The West Coast New Zealand

"A heritage of mining shapes the land and the people"

The Coast - there's only one "Coast" with a capital C in NZ - is one of the most romantic and fascinating areas in the country, especially if you're into nature tourism.

Indeed, in that case it is one of the richest of regions. The southern reaches of the West Coast are a World Heritage Park area . . . for very good reason: They are home to the world's only example of pre-dinosaur forest. More about that later.

A recovering wilderness is probably the best description of the region. Its history is that of extractive exploitation. Now don't read me wrong - I'm not an anti-mining and anti-milling nutter and, overall, mining and milling were probably good for The Coast. Without them there wouldn't be more than a few metres of mud track - no roads, no development and therefore no significant opportunity to explore today.

But no doubt about it, they have shaped both the past and the future of this long narrow strip sandwiched between the Tasman Sea and the sheer wall of the Southern Alps.

No other region in NZ celebrates its individuality and regional identity quite as much as the West Coast. "Coasters" are different. They know it and they rejoice in it. Nowhere in the country does the pioneer past lie so close to the surface of contemporary life. Making a living here has always been hard. Mining, timber milling, farming, fishing . . . they're all hard yakker and they breed hard people. Individualists, self reliant, self-contained, and like all pioneering folk, wonderfully hospitable.

Take your time here - time moves slower here anyway. Take time to wander off into the rainforest. Take time to explore a sub-tropical glacier. Take time to breast the bar in a fair-dinkum Coast pub and study the natives in their natural habitat. Nowhere else in the country will you get a more authentic "Kiwi" experience.

Wanaka to Haast

150km -2 to 2 1/2 hrs. Better road these days, but still some windy, twisty bits on the drive around the western edges of Lake Wanaka.

At the top of the Haast Pass stop the car and take a walk along the old bridle track. Last century it was the only route through here. Today it's a pretty walk, but you can catch the echoes of those hard days when hard men drove teams of snorting, sweating bullocks and horses across this rugged landscape.

All the way across this road you'll be entranced by the loveliness of the bush. A soft, green gentle forest.

This is the forest as it was in the ancient supercontinent, Gondwanaland. This is a forest that pre-dates dinosaurs. When the dinosaur became the dominant animal species, they, unlike any predecessor, browsed on plant life. In order to overcome the constant defoliation, the plant life had to adopt a faster breeding cycle - so they developed bright flowers to attract insects as a pollination vector.

Now you'll notice that in the NZ bush there are relatively few flowers. That's because the primeval forest here did not have dinosaurs, nor any other sort of broad-scale browsing animal.

That's why introduced species like deer and opossums have had such a devastating effect. This forest land was never designed to take that level of grazing pressure.

Don't let all this animal-rights pressure-group political indoctrination put you off wearing one sort of animal fur - possum, a.k.a. kiwibear. You'll do our economy and our forest land a big favour by buying anything made of the hide of this forestland pestilence.

Have your camera well loaded with film or with plenty of availalable memory - along this stretch of road there have been many prize-winning shots snapped. But the subjects are subtle rather than bold . . . keep a watchful eye for them.

Haast to the Glaciers

If you want to really gain an insight into the ecology of the region spend a night or two at the Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge. It's run by Dr Gerry McSweeny and his wife Anne Saunders. Gerry and Anne are bio-scientists - he is president of the Royal Forest & Bird Society. This makes him a kind of super-greenie. For some reason which - despite a couple of very pleasant dinners with them at the lodge - still vaguely eludes me, he turned in the Wellington political lifestyle and bought a motel at Lake Moeraki, about 60km km north of Haast. Now it's a true wilderness experience - there are morning and evening activities built in as part of your stay. On these excursions you explore the total South Westland natural environment.

But it's not cheap (and nor it should be). Prices range from $180 to $350 per person per day for DBB and activities. A recommended stop - along with the other lodge the have established, on the Arthurs Pass road from the Coast to Christchurch.

