Sandwiched between high mountains and the Tasman Sea, the South Island’s West Coast at 550 kilometres long is New Zealand’s longest region and not a place to be rushed. Travelling here is an epic experience through a slice of the world’s most spectacular coastlines, mountains and rainforests, including five national parks and a World Heritage Area.
In the warm north, explore limestone arches and caves, tube ride underworld streams, hike through lush sub-tropical forests on the Heaphy and Whangapeka Tracks.
The area has always been rich in minerals and you can explore many historic gold and coal mines. Revisit a bygone era at Coaltown Museum in Westport, then see playful seals at Cape Foulwind, interestingly named by Captain Cook.
A surging high tide vents sea spray through blowholes over intriguing pancake rock formations at Punakaiki.
The mighty Grey River is contained by high walls protecting the Coast’s major town of Greymouth. Fishing boats challenge the turbulent waters as they exit to the open sea. Take a dolphin cruise, fish for trout at Lake Brunner, experience life in an 1860’s gold-mining town, where you can pan for your own gold.
Visit historic Reefton, the first town to switch on electric lighting in New Zealand, and second only to London.
Previously a gold rush town, Hokitika is now a delightful tourist town famous for its jade (pounamu) crafts and jewellery, award-winning French cafe and the Wild Foods Festival held in March each year.
This is a land of exceptional natural beauty, and at Okarito you can enter the habitat and breeding site of one of New Zealand’s most elegant bird species, the white heron (kotuku).
One of the last great wilderness areas on the globe, the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area is a place of eerie primeval beauty. This is the only place on earth where ice age glaciers flow from high alps into rainforests just a few kilometres from the sea. Board a scenic flight and land on the Franz Josef or Fox Glaciers or take a guided glacier hike, just minutes from your accommodation.
Enjoy canoeing around calm forest-fringed lakes. Lake Matheson, trapped by terminal moraine thousands of years ago, provides stunning mirror reflections of New Zealand’s two highest peaks, Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.
Visit our official web site: www.west-coast.co.nz |
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