hill information panel: about modern Tautuku

Florence Hill information panel: early settlers

Florence Hill information panel: flora/fauna

Florence Hill information panel: local weather

There is a Maori Pa and old whaling station on the Tautuku Peninsula that can only be accessed at low tide along Tautuku Beach. There is no road to the peninsula so you would have to cross the shallow lagoon at the peninsula end of the beach when the tide was out. 

I'm not sure I would like that all that much...

Distant Tautuku Peninsula from Florence Hill Lookout

The rock around here is ancient seabed over 180 million years old and it has slowly risen due to plate tectonics. It is the source of the sand down on Tautuku Beach and will continue to feed it for as long as the sandstone lasts. 

Florence Hill information panel: terrain features

There is a plaque here commemorating the sinking of the coastal steamer SS. Otago in 1876 at Chasland Beach. The whole coastline from Balclutha to Invercargill was a graveyard for ships in the late 19th Century. There are a number of reefs, off shore islands and treacherous river bars along the coast that claimed over 100 ships from the 1860's to the 1910's. 

Plaque commemorating the sinking of the SS. Otago

That long sandy beach at Tautuku Bay really reminds me of the coast along Abel Tasman NP. I imagine the soils are similar in both places as they produce sand of the same color. Naturally, enjoying the beaches up in sunny Tasman District is going to be different than down in the colder Catlins. That said I bet they have some cracker days here over the summer...

Sea-sand-forest...all three at Tautuku Beach

If you happen to be passing along the Southern Scenic Route take the opportunity to pull over here and enjoy the view. Our next destination was the Lake Wilkie Walk which is in the forest behind Tautuku Beach about two kilometers further along the highway. 

Access: Florence Hill Lookout is approximately two kilometers north of Tautoko Bay on the southern Scenic Route in the Catlin's. 
Miscellaneous: Scenic lookout with views down onto Tautuku Bay and the forested hills of the Central Catlin region. There is a layby here with picnic tables, a historic plaque and some information panels about the local area.