Owaka: Museum, Art and Golf

Owaka offers two distinct starting points for planning your trip: the Owaka Museum, with the heritage of the Catlins region, and the Ōwaka Golf Club on the riverbank. Cultural topics and golf are presented here as specific interests side by side. You can weigh up which focus better suits your stay.

Museum, Art and Local History

The Owaka Museum preserves and presents the heritage of the Catlins region on New Zealand’s South Island. Its interactive exhibitions, rare photographs and documents, and the region’s natural history offer different ways to explore this heritage. Anyone interested in the Catlins can engage with both its images and documentary collections and its natural history at the museum.

The Owaka Museum’s Community Gallery displays works by local artists and craftspeople throughout the year. This offers a different focus from the exhibitions on regional heritage and natural history: the emphasis is on artistic and craft work from the local community. Your visit can therefore offer a look at different cultural topics without having to change locations.

A stainless-steel canoe sculpture in Owaka commemorates the town’s 150th anniversary. This milestone is marked with a canoe-shaped stainless-steel object, bringing local history into view alongside the region’s heritage. The museum is open daily except Christmas Day. Check the opening information again before you travel.

Golf on the Ōwaka River

The Ōwaka Golf Club is a 9-hole, par-70 course on the banks of the Ōwaka River. The number of holes and par give you specific points of reference if golf is part of your trip; the riverside location is another stated feature of the course. Unlike the museum, whose focus is on exhibitions and regional heritage, the course offers a clearly defined sporting activity. You can weigh up these two interests separately when planning your stay.

The Clutha District as a Wider Travel Horizon

Beyond Owaka, the Clutha District offers a broader regional setting. It stretches along the coast between Dunedin and Invercargill and forms a remarkable section of the Southern Scenic Route. The district has more than 200 kilometres of coastline and a range of surfable wave types, including beach breaks, river breaks and reef breaks. Kākā Point is a beach break with rocky points, suitable for surfers from beginner to advanced level. Surf conditions vary with swell, tides and weather; check them for your planned visit.

The Clutha Gold Trail is also a regional offering in the Clutha District: an easy, two- to four-day, Grade 1–2 trail covering 135 kilometres. A 62-kilometre extension between Lawrence and Waihola opened on 25 August 2023. It connects the existing trail network in Central Otago and Clutha and heads towards the east coast as a cycle trail. These details give a standalone overview of the trail’s scale, without presenting it as a local offering in Owaka.

In Lawrence, the Clutha District hosts a daffodil show every spring at the site of Weatherston’s Brewery. If you plan to include the event in your trip, check the specific dates. Farm tours and hands-on animal encounters are also available in the district; individual operators and schedules may change. These regional options complement the local museum and golf with seasonal events and agritourism experiences.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Kaka Point, Balclutha, Tapanui, Chaslands, Larnachs Castle, Clinton, Milton, Lawrence.

For the broader travel overview: Clutha District.