Cosy Nook, Southland

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If you’re looking for a calm little spot along the Southern Scenic Route to eat some lunch or just take a break from the road, you’ve come to the right place. Cosy Nook is a sheltered bay along the windswept southern coast and features a beach, some nice views and an interesting little settlement. Keep reading for more information on Cosy Nook!

Where is Cosy Nook?

Cosy Nook is on the coastal road between Invercargill and Tuatapere, close to Colac Bay, Gemstone Beach and Monkey Island. There are lots of places to see on this stretch of road and most are only a few kilometres off the main road. These places are all well signed.

Things to See at Cosy Nook

We stopped off at a viewpoint just before Cosy Nook and got a nice view of the coast. There were a couple of people fishing down there, so if you’ve got a rod in the back of your car it could be a good place to try your luck. We also saw some people snorkelling at the main beach – there must be some good seafood gathering opportunities around there!

From there it’s a small drive to Cosy Nook itself. We’d visited a few other beaches on this drive, and it was quite windy, but Cosy Nook was completely calm. The beach area is nice (you can read up on the history of this place as well) but it’s a good idea to keep driving to the end of the road. From there you’ll get nice views over the bay, as well as some of the dwellings built there.

It seemed like a ghost town (if you can call five or so houses a town) but I’m sure they’re in full use during holidays. It’d be an awesome place to stay – check out Cosy Nook Cottage if you’d like to stay there.

There isn’t too much else to see at Cosy Nook. It’s a tiny place and can be visited very quickly, but it might just be the perfect spot for a picnic lunch of a rest by the sea. Oh, we also saw a big group of cows, if you were wondering what the photo below was all about.

History

Cosy Nook was named by the Bluff harbourmaster (George Thompson) after Cosy Nuek, his village in Scotland. There was also a big Maori presence in these parts. Pahia, which was very close by, was a village of up to 50 houses and was one of the bigger settlements along this coast. Matariki Island (the big rock just offshore) was used as a pa (fort) during conflicts.

Are you planning a trip to Southland? Check out our post about the Lake Hauroko Lookout Track (probably the best hike in this area).

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.