SH6 along the surf-pounded coastline proffers fine Tasman Sea views; so fine that Lonely Planet’s Blue List dubbed the West Coast highway one of the planet’s 10 best road trips. Fill up in Westport if you’re low on petrol and cash – there’s no fuel until Runanga, 92km away, and the next ATM is in Greymouth. The main attractions along this stretch are the geologically fascinating Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. To break the journey, consider the following.
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The port of Westport made its fortune in coal mining, though the main mine is at Stockton, 38km north. The town itself is of little interest, but is a good base for active adventures in the Buller Gorge and Charleston ranges. Otherwise head north to relaxed Karamea (for the Heaphy Track), or continue south to the Punakaiki Rocks. Fans of Animal Planet should check out the seal colony west of town.
Literally the biggest highlights of the Westland Tai Poutini National Park are the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. Nowhere else at this latitude do glaciers come so close to the ocean.
What a difference a mountain range makes. Hemmed in by the wild Tasman Sea and the peaks of the Southern Alps, the West Coast (aka Westland), is like nowhere else in New Zealand.
Reefton is an unconcerned little hamlet in the heart of superb tramping country, and named after the region’s gold-infested quartz reefs. As early as 1888, Reefton had its own electricity supply and street lighting, ahead of everywhere else in NZ. If you’ve crossed Lewis Pass from Christchurch, this is the first town of any size you come to.
Up-and-coming Murchison, 125km southwest of Nelson on the Buller Gorge Heritage Hwy/State Hwy 6 (SH6), is the northern gateway to the West Coast. It’s an Upper Buller Gorge service town offering lots of summertime ways to get active on the water.
The relaxed town of Karamea is literally the end of the road – the end of SH67 and near the southern ends of the Heaphy and Wangapeka Tracks. Debate rages about continuing the road through to Nelson, but any highway would need to bisect the Kahurangi National Park. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a resolution. With a subtropical maritime climate, Karamea is often warmer and drier than the rest of the coast, and is actually further north than Wellington. A take-it-easy mix of locals and chilled-out imports means it’s ideal for jumping off the well-trod tourist trail for a few lazy days. When you feel like getting active again, there’s good caving, mountain biking and tramping.
From Hokitika it’s 140km south to Franz Josef Glacier. Most travellers fast forward without stopping, but there are some interesting historical highlights, and tramping, kayaking, and bird-watching opportunities along the way. InterCity (03-365 1113; www.intercity.co.nz), Atomic Shuttles (03-349 0697; www.atomictravel.co.nz) and TrackNET(0800 483 262, 03-249 7777; www.tracknet.net) are all transport options offering stops along SH6.
Visit Hokitika’s wide and quiet streets in the off season, and you might be excused for thinking you’ve stumbled into a true Wild West town. Across summer though, there’s no room for rogue tumbleweeds in the expansive thoroughfares, and ‘Hoki’ gets as busy with visitors as when the town was a thriving port during the 1860s gold rush. Only now, green (stone), and not gold, is the colour of choice.