Curio Bay

Curio Bay sits at the southern end of Porpoise Bay and breaks as a beach break with several peaks scattered along its golden sand, offering both lefts and rights to suit your level. The clever thing about the halfmoon shape is that the western end stays sheltered from the swell and the SW to W winds while the waves build bigger as you move east, so you choose your size by where you paddle out, which helps when a big day might otherwise be unmanageable. It comes alive on a S swell with a W offshore, works through all tides though it favours the push from mid up, and the punchy, powerful peaks down the southern end can throw genuinely hollow lefts when a solid swell lines up. The bottom is sand over a rock platform and it suits everyone from beginners to experienced surfers chasing the barrel.

This is the most celebrated break in the Catlins and one of the most extraordinary places you will ever paddle out. Beside the bay lies a 180-million-year-old petrified forest, one of the most extensive and least disturbed Jurassic fossil forests in the world, its fossilised stumps and logs exposed across the rock platform at low tide. Yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho), one of the rarest penguins on the planet, nest in the dunes and come ashore at dusk, while in summer Hector's dolphins surf and play in Porpoise Bay alongside swimmers. New Zealand sea lions and fur seals haul out on the rocks. The nearest town is Invercargill, around an hour northwest via Fortrose.

• Pick your peak with the conditions: paddle out at the sheltered western end when it is big or blown out, and work your way east toward the powerful peaks and the hollow southern lefts as the swell and your confidence allow.
• The wave quality favours the higher tides, so aim for the push from mid-tide up rather than the bottom of the low when the banks go flat.
• Walk the rock platform at low tide to see the 180-million-year-old petrified forest from the viewing platform, but do not walk on the fossil wood, do not touch it and do not remove any pieces; drones are also banned over the fossil forest.
• Fill up and stock up before you arrive, as Curio Bay is remote with limited cell coverage; the nearest fuel and 24/7 supplies are at Tokanui and the closest cafe is the Niagara Falls Cafe about ten minutes away.
• Build in two or three nights to surf morning and evening and explore the wider Catlins between sessions, with its waterfalls, native forest walks and some of the best concentrated wildlife in the South Island.

• The peaks down the southern end are punchy and powerful and the lefts can run hollow over a shallow sand and rock bottom, so treat a solid swell with respect and surf the gentler western peaks if you are still finding your feet.
• This is genuinely cold water, among the coldest in the country, and a flush or a long session can sap you fast, so wear enough rubber, boots and a hood in winter and get out before you lose dexterity.
• The exposed coastline picks up strong winds and sweeping currents around the points, so watch the drift between peaks and keep an eye on how far the bay is moving you down the beach.
• Hector's dolphins share the surf in Porpoise Bay during summer: do not chase, feed or touch them, enter the water at least 50 metres away and let any encounter happen on their terms.
• Yellow-eyed penguins come ashore to their nests in the late afternoon and are easily frightened, so stay at least 10 metres back, keep quiet, never block their path from sea to dune and give them extra space during the February to April moult.
• Sea lions and fur seals haul out on the rocks and beach and can move fast despite looking placid, so keep at least 30 metres clear and never get between an animal and the water.

Getting there

Curio Bay is at the southern end of Porpoise Bay on the South Catlins coast, about an hour (roughly 87 km) northwest of Invercargill via Fortrose, and only 7 km from Waikawa. From the Dunedin side it is closer to two hours via Balclutha, Owaka and Papatowai on the Southern Scenic Route. The road in is sealed but the wider Catlins has stretches of gravel.

Parking

There is parking at the southern end of the beach near the campground and beach access, with separate parking by the petrified forest viewing platform a short way around the point.

Toilets & showers

Public toilets are signposted next to the beach access. Showers, toilets and laundry sit within the Tumu Toka CurioScape campground beside Porpoise Bay.

Shops, cafes & fuel

Curio Bay is remote, so arrive self-sufficient. There is a camp store and cafe at the CurioScape campground, and otherwise the nearest cafe is the Niagara Falls Cafe about ten minutes away (reduced winter hours, closed Tuesday and Wednesday). The nearest 24/7 fuel and grocery is at Tokanui, roughly 18 km from Waikawa, with further fuel at Fortrose and Owaka. Mobile coverage is limited and patchy across the Catlins.

Accommodation

Curio Bay and nearby Waikawa have a scattering of self-contained baches, holiday homes and lodges (Bookabach and Airbnb listings rather than a dense village), and the wider South Catlins offers more options around Tokanui and Fortrose. Invercargill, about an hour away, has the full range of motels and hotels.

Camping

The Tumu Toka CurioScape campground sits right beside Porpoise Bay with powered and non-powered sites, a full kitchen, showers, laundry and toilets. Under the Southland District Council freedom camping bylaw, self-contained vehicles may only camp within the designated camping ground area at Curio Bay, not elsewhere around the bay.