Cathedral Caves

The Cathedral Caves are two sea caves cut into the sandstone cliff at Waipati Beach that join inside to form a passage about two hundred metres long, with a roof reaching around thirty metres - large enough that the name is not hyperbole. The constraint is total: they can only be entered for roughly an hour either side of low tide, and the rest of the time the sea fills the entrances. The land is privately owned and the access road is gated and staffed, opening only for the tide window and only during the season, roughly late October to April; outside those hours and dates you cannot get in at all. Published opening times for each day are on the operator's site and should be checked before driving, since the Catlins are a long way from anywhere. From the car park it is fifteen minutes down through rainforest to the beach and then a walk along the sand to the entrances.

What you actually see

• The joined caves - a 200-metre passage with a thirty-metre roof.
• The tide window - about two hours a day, and no more.
• The bush descent - fifteen minutes through rainforest to the beach.
• Waipati Beach - the surf coast the caves open onto.

When to go

Late October to April only, and only in the daily tide window - check the published opening time for the exact date before driving. The gate is closed outside it.

Honest expectations

Access is ticketed, gated and strictly tide-controlled; turning up outside the window means seeing nothing. The road in is unsealed. The return walk is uphill. Never enter on a rising tide.

Nearby

Purakaunui and McLean Falls are in the Catlins; Curio Bay is south-west.