If you're on a self-catering holiday - camping, motels, etc - or if you just love the idea of fresh seafood stop off at South Westland Salmon at Lake Paringa, about midway between Haast and Fox . . . about an hour's drive either way. Apart from tours of the salmon farm itself you can get fresh supplies of local delicacies like crayfish, whitebait (in season), blue cod and of course, salmon.

The Glaciers: There are two . . . well, two down here at an altitude that makes them easily accessible.

There is something quite unique about these rivers of ice - they crash down into a temperate rain forest. Nowhere else on Spaceship Earth does that happen. (Think about it for a moment. It is a bit weird, ain't it??). How come? The juxtaposition of a steeply rising mountain chain and a warm ocean current not far off shore.

The Southern Alps are very young mountains. Thus they are steep and high - time and torrent have yet to tame them. They rear up suddenly from the narrow coastal plain that we call the West Coast. In most places it's only a few km from the seashore to the toes of the mountains. Indeed, on the southern reaches of the road - the bit from Haast to Moeraki - the mountains paddle those toes in the tide along a coastline very reminiscent of California's Big Sur. But I digress.

Just offshore, a warm current sweeps down the coastline bringing an almost sub-tropical lushness to the vegetation. Palm trees thrive here, only kms from the tongue tip of a glacier.

The Fox Glacier and the Franz Josef Glacier. Fox is slightly the more accessible. A walk from the car park to the terminal face of the glacier is about an hour round trip. Take notice of the DOC signs near the terminal - falling ice can be lethal. At Franz its about 1 1/2 hrs return. But the easiest way to plan your glacial expedition is to call at the visitor centre in either Franz Josef or Fox Glacier townships. Both are operated by the ubiquitous DOC and both are excellent.

Go see the staff at DOC and they'll be able to give you advice as well as informative booklets on the glaciers.

One word of advice - don't go clambering around on the ice itself without proper equipment and guidance. These are dangerous beasts.

For a general guide to the region have a look at Glacier Country's website.

Best ways to see the glaciers? For Fox Glacier: Alpine Guides Fox Glacier Ltd have a variety of expeditionary options to the Fox Glacier ranging from 2 hours to several days.

Franz Josef Glacier Guides offer similar trips to the Franz.

To get a view from up above there is a range of flightseeing options including landings on either glacier:

Air Safaris will take you on a 50 minute "Grand Traverse" of the mountains and lake in Mt Cook National Park.

Mt Cook Line offers fixed wing flights with snow landings.

Fox and Franz Heliservices have heli flights of various sorts and lengths.

Be aware that weather in the area is very variable and flights can be cancelled or delayed. The most common recommendation if you are determined to do the flight thing is to allow at least two nights there. That gives you the chance to wait out the weather.

Fox Glacier

Probably slightly the more interesting of the two townships. Go out to Lake Matheson especially on a still morning or evening. The lake is one of NZ's most photographed spots, reflecting the near mountains with mirror-like fidelity. Allow about 1 1/2 hours for the walk.

About 4km further along the same road you'll come to the Peak Indicator, a stone cairn on the left hand side of the road. A swivelling sight will line up and identify all the peaks in the magnificent sheer wall of mountains before you. If you press on along this road you come to Gillespies Beach. There's a three hour return walk that'll take you to the nearby seal colony.

Franz Josef

There are several delightful short walks in and around the township. Get details from DOC.

Whitewater rafting on the Waiho - a 1 1/2hr trip from the glacier carpark to the village itself. Book at Glacier Rafting in the village.

Or kayak on beautiful Lake Mapourika with Ferg's Kayaks. "Ferg" - Ian Fergusson - knows what he's about; he's a four-time Olympic gold medallist in kayaking. Take the Stiff Nipple Triple - a helicopter, hike and kayak combo that goes from mountains to a rainforest by the sea.

At nearby Lake Okarito is one of the nesting grounds of the rare kotuku, the white heron. You can go on foot, but for a really good look contact White Heron Sanctuary Tours. It's a 2 1/2hr trip that includes a 40min jet-boat ride.

