West Coast

A long, narrow wilderness coast on the western South Island, known for dramatic natural scenery including glaciers, rainforest and the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks.

The West Coast is squeezed between the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea, with heavy rainfall and dense rainforest. In the south, Westland National Park has Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier, which you can hike on or view by helicopter, and Lake Matheson mirrors Aoraki/Mount Cook. In the middle, the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Paparoa National Park offer unusual scenery, and Hokitika is known for its greenstone (pounamu) craft. Summer is the more comfortable season, but come prepared for rain. You can take the alpine scenic train to Greymouth, or arrive via Hokitika or Westport airports and over Haast Pass.

Destinations

• Punakaiki & Greymouth
• Franz Josef & Fox Glaciers
• Queenstown & Wanaka
• Hanmer Springs

Itineraries

• New Zealand South Island In-Depth Grand Loop – A complete loop of the South Island starting from Christchurch, connecting coastlines, glaciers, fjords, peninsulas, an…
• TranzAlpine Train & West Coast Glaciers – Cross the Southern Alps on the TranzAlpine train, then drive along the West Coast glaciers to Queenstown.
• Queenstown First-Timer's Classic – Lakefront gondola, a day trip to Milford Sound, and the old gold-rush town of Arrowtown: three days to see the best of…
• Christchurch to Queenstown Lakes & Fjords – A one-way self-drive through the Mackenzie Basin, Mount Cook, Wanaka, and Fiordland, ending in Queenstown.
• Queenstown Lakes and Doubtful Sound in Depth – Steamship to Walter Peak Farm, the Glenorchy valley, the lone tree at Wanaka, and Doubtful Sound, with all nights spent…
• Queenstown, Fiordland and Wanaka Self-Drive – Queenstown adventure activities, two nights in Te Anau for the Milford Road, and two nights in Wanaka to climb Roys Pea…
• Southern Scenic Route: Dunedin to Queenstown – Drive from Dunedin along the Catlins coast to the southern tip, then head north to Fiordland on the South Island's quie…
• Queenstown Winter Skiing – Stay in Queenstown and ski at three resorts: Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Cardrona, ending with hot springs and Ar…
• Queenstown and Wanaka Hiking – Ben Lomond, the Routeburn Track and Roys Peak, with hikes across the southern lakes region and stays in Queenstown and…
• Christchurch Alpine Pacific Triangle – A weekend loop heading north from Christchurch for whale watching, inland to a hot spring town, and back.
• New Zealand North to South: Auckland to Queenstown – Head south from Auckland through geothermal areas and Wellington, cross the strait, and explore the lakes and fjords to…