The infamous McLean Falls on the Tautuku river, within the Catlins, New Zealand.

The outflow from McLean Falls cascades on its journey towards the ocean within the Catlins, South Island, New Zealand.

Lake Wilkie is a small, scenic lake near Tautuku Bay in the Catlins, south of Dunedin, New Zealand. It formed after the last ice age and has gradually shrunk to its current size of 1.7 hectares (4.2 acres). Bog lakes like Lake Wilkie are a rare ecosystem in this part of the country.

Plant fossils are found throughout the Catlins but are more frequent in the south and west. This reflects the location of land in Gondwanaland times. Curio Bay is the location most well known for seeing the trunks of ancient trees as well as thin seams of coal and associated leaf impressions. Plant fossils are also common in the places where younger rocks are exposed. This is because the land with trees on it was slowly extending out into the sea over time. The youngest rocks (mid Jurassic) of the Catlins are to be found at Otara and in the Waikawa, Chaslands, Tahakopa and Catlins River valleys.