South Island’s West Coast is a pristine region full of picturesque scenery, heaps of things to do as well as great things to see........
Buller District
The Buller District is at the top end of the West Coast. Westport is the main town, which is located right on the coastline. Westport was in fact a mining town and remnants of this history can be seen right through out the area. If you want to find a few gems take a look down on the beaches as many semi precious stones can be found, but of course you have to hunt hard for them! Reefton is the other main town in the Buller District and is located near the Inangahua River. Reefton was a goldmining town back in the 1860’s, and the town is in fact situated in the Victoria Conservation Park. This area offers activities such as mountain biking, overnight walks, 4WD and even gold panning.
The Buller District is also home to the Paparoa National Park, which has many popular walks and tramps.
Central West Coast
The Central West Coast is a small area nestled between the Buller District and Westland. Greymouth is the main town and is situated at the mouth of Grey River.
Greymouth is a popular place as it is quite close to other local attractions like Lake Brunner and Shantytown. About 100m out from the mouth of the Grey River you can see many of the endangered Hectors Dolphins.
Shantytown is just south of Greymouth and is a replica gold-mining town and is packed with heaps of fun things to do. Lake Brunner has some of the best trout fishing the South Island has to offer but if you’re not into fishing, it also has scenic lake tours and all other types of water sports.
Westland
Westland is the bottom part of the West Coast and is the largest area out of the Buller District and Central West Coast and is also known as ‘glacier country’. At the top of Westland is Hokitika, which is popular for its greenstone and gold, a great place to jewellery lovers! Hokitika is also the only place in the world where ‘Ruby Rock’ is found. (see www.nzrubyrock.com for more info!)
The next place to visit while in Westland is the Franz Joseph Glacier and the . Both glacier start in the Southern Alps and then descends into the rainforest. There are many different ways of seeing the spectacular glacier; from a 20minute return walk from the glacier road car park, or a ‘heli-hike’ where you travel in a helicopter up onto the glacier so you can walk around the glacier. If you want a more scenic tour, you can take a scenic flight over the glacier. These Glaciers are the only ones in the world that descend into temperate rain forest!
Haast is located near the bottom end of Westland. Haast is popular for fishing, boating and nature tours along the Haast River. Haast is also home to New Zealand’s longest one-lane bridge, which is 730m long, and spans over the Haast River.
Accommodation is plentiful throughout the West Coast but as it is a popular tourist attraction it is always best to book a place to stay before you go, especially in peak seasons. There are many tours that you can take which can be an affordable way of seeing the many tourist hot spots if you’re unable to take or rent a car.
Getting to the West Coast
Air New Zealand flies to Westport and Hokitika.
The Tranz-Alpine leaves from Christchurch to Greymouth and vice versa, the train ride is one of the most spectacular in the world and takes roughly 4 and a half hours.
Katie Simms
Last updated: 22/04/2008
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Greymouth is a popular place as it is quite close to other local attractions like Lake Brunner and Shantytown. About 100m out from the mouth of the Grey River you can see many of the endangered Hectors Dolphins.
