The Ultimate New Zealand Travel Guide
West Coast of the South Island (Just a quick description of the West coast)
More than just the UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been named the West Coast is a fascinating length of 600kms of coastline providing a scenic wonderland of Southern Alps vistas, rugged coast and sandy beaches, natural wonders, swamp and rain forest, black beech forests, glaciers along with rough farm land lakes and streams bountiful with trout and wildlife throughout. It is a must on any visitor’s travels and has been a constant place of return to me in my travels. I just can’t get enough of the beauty of the land and the quality of the people who live here.
Due to the mountainous Southern Alps spine down through the middle of the South Island there is limited access from east to west. Route 6 that begins west of Blenheim curls through the northern portion of the island to Nelson then south to the West Coast south of Westport. Route 7 accessed from Kaikoura via route 70 and Christchurch by route one goes through some of the most beautiful countryside of black beech forests, stream valleys and over the Lewis Pass. It is like being able to see while driving through this area what one only experiences while hiking the wild country.
The most famous route across the island is route 73, the Arthur’s Pass, a scenic drive through the mountains that overlook the rivers and valleys that flow east and west from the peaks of the Southern Alps that spreads its foothills out in both directions.
From the south the only way to get to the West Coast by driving is route 6 through the Mount Aspiring National Park over Haast Pass.
Hokitika south
But for now we are continuing along from our overnight stop at the Shining Star Holiday park north of the town of Hokitika. A good night's sleep refreshed and ready to go on I want to introduce David to the arts and crafts centre of the South Island and regale him with the times I have been here for the Wild Foods Festival and the many festivals they have on the long expanse of beach on their front door step.
When you get here be sure to take a stroll around this small town and walk to the beach that lies along its side streets. It is a real scenic picturesque West Coast beach full of driftwood and ocean bric-a-brac that has been thrown upon it as the wind and tides demonstrate their power. Great town to walk around and see all the crafts plus they have great cafes and restaurants plus a good supermarket for you folks in camper vans. We stopped by the Cafe de Paris for a late breakfast then on south!
Check out the Hokitika page
One of the spots we like a lot to camp is not too far down the road on the left at the Dept of Conservation camp on Lake Mahinapua. Right across the road is also a great pub where Les Lisle at 83 is the hit of the party where he hosts the Kiwi Experience bus loads of backpackers.
Ross -
Next place is the town of Ross with its Goldfields Heritage area 20 minutes drive from Hokitika. Ross was settled in 1865 as a gold mining town. The area was largely unexplored then. The area was gold-rich and the town thrived with about 2500 inhabitants, but the major Ross gold rush was over by the early 1870s. Stop by and pan for gold. It is a great place for the outdoor lovers. Take a drive up the scenic Totara Valley or climb Mt Greenland for some amazing views and discover the old quartz mine. If you enjoy walking, tramping, hunting, fishing, mountain biking, kayaking then stop by Ross.
Pukekura -
Next, 35 minutes south of Hokitika, is one of my favourite stops on the West Coast, the town of Pukekura - population two - Pete & Justine. It was built in the clearing of the native Rimu forest beginning life as a stopping place on the stage coach trail south the a saw mill was built in the 1950’s closing thirty years later with the Bushman’s Centre being established in 1993. The centre offers a café, museum and shop. The café is open for breakfast and lunch specializing in possum pie with the Puke Pub Wild Food restaurant across the road serving a range of wild foods found in and around the West Coast specializing in serving such culinary delights as venison, rabbit, whitebait and wild pork plus much more. In the museum be sure to see the movie on the early beginning of the venison industry plus the resident live possums along with live eels. Outside you get to see the thar.
At Pukekura they offer cabins, tents, campervan sites and a holiday house for accommodation. Lake Ianthe, renowned for its huge trout, lies 5 km down the highway. They have two Canadian canoes and fishing rods for hire. Needless to say it is more than worth a stop…………..
Whataroa/Okarito -
Mid way between Ross and Franz Josef is the town of Whataroa. From here you can take trips to the White Heron Sanctuary at the Waitangi Roto Nature Reserve this is the only breeding location of the rare white heron in New Zealand. From September to late February/March, breeding pairs stay in the colony to raise their chicks. The only way to visit the White Heron Sanctuary is on a permitted guide tour from Whataroa, which includes a jet boat ride to the sanctuary, this is a wonderful way to observe these elegant birds look after their young. White Heron Sanctuary Tours are a family-owned company that has been in operation for 20 years, they are the only tour company approved into the Waitangi Roto Nature Reserve area under a special concession with the Department of Conservation. The only access to this area is from Whataroa. Their tours occur during the summer months to coincide with the white heron breeding season and takes 2.5 hours. It consists of a short minibus ride to connect with their jet boat for a 20-minute scenic cruise on the Waitangi Taona river into the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve (the only way to access this area is by boat). For the nature/bird lovers it is a fabulous trip.
Route 6 continuing south along the West Coast the next place of interest is the Okarito Lagoon. A 13 kilometre sealed road takes you to the small community of 30 people once a thriving gold mining town in its heyday. There you will discover the rugged coastline, tidal estuary, lagoon, sea cliffs, lush rainforest and the unsurpassed views of the Southern Alps. One of the local residents the Rowi, formerly known as Ōkārito brown kiwi, are New Zealand’s rarest kiwi, with an estimated 350 surviving in just 11,000 hectares in South Ōkārito Forest. Thousands of native birds (more than 76 different species) visit the Ōkārito Lagoon and many make their home in the vicinity, including the famous white heron and royal spoonbills. There are several tourism operators who offer opportunities to further explore the area with kayaks, boats and kiwi tours and also place to stay overnight with your campervan.
But we are moving on to Glacier Country..................take the camper van to where it won't be lonely at a holiday park. Even now in June when so few people are on the move the Rainforest Retreat will have lots of camper van folks and they have a great pub to meet everyone at with roaring fire going now.................
(to be continued - next we climb to the base of two glaciers)
Glaciers
(photos to be added when I can - meanwhile check into our facebook website