Catlins History
First inhabited by the Maori people in the period 900-1700
AD, the Catlins is an area with a rich history. Captain
James Cook sighted the area in 1770, but it was not until
the period 1810-1830 that whalers and sealers arrived in the
Catlins. The Catlins takes its name from Edward Cattlin, a
ship's captain who made a land claim in the district in
1840. The first settlement of land by Europeans took place
in the mid 1850's. Settlers arrived primarily to mill trees,
the first mill being in operation around 1865. Nine timber
mills were operating near the Catlins and Owaka Rivers by
the 1880's. In 1877, 107 ships sailed from the Catlins area
loaded with timber bound for house building in Dunedin and
Christchurch. During the 1870's and 1880's many settlers
took up land for farming. The farms were only 20-80 hectares
and bought with state assistance. In the early 1900's, farms
became larger and freehold. Since the end of the sawmilling
era, the Catlins district has relied on farming as its
mainstay.
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Farm
cottage. A feature of the Catlins farmland is the many
examples of picturesque pioneer cottages and houses still
to be seen. Where: Along the Scenic Route at Ratanui and in
the Owaka and Glenomaru valleys.
Honey
factory. Native forest honey has been a speciality
of the Catlins from the early days of European settlement.
Pioneer
farm. Typical pioneer farm family, dressed up in
their best clothes for a photo taken outside their cottage.
Early
timber workers. Logging and timber milling were
once the main source of employment in the Catlins. Two
handed cross cut saws (pictured) and axes were the tools of
the "bushmen". The work in the forest and in the
short-lived, roughly built sawmills was often dangerous.
Sawmilling.
The main industry in the Catlins from 1870 to 1970 was
sawmilling. The giant podocarp trees (rimu, totara, matai,
kahikatea and miro) were sawn up and shipped or railed out
to provide building materials for the cities of Dunedin and
Invercargill.
Derelict
machine. Abandoned machinery from the days of the
timber milling is still to be seen in parts of the Catlins.
The
"Surat". This famous shipwreck gave its name to
one of the beaches in the Catlins. Fortunately all the crew
and passengers were saved; many were immigrants for whom
this was a rude first experience of New Zealand!
Whaling
boat. In the 1830's and 40's there was a feverish
and destructive era of whaling on the Catlins coast. Within
10 years, the Right whales were eliminated by shore and
ship based whalers. Some of these whalers married local
Maori and their descendants live in the Catlins today.
Captain Cattlin was a whaler and trader.
Locomotive.
The Catlins railway line was the main transport link in the
area for the first half of the 19th century. Many
interesting tales can be told of the line and the people
who used it.
Railway
construction. The Catlins River branch railway,
constructed from Balclutha to Tahakopa between 1879 and
1914, opened up the forested "frontier" for timber milling
and farming. The railway closed in 1971 but its former path
is to be seen in many places, as are some of the original
railway stations, such as those at Maclennan and Tahakopa.
