Destination West Coast

by Metropol | November 26, 2025 8:30 am

The West Coast’s slogan is ‘untamed natural wilderness’, and for good reason. It’s a playground of coastal landscapes, spectacular views, iconic landforms and curious wildlife – and a region which enjoyed record temperatures last summer. Stay a while this season and soak up the sun. Start with your own two feet and make fresh tracks, here’s our top five walks in the West Coast.

Buller Gorge Swing bridge
Traverse New Zealand’s longest swing bridge at 110m in length. Located near Murchison in the Buller Gorge Swing bridge Adventure and Heritage Park, there are several family-friendly walks ranging from 15 minutes to 1 hour. These walks feature dramatic landscapes, lush native forest and the White’s Creek faultline. Bookings aren’t required – although there is an entry fee of $12.50 for adults and $5 for children (aged 14 and under).

Hokitika Gorge Walk
This easy 40-minute return walk features a picturesque turquoise blue river. The track winds through native forest and across several bridges, including a 90m long suspension bridge. Additionally, there are multiple viewing platforms to observe the breathtaking torrent.

Truman Track
Located in Punakaiki, this walk is easy for all ages, with a well-maintained 1.4km long track that takes 12 minutes one way. The track offers a scenic spectacle of rainforest, rugged coastline, blowholes, caves, waterfalls, cliffs, and a pebbly beach. You could even spot a Little Blue Penguin, since they nest around this area from August to February.

Truman Track, Punakaiki by Kimberly Baker.

Oparara Arch
This easy 1.1km walk will lead you to a 35-million-year-old limestone arch – considered to be the largest in Australasia. The one-hour return track is just one of many hidden gems in the Kahurangi National Park, just north of Karamea. The remote park also contains ancient native forest and several glowworm caves.

Oparara Arches, West Coast by Stewart Nimmo.

Cape Foulwind Walkway
Be blown away by panoramic mountain and coastal views, a lighthouse, and a fur seal colony. Located near Westport, the main walk to the lighthouse is
two hours return. However, it is an easy 30-minute walk to the seal colony, where they can be spotted year-round. However, the best time to find the furry pinnipeds showing off is between November and January, the breeding season.

Find more ways to make fresh tracks at westcoast.co.nz

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