The great West Coast road trip
by Metropol | April 29, 2026 8:33 am
Between Haast in the south and Karamea in the north, the West Coast is one adventure after another.
From ancient forests to gigantic glaciers, watch the oceanic performance at Punakaiki’s blow holes, shop for greenstone in Greymouth and Hokitika, explore old gold workings and hike over one of the massive glaciers.
Duration: 7 – 10 days | Distance: 1005km
Best time: All year round
TranzAlpine to Greymouth, then drive to Punakaiki
3 hrs, 59 min, 288km
Arrive in style on the world-famous TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth. Pick up your hire car, and take a look around Greymouth, a small former gold mining town that’s easy to explore on foot. Stop in at one of the galleries, admire the historic buildings along the river’s edge, or visit the Pounamu Pathway.
Make your way to Lake Brunner and book yourself into a campsite, hotel or holiday home and stay a few days in the lake’s peaceful settlement of Moana.
Explore the 30-million-year-old natural spectacle of the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki and walk the nearby Truman through entangled rainforest that emerges onto a secluded beach. Stay the night at one of Punakaiki’s many boutique accommodations.
Punakaiki to Karamea
2 hrs, 18 min, 152km
Continue north to Charleston, a small settlement founded post-gold rush in 1867. Go underground to explore a vast network of caves, before floating out under a galaxy of glow-worms.
Head to Cape Foulwind in Westport to spot New Zealand’s largest fur seal colony on a bracing cliff-top walk. Stay the night at Carters Beach for safe swimming and bonfire building, or follow the coastal road to Karamea.
Near Karamea, you’ll find a primeval world of dense subtropical forests concealing ancient underground cave systems. Explore the iconic Ōpārara Arch, or take a guided tour of Honeycomb Hill Caves to discover fossilised remains of extinct moa and the giant pouākai/Haast’s eagle. Walk to Scott’s Beach, a deserted golden sand beach just 45 minutes into the Heaphy Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks.
Karamea to Reefton
2 hrs, 30 min, 175km
From Westport, veer inland towards Reefton via the scenic Buller Gorge. Explore the heritage gold-rush buildings lining the main street, antique shops and art galleries.
Stop by the replica mining hut for gold panning and tales of bygone years, told by two Bearded Miners. Don’t miss the Reefton Distilling Co. for a gin tasting or a souvenir to sip when you get home.
Reefton to Hokitika
1 hr, 29 min, 116km
Continue south to Hokitika. Browse the pounamu (jade) carving workshops and galleries or fossick for your own piece on the beach. Finish the day with a meal at one of the town’s tasty eateries and a night at one of the town’s boutique stays.
After dark, you’ll find a magical display of thousands of twinkling lights in the Glow-Worm Dell, a leafy canyon just off State Highway 6 near the town’s northern entrance. The next morning, take in the stunning turquoise waters of the nearby Hokitika Gorge, framed by stark white limestone cliffs and deep green forest.
Hokitika to Fox Glacier
2 hours 10 mins, 157km
Next up, Glacier Country, home to New Zealand’s highest mountains, wildest rivers, longest glaciers and tallest forests.
Fox and Franz Josef glaciers are the most accessible of the 60-plus in the Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Up high, compacted snow creates walls of clear blue ice, carved out by huge crevasses and caves. Experience this otherworldly landscape on a breathtaking guided heli-hiking tour or scenic flight.
Glacier Country is also home to many forest, coastal and alpine walks, around lakes and on deserted beaches. Spot rare and elusive wildlife in Ōkārito, where New Zealand’s largest unmodified wetland area is framed by lush native rainforest and the snow-capped Southern Alps. Stay the night in style in Franz Josef, at one of the luxurious yet laid-back hotels.
Fox Glacier to Haast
1 hr, 32 min, 121km
Jump-start your day with a morning skydive with stunning views of the glaciers, Aoraki Mount Cook and the Tasman Sea. On the way to Haast, stop for a pond-to-plate lunch at the Salmon Farm, where you can feed the fish.
Haast is the gateway into Te Wāipounamu South West New Zealand World Heritage Area, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Area due to its outstanding natural beauty and unique biodiversity. A great way to experience this epic wilderness is by scenic heli flight or a jet boat river journey.
Stay the night and continue to Wānaka in the morning, with stops at the many pretty waterfalls and iconic Blue Pools along the way. For more, go to westcoast.co.nz.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/the-great-west-coast-road-trip/