Westport to Greymouth
100 km (63 miles)
Approximately 1.25 hours
Road Conditions: State Highway

The road to Greymouth hugs the coast, providing spectacular views of wild beaches and the tempestuous Tasman Sea. At Charleston, formerly a gold town, you can arrange underground rafting and cave exploring trips. Punakaiki is famous for its ancient pancake rocks and booming blowholes. It is the centrepiece of the Paparoa National Park, which is packed with a variety of stunning landscapes. The town of Runanga offers an interesting walk to Coal Creek Falls.

Greymouth has a long gold mining history. It’s the largest town on the west coast and is known for its awesome seascapes. The local brewery runs tours or you can absorb some west coast history at the museum. White water rafting, sea kayaking and gold panning are other things to do.

Greymouth to Hokitika
40 km (25 miles)
Approximately 0.5 hour
Road Conditions: State Highway

The road between Hokitika and Greymouth provides great views of the wild west coast. Detour to the beach and breathe the salt spray air. Driftwood is the ornamentation of choice for west coast beaches – every shape, size and colour. Shantytown, just south of Greymouth, is a reconstructed 1880s gold rush town – great family entertainment.

Hokitika was first settled in 1860, after the discovery of gold on the west coast. It still has the feel of a ‘frontier town’, and there are some lovely old buildings to admire. Greenstone (NZ jade) is the town’s treasure these days – you can see it being polished and sculpted. You might also want to pan for gold, investigate the museum and do the historical walk.