West Coast: Rainforest, Karst and Great Walks

Alpine peaks, limestone karst and lush rainforest define the Paparoa Track. This spectacular multi-day hiking route leads through remote alpine and coastal wilderness and is one of New Zealand’s ten Great Walks. It is also one of two Great Walks associated with the West Coast. The region’s location is also special: the West Coast is the western gateway to the Te Wāhipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area.

Rainforest, Wetlands and Glaciers

The Lake Matheson Walk leads through lush rainforest to Lake Matheson, known for its reflections of New Zealand’s highest mountains. If you want to factor a specific walking time into your plans, you can find one for the Lake Matheson Circuit: the loop is 4.4 km long and takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to walk. This makes it a much shorter hike than a multi-day route such as the Paparoa Track.

Ōkārito Lagoon is a significant, unmodified wetland visited by more than 76 native bird species. The focus here is on the lagoon landscape and its birdlife. In West Coast Glacier Country, you can see glaciers that reach down into temperate rainforest. According to the regional tourism description, this combination is possible in only one of two places in the world.

The 20-minute Pancake Rocks and Blowholes loop leads to limestone formations that are about 30 million years old. The blowholes are especially impressive at high tide. This short loop has a different time commitment from the approximately 90-minute Lake Matheson Circuit, so the two walks differ not only in their landscapes.

Mining History and Regional Specialties

At Denniston, preserved machinery remains tell the story of the area’s historic mining industry. The Brunner Industrial Site is considered an outstanding site of West Coast coal-mining heritage. Those interested in mining history will find two specific points of interest: the machinery remains at Denniston and the Brunner Industrial Site’s outstanding significance to coal-mining heritage.

The annual Wildfoods Festival in Hokitika offers a different regional experience. Visitors can sample a wide selection of native natural products and unusual specialties there. If you choose the festival as the occasion for your trip, check the dates of the event for that year.

Hikes, a Cycling Trail and Heli-Hikes

The West Coast Wilderness Trail runs between Greymouth and Ross and is divided into four sections of about 30 km each. It is also suitable for people with little or no cycling experience. This makes it a different travel option from the multi-day Paparoa Track: here, the route is divided into cycling sections, while the hiking track leads through remote alpine and coastal wilderness.

For heli-hikes on the Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier, operators take visitors to the glaciers by helicopter. The experiences described therefore range from loop walks with stated walking times to a multi-day hike, a segmented cycling route and guided helicopter trips.

Planning Your Trip

The Great Coast Road runs along the West Coast between Westport and Greymouth. The experiences described vary in activity and duration.

Discover more destinations: Greymouth, Buller District, Westland District, Grey District, Karamea, Reefton, Kumara, Seddonville, Denniston, Karangarua.

For the overview of the wider trip: New Zealand.