NATUREANDCO.COM - Visit the Coastal Areas of New Zealand: West Coast

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Visiting the New Zealand Coasts:

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Travel & Adventure>Nature sightseeing>Coasts

Visit the coastal areas of New Zealand
WEST COAST

	The west coast of the South Island is a large area, stretching 575 km from the northern reaches of the road in Karamea, to the southern ones at Jackson Bay. Over such a long distance the West Coast retains some distinctive features that create a shared and strong identity. It is a narrow stretch of land squeezed between sea and mountains. Facing west, it is wide open to the dominant winds and its sometimes rough weather is famous. And there are many places where nature has been little or not at all modified. All this results in a truly wild coast, where the landscape is often very spectacular, where nature can often be observed in its primeval state, and with an abundant wildlife that includes seabirds, penguins and marine mammals.		The Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. Photo NC.

LOCATION	DETAILS
See map below
Karamea	Ddistinctive for its coastal vegetation and forest, particulatrly rich in nikau palms.
Cape Foulwind	This promontory near Westport and the mouth of the Buller River is particularly noted for its New zealand fur seal colony (walkway and viewing platform). Other interesting features include Nine Mile Beach and Okari Lagoon, just south of Cape Foulwind.
Punakaiki - Pancake Rocks	This is one of New Zealand's best known coastal features. The Pancake Rocks are a spectacular maze of dissected limestone towers, constantly washed up by a rushing sea. Several blowholes add an impressive touch in the right westerly conditions. The whole coast of Paparoa National Park is magnificent, rugged and wild. The native rainforest is superb and, in its natural state, comes right to the water's edge.
Point Elizabeth	This little promontory at the bottom end of the Paparoa Coast is noted for its fur seal colony. Walkway.
Okarito Lagoon	The area was the scene of intense goldseeking in the late 1800s, and Okarito township was bustling with pubs, banks, stores, and 5000 miners. Now quietness has returned and the vegetation has hidden many remnants of that activity. Okarito Lagoon is a tidal inlet and provides feeding ground for wading birds. More than 70 species have been recorded in the area. It is famous for having the only colony of white herons in New Zealand. There are outstanding views over the coast and the Southern Alps from the lagoon, or even better from Okarito Trig.
Gillespie's Beach	This is a wild beach, strewn with boulders and driftwood. It is especially noted for its seal colony. There are good views at Gillespies and Otokorua Points, and fine walks on the beach and in native forest.
Bruce Bay	The highway sidles the beach at this point. This is a superb wild beach strewn with driftwood, and bordered by windshorn native rimu forest.
Monro Beach	Noted for its colony of Fiordland crested penguins. The beach is reached by a magnificent 40 mn walk through native forest.
Knight's Point	Famous for its fur seals and sea elephants. Also penguins. Viewing platform.
Ship Creek	A superb wild beach with seals and seabirds, bordered by windshorn forest of native rimu. Several fine walks among dune lakes and kahikatea swamp forest.
Haast Beach
Jackson Bay	This is the location of one of the largest colonies of Fiordland crested penguins.
Related information: Paparoa National Park Westland National Park

Specific references for this page:

Mark Pickering 1995: Wild Walks - Sixty Short South Island Walks. Shoal Bay Press.

John Cobb 1994: The Walking Tracks of New Zealand's National Parks. Penguin.

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