Early morning at Lake Okarito . Photograph by Gilbert van Reenen, Clean Green Images Ltd. Purchase a print from him or take a photo nature tour.

Take a look at the Anglican Church of St James. Its altar window is another famous photograph (it appeared on one of our stamps many years ago before such things were considered good commercial subjects). It's certainly a match for any stained glass.

The Glaciers to Greymouth:

Franz to Greymouth 181km, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Whataroa

Just south of the village of Whataroa you can seek your fortune in a genuine gold mine - go panning for gold at Gold' n Trees gold mine. Believe me, after a short time of this back-breaking task standing hock deep in ice cold water you'll happily settle for going back to the nine-to-five grind at work. But you'll take with you a few specks of alluvial gold that you won the hard way. You can also have wild food delicacies like whitebait fritters or venison sammies washed down with black billy tea at their Bushman's BBQ.

Have a hankering to go gold prospecting out in the wild? Problem is, or problems are, a) you have to get a licence to a particular claim and b) it's such damned hard work. DOC has solved the first problem by setting aside recreational gold panning areas. You can even camp in some of them. No licence is required. After a while, you'll solve the second problem by repairing to the nearest warm watering hole. Get more information at the various DoC offices.

Ross

Worth the walk if you have the time is Ross Goldfields Heritage Centre. The Water-race Walkway is an easy 45-60min stroll through restored goldmine workings. On your way up to the place you'll see what a modern goldmine looks like - a bloody great hole in the ground.

The City Hotel on the main road here is a gem. It looks as rough as sacks, and it is. But it's also a genuine piece of Coast history. In 1907 two miners discovered a nugget the size of a small loaf of bread and weighing 2.83kg. The locals christened it "The Hon. Roddy" after the then Minister of Mines, Hon Roderick McKenzie. It was bought by the City Hotel's publican and put on display in the hotel, and in true Coast style - you gotta admit these guys have panache - he used it as a door stop!! In a pub!!!

Eventually the Government bought it for presentation to King George V as a coronation gift. It was converted into tableware which later went missing from Buckingham Palace. Hasn't been seen since.

And Coasters who know the story will nod solemnly at their beer and tell you that that's just the way of it. "Safe as houses on the floor of a Coast pub, mate, but ya can't trust them pommy bastards with anything valuable, eh?".

Hokitika

This is technically the "capital" of the coast, though Greymouth is a far larger town. But politics is an ancient sport here . . . many of the great labour conflicts were fought and won or lost with Coast miners in the vanguard . . . and Hokitika clings to its tissue of power.

It's main centre is a couple of hundred metres off the main road, but is well worth a diversion because here you'll get some of the best quality artefacts in the country - I wouldn't demean the best of them by calling them souvenirs. They are much more than that.

In the rivers of the region greenstone is found - a high quality nephritic jade - and local artisans turn it into carvings that range from excellent craft to works of art. Look in on Westland Jade in Tancred St (the main st) or Mountain Jade in Weld St. Apart from seeing the works themselves, you can watch the carvers at work. Also in Tancred St is the Hokitika Glass Studio which produces high quality glass works. The Gold Room in Tancred St converts natural gold nuggets from the region into unique jewellery. So does Tracie Piercy a goldsmith who works in Revell St.

The best source of jade locally is the Arahura River and you can raft or kayak on it with Riverplay Ltd, Ph 0800 116 348.

If you're here in March, time your stay to catch the Hokitika Wild Foods Festival . . . all the finest in wild cuisine from the bush, rivers and sea. It's not only wild - some of it is outright weird. Huhu grubs, gumboot milkshakes, gorse flower wine, sphagnum moss candy floss, high protein earthworms, blue fin tuna, scallops, whisky sausages, mussels, possum and bambi burgers, kumara patties, home made ice cream, pigs trotters, West Coast whitebait etc.

