West Coast (New Zealand)
From World travel guide
New Zealand's West Coast (or The Coast) is found only on western coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The western coast of the North Island does not count and suggesting it might is considered inappropriate, even though it is factually true.
Contents |
Regions
Cities
There used to be cities on the Coast, they are really small towns now. Indeed, some have recently suggested the whole place is a village with a main street a few hundered miles long. In a place where popping down the road to the shops can easily be a 200km round trip, the concept of metropolitan area is a non-starter.
Other Destinations
From North to South
Understand
Before tourism became a more economical sustainable business, coasters mined coal, dredged or paned for gold, cut down the native forests. Generally they cleared the land and drained the swamps for farming, exploiting the land. They still exploit the land but it is now done in an environmentally sustainable way. Some believe the Coast is on its last legs, yet others see great potential for a land full of natural beauty, ready to be exploited by, and developed for, tourists, in environmentally sustainable ways.
Talk
Get in
By car
From the North
- From Blenheim take State Highway 6, via Nelson over the Hope Saddle to Murchison or take State Highway 63 via St Arnaud and the Nelson Lakes National Park. State Highway 63 meets State Highway 6 at Howard Junction about 40km north of Murchison.
From the East
- From Christchurch there are two options:
- State Highway 7 leaves State Highway 1 at Waipara in North Canterbury, travels past Hanmer Springs and over the the Lewis Pass to Reefton and on to Greymouth where it joins State Highway 6. This is a good road at any time of the year and suitable for any type of vehicle and is the recommended route for towing caravans or trailers.
- State Highway 73 is the direct route from Christchurch to the Coast. It travels through Mid Canterbury to Springfield, before climbing over, first, Porters Pass and then Arthurs Pass before decending down the Taramakau River to meet State Highway 6 at Kumara Junction, about half way between Greymouth and Hokitika.
- This road has a number of steep grades and sharp corners - towing caravans or trailers over this route is not advised. Until recently, the descent from the top of Arthurs Pass to Otira included a single lane section that was subject to rockfalls. It has now been replaced with a viaduct.
- Historically, this is the horse drawn coach route and this dictated that the trans-alpine railway line also cross the Southern Alps here, via the Otira Tunnel. Steeped in history, and with spectacular and varied scenery, be sure to stop in at Arthurs Pass National Park headquarters in Arthurs Pass township, even if it is only for a quick break.
From the South
By train
- Tran-Alpine Express. Departs from Christchurch and provides a daily return journey to Greymouth and has been described as one of the best rail journeys in the world. It includes many tunnels, apart from the 8 km long Otira Tunnel, with a grade of 1:33 making it one of the steepest grades of any two rail traction railway tunnel in the world as well as the third longest railway tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.
Get around
Until they completed the Road to Haast in the 1960's, meaning you could drive over Haast Pass to Queenstown, without having to backtrack all the way to Christchurch, you couldn't get around the Coast. You either went to the Coast or came back from it.
See
- Pancake Rocks and blowholes in Punakaiki.
- Shantytown
- Glaciers.
Do
- Pan for Gold. There is still plenty in the hills, though it is not economic to extract commercially. You might even find enough to cover the cost of the panning fee.
- Climb the mountains.
- Hunting.
- Fishing.
Eat
- Whitebait
- Wild food
Drink
The Coasters have never been afraid of alcohol or consuming large quantities of it, especially beer. They were never afraid of the licencing laws either and always enjoyed a drink - after hours. The operative word though is were. With the relaxation of liquor licensing laws, Coasters have continued in their anti-regulatory approach to life and voluntarily leave the bars early, if they even go there at all.
Stay safe
It rains here. Carry a raincoat and gumboots (wellingtons), waterproof your shoes or accept being wet - accept it, you will get wet anyway, just more slowly.
Coasters are apparently immune to the endemic sandflies, but tourists need to wear insect repellent or put up with being bitten. Their bites leave nasty little itchy spots but are relatively harmless otherwise.
Have an emergency? Call 111 for the Police, Fire or Ambulance services, but don't expect to get what you thought you were asking for. Someone will turn up to help, but they might not wear a uniform you were expecting, they might not wear a uniform at all, but they'll help, because Coasters are like that. Mind you, if you see someone and the help you asked for hasn't turned up yet, ask them too. And if you're asked, even if your not asked and have to ask if help is needed, - please help - it could be you tomorrow.
Get out
You really want to leave? Try moving on to Nelson, Christchurch or Queenstown. You can always come back for another look if you go to Te Anau and take the long road back throught the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. If you really must go (because your visa's almost expired), you can catch the ferry from Picton to Wellington and rush around the North Island.
External links
WikiPedia:West Coast, New Zealand Dmoz:Oceania/New Zealand/West Coast
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