The South Island’s West Coast is an area many travelers skip over. This is understandable because of its remoteness and lack of regular services. However, the West Coast offers several stops that make the venture into this part of New Zealand worthwhile. With some planning and a little luck with the weather it can be one of the most memorable parts of your trip.
Mount Aspiring National Park
Starting from Wanaka and heading north, Mount Aspiring is the first stop. It’s a huge national park, the third largest in New Zealand in fact. The drive takes you through the north east corner of the park and there is plenty to see. Makarora township is just before the park entrance and the only town until Haast, making this the last place to stop for snacks.
Shortly after Makarora is the car park for the Blue Pools. This is a perfect chance to get out and stretch your legs. The walk isn’t far (1.5km roundtrip) and the pools are a beautiful and crystal clear. It was raining when I went, and I’ll admit the Blue Pools weren’t very impressive in the gloom. But I could easily picture the sun shining down and making them come alive with color. Still, even in the rain it was a nice stroll through the forest.
The drive through Mount Aspiring shows off some lovely New Zealand scenery. It follows Haast River and there are many opportunities to pull over and enjoy the views. If the weather had been better I would have spent more time here. As it was, I simply drove through and tried to picture it on a clear day.
Jackson Bay
The next town after Mount Aspiring is Haast. There is not much to offer besides a couple cafes and accommodation, but there is a visitors center worth visiting. Sadly there’s no free wifi at this visitors center, which you may be looking for since there’s no cell service anywhere. If you have a couple hours to spare head south to Jackson Bay before heading north. There is nothing (I mean nothing) at Jackson Bay, so why in the world would I recommend it?
I have a terrible habit of trying to see as many places as possible, regardless of what is there. When I saw Jackson Bay on the map I had to go. During the 50 km drive I was thinking “This is stupid, there’s nothing at the end of this road. Why am I going?” There are a couple reasons I would recommend driving to Jackson Bay. First is the road itself, canopied with beautiful coastal forest. It felt like I was in the twilight zone driving on a super straight road with forest surrounding me on all sides.
Another reason I’d recommend Jackson Bay is the “town” itself. The handful of buildings that make up Jackson Bay are nestled in a pretty little bay with a picturesque dock and boats sprinkled throughout the water. I enjoyed walking on the beach and checking out the informational displays about the history of the town. Another reason to visit is Cray Pot. This yummy seafood spot is rustic and tiny, but most importantly delicious. Yes, it’s pricey, but in this far-off corner of New Zealand a high price tag is expected.
Fox Glacier
An hour and a half north of Haast is Fox Glacier. Although not as popular as Franz Josef, Fox Glacier is easy enough to visit that it’s silly not to stop. The walk from the parking lot is only 2.6km round trip and the first 3/4 of the walk is flat until a short climb up to the viewing area. The viewing area isn’t directly at the Glacier because of safety reasons. The only way to get up close to either Fox or Franz Josef Glacier is by taking a tour. But this walk gets you close enough to appreciate the massive scale and power that makes a glacier.
After driving back from the hike turn west at the township and head to Lake Matheson. On a clear day this popular stop for photographers shows a perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains in the lake. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate when I went and there was no reflection. This really bummed me out because I missed my chance to take some nice pictures, but if you’re there on a clear day be sure to walk the half kilometer to Jetty Viewpoint.
Franz Josef Glacier
This is where all the action is so naturally I didn’t want to go midday when a thousand other people were there. A little birdie told me the best time to see Franz Josef was early in the morning before the infamous cloud cover rolls in from the coast. I figured what better way to see the Glacier than a sunrise hike? The guidebook recommended Alex Knob, a 17.2km round trip hike to a brilliant viewpoint looking over the Glacier. I woke up at 4:30am and drove to the trail head.
This is the trail
First Viewpoint
The hike is nothing but uphill and quickly goes from well maintained trail to an obstacle course over tree roots. Therefore it’s only recommended for experienced hikers. The thing I hate (and love) about this hike is that there is nothing to see, except one viewpoint, until the very end. This gets frustrating because there is no reward pretty much the entire way up. The one viewpoint along the way does give a nice view, but during the last kilometer of the hike when the views finally appear all I could think was “Finally something to see!”
Franz Josef Glacier
I spent an hour at the top of Alex Knob. It was everything one could hope for in a view of Franz Josef Glacier. There was not a cloud in sight and the Glacier was directly in front of me in all its glory. The way back down was a bit dull but eventually I trudged back to the trail head in one piece.
The next day I drove to the actual Glacier trail. The Valley Walk is 5.4km and lovely. It was early enough that there weren’t many people, which exaggerated the charm of the Valley Walk. The first half is pretty flat and passes by some spectacular waterfalls. The second half begins to go up and teases glances at the Glacier. The last bit of trail is steep uphill but ends with a beautiful view of Franz Josef Glacier directly in front of you.
