South Island West Coast Region 2020 Westport to Kahurangi National Park
Westport to Kahurangi National Park
West Coast Region South Island
New Zealand
2020
Westport
The drive from Lyell to Westport this morning was beautiful we stopped for coffee at the Kilkenny Lookout.
Tonight’s park is NZMCA Westport after settling in we went for a bike ride into town coming back via the River Trail
Staying 2 nights
View out the window from NZMCA Westport
Old Wharf Westport
Cape Foulwind
Seal Colony Tauranga Bay
Today is overcast and yucky, we drove to Cape Foulwind lighthouse then walked 5.7km returning 2 hours with plenty of stops to admire the view and spend time watching the seals at Tauranga Bay.
Denniston
Today we visited the Denniston mine amazing to see how they lived back then, looked like a real struggle to us.
Granity
Millerton Incline
From Denniston to Millerton Incline, we parked at the waterfall where the road ended then walked the 2.2km return old road to the Millerton Incline.
Tonight we are parked on the side of the road freedom camping with Jacque & Robin and Helen & Brett.
Millerton Waterfall just a bit I could see it was huge.
Tonight's park
Lake Hanlon
Our first stop this morning, was a beautiful short walk
Karamea
Stopped at Little Wanganui for a look.
Staying two nights at Karamea Memorial Domain Camp, a lovely little camp.
Oparara Arch Track
14 km on a gravel road from the Mccallums Mill Road (approximately 10 km north of Karamea).
Robin and Jacque invited us to join them in their 4-wheel drive, we would have missed out on this treat this afternoon otherwise. There is a height restriction on the road so only smaller vehicles can get up the road. We wouldn’t have wanted to take our Motorhome up there. They are doing heaps of work on the tracks so hopefully, the road will be improved one day.
Jacque, Fay, Robert, Robin
Robin
Karamea
Good day, today did some biking and walking visited a big Rimu tree and the beach.
Kahurangi National Park
Kohaihai Doc Campsite
Surprised to find flush toilets and WifiTonight’s park for a few days this is as far as we can drive up the West Coast when we leave we need to backtrack to Westport. The surf here is pounding and runs deep straight off the beach so not safe for swimming. Heaps of sandflies!
Jacque and Robin
Kahurangi National Park.
Happy hour except it went until after 9pm. Jacque and Brett provided constant entertainment.
Sun going down
Oparara Basin
Mirror Tarn and Moria Gate Arch
Robin and Jacque took their Jeep back to do these tracks with us on board.
Beautiful walk!!
Mirror Tarn
Seed collecting
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Robin and Jacque
Jacque and Robin
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Jacque
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Moria Gate Arch
Fay
Fay and Robert
Fay and Robert
Another good happy hour....then it rained
Lynda and Selwyn Buckett arrived yesterday and joined us
Heaphy Track to Scott’s Beach far end 8.5km return, last part was in the rain.
Fantastic tropical-looking bush
Lynda
Selwyn
Fenian Caves Walk
It took us 3 & 1/2 hours the first part is easy walking then once on the loop track (1 hour) it was muddy and climbing up and over. The caves are worth seeing and one you have to go through about 100 meters and out the other side as that’s the only way the track takes you.
The first photos are of all the different fungi we saw.
Tonight we are back in Westport at the NZMCA Camp for the night.
Robin
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