Tumu Toka and the Curio Bay Living Forest:

...Rimu trees and an ancient petrified forest...

After spending the day visiting Waipapa Point and Slope Point we headed back to the campground at Curio Bay. As this was the last day we had down in the Catlin's we decided to go have a look at the rocky shelf down in Curio Bay. 

Start of the walkway at the Curioscape office

There are two places of interest at Curio Bay...the first is a rock shelf with a number of fossilized trees which are exposed in the rock strata there. These ancient trees were once part of a swamp and after falling into the water were preserved by the mud and petrified.

View down to Curio Bay from the office

The other point of interest is a nice patch of regenerating Rimu/Matai forest at the southern end of Curio Bay. This forest has a wide variety of trees including Manuka, Matai, Totara, Kahikatea, Kamihi and especially Rimu. It is one of the few remaining Rimu forests in this part of the country so close to the coast. 

These are the same species as the petrified rocks over at Curio Bay...

Entrance to the forest near Curio Bay

The first place we visited was the rock shelf at Curio Bay...

Curio Bay:

There is a walking track from the Curio Bay Campground office to the rock platform at Curio Bay. It starts on the southern side of the office building and takes you through an area of native planting along the cliff tops. Yellow Eye penguins nest here at certain times of the year although we did not see any on this visit. 

Curioscape office and café at Curio Bay

We parked the campervan up near the office as there was little parking closer to the viewing platforms at Curio Bay. It was probably safer as well as there are cameras operating near the campground office. 

Map: Area around Curio Bay in Southland

There is a nice lookout point with views of Curio Bay about 200 meters from the campground office and café. From the platform you can see the rock shelf down below which contains the fossilized remains of an ancient swamp. 

Lookout above Curio Bay, Southland

 The ancient trees existed in the Jurassic era roughly 170 million years ago when all of the land was concentrated into one land mass known as Gondwana. These ancient trees were most probably residents of a coastal swamp on that gigantic landmass.

There are a only few spots around the world where this phenomena can be seen and Curio Bay is international known due to the number of fossils here. Fossilized trees can be seen on beaches and in riverbeds right through this southeast corner of the South Island and Karen and I saw several at Waipapa Point and near Slope Point. 

Exposed mud stone shelf at Curio Bay

Most fossilized trees are destroyed by the process of land uplift, erosion and volcanism so it is rare to find such well preserved examples. These Jurassic remains are some of the oldest rocks to be found anywhere in New Zealand.

The base rock of Curio Bay is mud stone with a thin layer of limestone, gravel and topsoil on top. Erosion in the form of waves, wind and rain have gradually scoured away the top layers leaving the mudstone exposed. As this stone breaks down it exposes the fossilized remains of plants and animals that once lived in the parent swamp. 

People were exploring the rock formation at Curio Bay

There are a set of stairs built near at the lookout which give you safe access to the mudstone shelf the fossils rest in. It is safe to explore here at low tide as most of the rocky shelf is well clear of the water. Care must be taken at the edge of the rock shelf as large waves roll into this bay and occasionally lap over the top of the shelf. 

Stairs going down to Curio Bay rocks

There are excellent views to South Head and Flaxy Head from down on the rock shelf and they mark the two sides of Curio Bay. 

South Head from Curio Bay, Southland

Flaxy Head from the rocks at Curio Bay

The trees were once residents in an ancient swamp and when they died and fell into the swamp they  were first preserved and then later fossilized by silica leeching into the wood. You can still see the bark and grain of the ancient wood. 

There are multiple  preserved branches, logs and tree stumps here...

Fossil trees in the rocks at Curio Bay

...you can see the wood grain in the Curio Bay fossils...

Scientists have identified a number of different tree species preserved in the rock including plants similar to modern Kahikatea, Beech, Rimu, Totara as well as ferns & shrubs. 

An exposed and fossilized tree at Curio Bay

People have removed fossils from this location in the past but please note this is illegal and can result in fines of up to $100 000 dollars and up to 20 years in jail....best not to do this!!!

Just look at them...don't try to take them!

Incoming tide covers the rocks at Curio Bay

The photo below shows the distant South Head but also gives an excellent demonstration of the layering of the land. There is the mudstone base covered with a thin layer of limestone. Then you can see layers of river gravels and finally topsoil. It paints an interesting picture of the various periods and different conditions impacting on the peninsula. 

Good view of South Head from Curio Bay

Between the rock shelf and Flaxy Head are a number of deeply incised tidal inlets formed by ocean erosion and the course of a small river running through here. The water looked deep and moderate sized waves continually wash into the inlet and across the rocks. Various types of seaweed can be seen flowing back and forth in the current. 

Tidal inlets at Curio Bay, Southland

Incoming tide starting to cover the rock shelf at Curio Bay

Curio Bay...the  rock shelf is under water at high tide!

The stairs are the only safe way to access the rock shelf at Curio Bay and they are free of charge. The land along the bay is roughly 20 meters higher and form a cliff at the top of the high tide line. 

The stairs down to the rocks at Curio Bay

...there are information panels on the stairs at Curio Bay...

Prior to Covid this was a major tourist attraction and I can see why as it is very interesting. Definitely worth a look if you are down in the southern Catlin region. 

Curio Bay Walkway:

From the Curio Bay rock shelf you can continue along the Curio Bay Walkway to a small patch of lowland forest that is being cared for by DOC and a local trust. It is a regenerating coastal Rimu forest and there is a lovely short track running around the outside edge of the forest. 

On the Curio Bay Walkway to the Living Forest

Tumu Toka Forest comes into view...Curio Bay

Sign along the Tumu Toka Walkway

The walkway takes you to the side of Mair Road where you cross over to the start of the track on the east side of the regenerating forest.