Okarito
Originally I didn’t know about this area, but during my hike up Franz Josef a fellow hiker recommended Okarito. The town is nestled between the largest wetland in New Zealand and beautiful coastline. I opted for the Okarito Trig Walk, a 4.2km, fairly steep hike to one of the best viewpoints I’ve ever seen. The views of Aoraki National Park with its dramatic mountain range and glaciers was front and center. It’s simply stunning and totally worth the walk.
The parking lot for Trig Walk also offers several other walking options. Three Mile Pack Track and Pakihi walk are a few other options, all varying in distance and difficulty. Other things to do are continue west from the parking lot to the beach, which has a pretty layer of sea mist coming off the waves. Or take a kayaking/boat tour of the wetlands. I really wanted to sign up and see some birdlife but a tour had just left and I couldn’t wait around for the next one. Okarito ended up being a pleasant surprise and I’m glad it was recommended to me.
Hokitika
I don’t have much to say about Hokitika because I didn’t even know it existed. I happened to be craving ice cream when I randomly drove by on my way up north. I drove through town and next thing I knew I wanted to stay for a few days. Main street tempted me with its cute shops and cafes.
I followed the signs to the beach and got out for a stretch. The beach was covered in driftwood art. It was good fun walking down the beach and checking out people’s creations. If I had known Hokitika was this adorable I would have stayed the night. As it was I got here in the middle of the day and had to continue on to keep with my schedule.
Punakaiki
My plan was to head back to Christchurch by Arthur’s Pass, but I extended my trip north to fit in Punakaiki. It was a brilliant jagged coastal drive to the pancake rocks. What I thought was going to be a quiet traipse through some interesting rocks turned out to be a jam packed tourist attraction. Normally I would have planned my visit early in the morning to miss the masses, but I wasn’t expecting this many people. I was at Punakaiki at 2pm and that was that.
It was worth the amount of people. The pancake rocks are incredibly interesting and I had never seen anything like them before. There are several blowholes, one of them very impressive. There is also Sudden Sound Blowhole which makes a very loud boom if you’re patient enough to wait a few minutes. Everything in this tiny area is cool! I liked it enough that I did the loop twice. It’s worth the drive to the middle of nowhere. Besides, the drive up the coast is really nice and I saw one of the prettiest sunsets on my way back south.
Arthur Pass National Park
Oh how I wish I could have done Arthur Pass more justice. Alas, I had a flight to catch and couldn’t stay long. If I could go back I would give this park minimum a full day. However I only had half a day and spent it hiking up Temple Basin Skii Area. I’m not sure why I picked this hike other than I was looking for something along the 2-3 hour time scale and it was in my guidebook. I picked a good one though, that’s for sure.
The trail zig zags up into the mountains and gives killer views. Although the forecast showed rain it managed to stay dry the whole way up. There is a beautiful hut at the top for shelter but be sure to bring a jacket because it gets windy. I explored behind the hut and discovered a beautifully colored valley that actually impressed me more than the front views. Sadly my picture doesn’t do it justice, but it was lovely.
As much as I enjoyed this hike I must give one warning. Absolutely do not hike to Temple Basin Skii Area if you have any ankle issues. The trail consists of perfectly roll-ankle sized stones the entire way up. It’s impossible to zone out on this hike because attention must be given with every step. Be careful!
This is the trail
This was the only thing I did in Arthur Pass National Park besides drive through. The drive was great, but I wish I could have spent more time there. Mountains, rivers, and valleys on all sides made me wish the drive would never end. I must have pulled over for pictures a hundred times. If you have the choice of Highway 73 or 7, take 73 (Arthur’s Pass). I took both and found that 7 is nice, but nothing compared to 73.
Want to Explore the West Coast?
It’s a hassle to get to but the South Island’s West Coast is stunning. Just be ready for a lot of driving, rustic towns, and nothing-fancy accommodation. That’s not to say there’s nothing on the west coast. The further north you go, the more there is. However I’d recommend booking as much as you can ahead of time if you’re staying in hostels/hotels. The glacier townships, for example, have a limited amount of accommodation. I managed to grab the last bed at a Franz Josef hostel. If you have a campervan (I always recommend the Rankers Camping app), there are some great, cheap campgrounds to stay at.
Be sure to visit the glaciers early in the morning. Locals say on most days the cloud cover rolls in by noon. If you want to do something more substantial than hike there are a ton of tours available in the Franz Josef township. The heli-hike tours are very popular, and I was told worth the cost.
Since the west coast is so far out of the way I’d recommend buying groceries before hand. I had a salty- snack craving in Fox Glacier township and it was hardly worth $6 for a single serving bag of chips. Also, gas is very expensive. There is nothing you can do about it, but at least you have been forewarned. Especially if you’ve come from the north island, gas here is easily 50 cents more a litre.
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