Greymouth

Biggest local attraction is Shantytown, a recreation of a gold-mining town of the 1860s. Not as good as a carefully maintained original - but where would you find one of those - so not bad re-creation nonetheless. Pan for gold (you'll realise what back-breaking toil it was), ride on a steam train or in a horse and trap, poke in and around the 30 historic buildings such as the printing works, the carpenter's shop, the sawmill . . . or the jail.

Fancy a schooner of the local brew? Take a tour of Monteiths Brewery. Top drop - ask any Coaster..

Fancy a raft trip: Adventure New Zealand can take you rafting on either blackwater whitewater. They'll also take you gold panning and prospecting for greenstone - nephritic jade - along with a whole raft of other adventure options.

Fancy a ride on a 4wd motorbike? Described by the operators as "muddy great fun" - that about sums it up. On Yer Bike, SH6.

Greymouth to Christchurch

Up and over the dizzy heights of Arthur's Pass. A spectacular road through a raw and elemental landscape. Stop for a look at the Arthurs Pass National Park Visitors Centre. They have there the last of the coaches used by Cobb & Co on the road last century. The road over the mountains is a spectacular journey - not quite as hair raising as in former years now that a long viaduct has been built to smooth out the twists and turns of the "Devil's Staircase" as it writhed its way up the sheer western wall of the route - but still a stunning run nonetheless.

The railway - because trains don't do hills all that well - had to burrow under said "hill" and the Otira Tunnel is still one of the longer railway tunnels in the world. It's a highlight of the now-famous Tranzalpine train journey that daily makes a return crossing from Christchurch to Greymouth and back. There's no doubt that this is a big attraction and in summer you'll have to book well in advance.

One other option well worth considering - to get the best of road and rail - is to take the Tranzalpine in one direction and Coast To Coast Shuttle (Ph.0800 800 847) the other. It travels each way each day, leaving Christchurch at 8.30am, arriving Greymouth at 12.25pm, departing again at 1.25pm and arriving Christchurch at 5.40. It also goes to Hokitika.

One of the more subtle features to look for on this journey is the constantly changing nature of the landscape. Starting with the half wild lushness of the coast, up into the Westland beech forest, over the rugged barren top of the pass, into the eastern beech forest - quite different to it's near neighbour - over the alpine tussockland, down through the foothills and out on the patchwork quilt of the Canterbury Plains. Seven different landscapes in about three hours.

Greymouth to Nelson/Blenheim/Picton

To Nelson 297km - about 4 1/2 hours; to Blenheim 333km - also about 4 1/2 hrs; to Picton 362km - add a half hour.

Take State Highway 6 north from Greymouth (there's also an inland route) to Punakaiki Rocks. ("Punakaiki" is a Maori approximation of the work "pancake" - and you'll quickly understand why they're called the Pancake Rocks). Dramatic coastal rock formations - a must-stop. They are the centrepiece of Paparoa National Park.

Get a closer look at the wild beauty of the coast by kayaking on one of the local rivers in the Paparoa National Park with Punakaiki Kayaks.

A bit further north, stop in at Mitchell's Gully Gold Mine - a genuine working gold-mine. Although it has won tourist awards, it is still run first and foremost as a gold mine, using traditional methods, rather than as a tourist attraction.

As an alternative to the SH6 route between Charleston and Westport, divert off to Cape Foulwind to see the Seal Colony. From the car park it's a 5min walk to a viewing platform and display which provides excellent views of the animals. They are, incidentally, protected and apart from the legal reasons, it's not actually all that smart to go wandering around a seal colony. The bulls can get very agro at intruders on their patch - and they can be very big, very fast, and very mean. The cows will equally give visitors a seeing-off if there are pups nearby.

In Westport stop off for a look at Coaltown Museum. It is museum, a recreation, of the coal mining industry. But if you'd really like to see coal mining in action call Karaka Tours 03-789-9869 and they'll take you to the working Sullivans Mine. You'll also get to see the world-famous (among miners) Denniston Incline. $35 per person.

[Return to the top of the West Coast, New Zealand]

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