Petrified forest - clue to the past
Deep in the South Island, hidden under the waves at high tide, lies a clue to New Zealand’s birth.
A petrified forest, 180 million years old, is revealed at low tide at Curio Bay, in a spectacular area known as The Catlins. This Jurassic forest, of petrified tree stumps and logs, is one of the few clues to New Zealand’s geologic history.
Some scientists believe the fossils are related to trees now growing in South America and that New Zealand pulled away from Gondwanaland with the South American continent.
The Catlins are a discovery in themselves. It is a place of hidden waterfalls, river valleys and picturesque rocky bays where the Pacific Ocean bites into the land. It is also home to a rich collection of New Zealand wildlife - rare penguins and dolphins, sea lions and sea elephants.
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