Riverton

Riverton, Aparima, dates from around 1836, when sealers and whalers working the southern coast established a shore station at the estuary - which makes it one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand, predating the organised colonies by a decade. Many of those men married Ngai Tahu women, and the town's population has had that mixed descent from the beginning; Te Hikoi museum on the main street tells the story from both sides rather than as a settler narrative, and is unusually good for a town of this size. The town sits on a sandy estuary with a fishing fleet, and Riverton Rocks and Taramea Bay give beaches and a walk out to the headland. It is on the Southern Scenic Route between Invercargill and the Catlins or Fiordland, and is quiet enough that most traffic passes through. The southern coast weather here is changeable and cold.

What you actually see

• Te Hikoi museum - the sealing and whaling settlement told from both sides.
• The estuary and fleet - the working harbour the town grew from.
• Riverton Rocks - the headland and beaches at the mouth.
• The 1830s origin - among the earliest European settlements in the country.

When to go

October to April. The museum has set hours - check before relying on it. Southern coast weather changes quickly at any time of year.

Honest expectations

It is a small quiet town with limited dining and accommodation. The museum is the main reason to stop. The coast here is cold and often windy, and swimming is uncommon.

Nearby

Invercargill is east; Gemstone Beach and Tuatapere are west.