Tumu Toka CurioScape

Cafes key icon. Galleries and museum key icon.
Cafes key icon. Galleries and museum key icon.

MondayClosed.

TuesdayClosed.

Wednesday11:00 am – 3:30 pm.

Thursday11:00 am – 3:30 pm.

Friday11:00 am – 3:30 pm.

Saturday11:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Sunday11:00 am – 4:00 pm.

590 Waikawa-Curio Bay Rd, Waikawa

03 246 8897

One of the Catlins most intriguing aspects is the petrified forest at Curio Bay. But how does a forest become perfectly preserved in stone? It’s a process that is hard to conceptualise. Luckily ‘The Gateway’ at Tumu Toka CurioScape incorporates everything from cutting edge video content to perfectly preserved fossils to tell the story of how this unique environment came to be.

Started by the South Catlins Charitable Trust, which was formed by the local community in 2002 to protect and share local treasures, Tumu Toka CurioScape has a cafe and campground as well as ‘The Gateway’. The kaitiaki, or guardians of this place, welcome visitors from near and far and invite people of all ages to explore the Catlin’s history, flora and fauna both indoors and out at Tumu Toka Curioscape.

‘The Gateway’ is one of the most engaging museum set ups you’ll find with a high definition theatre, drawers full of petrified wood fossils, videos of the area’s penguin species sitting on their eggs, interactive timelines that explain petrified wood and a massive touch screen wall where visitors can thumb through hundreds of local stories. The immersive video that plays on loop in the theatre will take you from the Jurassic period (145 million years ago) to today, and the carefully curated exhibits take a deep dive into the area’s unique geology and environment. A mobile app integration enables visitors to keep track of what they learn and mark down spots within the region they’d like to explore.

Once you’ve immersed yourself in the Catlins wonders, head to the café for a coffee or snack above the sea, then head outside to apply your knowledge in the field - Curio Bay is just a few minutes walk from CurioScape.

Words by Olivia Sisson & Photography by Nancy Zhou

Information not correct? Report an error

Location

590 Waikawa-Curio Bay Rd, Waikawa

Similar Places

Hokonui Moonshine Museum

Bottle of moonshine lining a shelf.
Place Southland
Galleries and museum key icon.

A museum and whiskey distillery that pays homage to the notorious Scotch-New Zealander clan the McRae, who supplied the region with some of the best whiskey distilled outside of Scotland during Prohibition, aka Hokonui Moonshine.

Eastern Southland Gallery

A bio about the artist Hotere.
Place Southland Editor's Pick
Galleries and museum key icon.

Housed in the former Carnegie Library building in Gore, the permanent collection at Eastern Southland Gallery beckons local and international art fans alike.

Beachhouse Restaurant

Close up of fish chowder on a table.
Place Southland
Restaurants key icon.

The Beachhouse feels like your mate’s bach and keeps visitors coming back with some of the best seafood chowder down south.

Seriously Good Chocolate Company

Close up of chocolate production at Seriously Good Chocolate Company.
Place Southland Editor's Pick
Cafes key icon. Goods key icon.

A tiny store using chocolate as a medium with which to promote Southland to the world.