Tumu Toka Forest is Coastal Podocarp forest

There is an information panel at the track entrance which gives some context to the species you will see here. They are similar to the ones petrified on the Curio Bay shelf so this is possibly what that ancient forest looked like.  

Sign at the Tumu Toka Living forest at Curio Bay

The forest starts almost from the side of the road and the trust who maintain it have made a very enticing entrance way to get people to visit the site. 

Tumu Toka Living Forest:

This forest is known as the Tumu Toka Living Forest and is partially wild and partially planted by man. The track is a short circuit of about 600 meters and runs around the south eastern corner of the bush. It is simply a taste of what the wider forest contains. 

Entrance to the Living Forest off Mair Road

The walkway heads into the Living Forest at Curio Bay

The forest reserve covers about 10 hectares and has a variety of Podocarp species in it. The two main tree types are Rimu and Manuka but there are other species as well. We saw Matai, Totara, Kahikatea, Kamihi and Fuchsia. 

Information panel at the start of the Living forest

The first part of the track goes through remnant native bush and has a wild and un organised look to it. There were some big Kamihi and Totara trees here with a thick and healthy looking understory. 

Start of the Living Forest at Curio Bay

There are information panels identifying various species

There were some big Fuchsia trees near the start of the track and they must be old growth. They were 20-30 centimeters around the trunk which means they are probably a couple of hundred years old. 

Native Fuchsia trees at the start of the Living Forest

A mixture of Kamihi, Matai and Manuka Trees, Living Forest

The forest was alive with birds and we saw a great many of them flying through the trees. We saw Wood Pigeons, Bellbirds, Fantails and Silver eyes but the most numerous were Tui. There were dozens of them in the Rimu trees and they were calling out to each other...

Tui singing in a Rimu tree, Tumu Toka Living Forest

The back or western part of the track was through thick Rimu and Matai Forest. It almost had a plantation look to it so I am assuming they were planted sometime in the past. They were all around 5-10 meters tall so it must have been some time ago as both are slow growing. 

Rimu plantation in the Tumu Toka Living Forest

Matai and Rimu are excellent companion plants and you often find them growing side by side in natural settings. 

A mix of Manuka, Rimu and Matai...Tumu Toka Living Forest

Tumu Toka Living Forest...the track runs along the edge

The inland edge of the track runs through a thick stand of Manuka trees about 200 meters back from Mair Road. This is as far inland as the track goes before circling back on itself. In the near distance you could see more Rimu and Matai trees and I imagine the track will eventually continue into the rest of the forest at some time in the future. 

Manuka trees along the Tumu Toka Living Forest track

Tumu Toka Living Forest...the forest continues inland

You walk along a narrow corridor between the Manuka trees for about 100 meters. The track then turns back to the coast and makes its way east through more Matai/Rimu trees. 

Heading back to the start of the Tumu Toka Living Forest

There was a tepee like structure in the Rimu forest built from the fallen branches of the surrounding trees. There is a dilemma at work here...while it is nice to let kids play in the forest and build structures it is also visual pollution. The branches would never naturally fall this way and it looks out of place in an otherwise natural environment.

 I was tempted to dismantle it as I often do when I find unnecessary rock cairns and such but in the event I resisted and just left it in place. 

Boy was I tempted though...

Structure in the Tumu Toka Living Forest

After a hundred meters you find yourself back in the old growth native forest and Kamihi and Totara are the main trees here. This part of the reserve is much more natural looking than the Rimu/Matai grove...

Native bush in Tumu Toka Living Forest

Hen and Chicken Fern...Tumu Toka Living Forest

At one point there was a fallen tree with a nearby stump that was covered with tiny fungi. The stump had hundreds of tiny mushrooms on it and looked slightly surreal...

Fungi on a tree stump in Tumu Toka Living Forest

Thousands of fungi on display...Tumu Toka Living Forest

Eventually you complete the circuit and find yourself back at the start of the track once again. All up it took about 15 minutes to walk around the forest while we looked at the trees and stopped to take photos and film clips. 

Approaching the entrance to Tumu Toka Living Forest

Once back at the start of the track in the Tumu Toka Living Forest we crossed back over the road and walked back to the van parked up by the Campground office. 

Sign at entrance of Tumu Toka Living Forest

It was really lovely in the forest and as these trees continue to grow into a mature forest this will be a awesome place for people to visit. If undisturbed these trees will eventually be 30 meters tall and several meters around their trunks. 

Looking back over the Tumu Toka Living Forest

After we finished walking back to the van we went back down to our spot in the campground and set up for the afternoon. We had some late lunch and a brew and watched the birds flitting in and out of the Harakeke around the van. There were a lot of birds living in the Harakeke...

View over Curio Bay Campground

We walked over to the seat looking out over Porpoise Bay and sat and watched the ocean for a while. It was nice sitting in the sun and listening to the waves crashing ashore below us. 

View to Porpoise Bay from Curio Bay Campground

Our camper van set up at the Curio Bay Campground

This was the second to last day of our holiday down in the Catlin's...the next day we were heading back north. We were staying for one last night at the camp ground at Moeraki north of Dunedin before setting off for home.

Access: Curio Bay is off the Southern Scenic Route in the southern part of the Catlins. Turn off the Southern Scenic Route at Waikawa Road and drive about 10 kilometers past Waikawa, Curio Bay Settlement to the carpark at the Curio Bay Campground. 
Miscellaneous: Tumu Toka/Curio Bay Campground is located on a peninsula near Waikawa in the southern Catlins area of Southland. There are powered and un powered sites here with a new amenity block (kitchen/toilets/showers/laundry) a café and reception office. There is a set of public toilets down by the Porpoise Bay Surf Club for camp users.