West Coast Walks   

In addition to the more serious tramps, the West Coast has many beautiful walks. They are listed north to south. All can be reached from SH 6 or the Jackson Bay Highway. Times are loop or return.

Walk      Time Photos Notes DOC
Harihari coastal walk 3 hours photos Bush and coastal DOC
Pakihi walk 30 mins photos Swamp, bush, view DOC
Okarito wetland walk 20 mins Wetland Below
Okarito trig walk 90 mins photos Views DOC
Okarito pack/coastal walk 3 hours Coast, bush, views. Above
Callery gorge walk 90 mins photos Bush walk and gorge DOC
Tatare tunnels walk 80 mins photos Bush walk and tunnel DOC
Lake Wombat and Alex Knob 8 hours photos Views DOC
Lake Matheson 90 min photos Lake and mountain views DOC
Monroe beach walk 90 mins photos Bush walk to coast. Below
Kahikatea swamp forest. 20 mins photos Swamp vegetation DOC
Dune lake walk 30 mins photos Dune lake and coast. Above
Hapuka estuary walk 20 mins photos Estuary and wetland
Whareki Te Kau walk 20 mins photos Bush walk to coast. DOC
Lake Ellery 60 mins photos Bush walk to small lake. Above.
Waterfalls on the Haast road. Short photos View waterfalls

Here are some pdfs from DOC for the Haast area, and here are some West Coast paddles.

Harihari coastal walk

The carpark for the walk is 20 km from Harihari, reached via the Wanganui Flat and La Fontaine Roads. Because of damage to the track, it has not been possible to complete the loop since 2018 [this may be possible in 2022]. The walk from the carpark to the Poerua river takes 2.5 hours return, mainly through wetland, but with occssional views.
NZ3941 NZ3942 NZ3946
Harihari coastal walk Harihari coastal walk Harihari coastal walk

Pakihi walk

This is a beautiful 30 minute walk through pakihi swamp and glacial moraine forests, with a view at the end. The carpark is off the Forks-Okatiro Road, which is 15 km north of Franz Josef.
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Pakihi Walk. Pakihi Walk. Pakihi Walk. Pakihi Walk.

Okarito pack track/trig/coastal walk

To reach Okarito, follow the Forks-Okarito road, which 15 km north of Franz Josef. The loop including the trig takes about 3.5 hours. Check the tides for the coastal walk.
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Okarito coastal walk Okarito coastal walk Okarito coastal walk Okarito pack track Okarito trig

Franz Josef walks: Callery Gorge; Totare Tunnels

These start in Franz Josef (Cowan street).

Callery Gorge Walk

This is mostly a bush walk, with the first part being on the access road to the water works. 100 minutes return.
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Callery Gorge walk. Callery Gorge.

Totare Tunnels Walk

This is mostly a bush walk, with the first part being on an old 4WD track. Bring a torch if you want to explore the tunnel. 80 minutes return.
NZ3955
Totare tunnels walk.

Lake Wombat and Alex Knob

From Franz Josef. Alex Knob 8 hours return; Lake Wombat

Lake Matheson/Lake Gault

The carpark is reached from Fox via Cook Flat Road. Lake Matheson is a 2.6 km loop; Lake Gault is 8 km return (off the Lake Matheson track).
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Lake Matheson Lake Matheson

Monro Beach Walk

The carpark for the walk is 30 km north of Haast. It is an easy walk through rain forest to a beach, which is popular with Fiordland crested penguins (tawaki) in the spring. 90 minutes return.
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Monroe Beach Walk Monroe Beach Walk Monroe Beach Walk Monroe Beach Walk

Ship Creek

This is a well-signed carpark 20k north of Haast.

Kahikatea Swamp Forest

This short track gives an unusual opportunity to view West Coast swamp vegetation (20 minutes return)
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Kahikatea Swamp Kahikatea Swamp Kahikatea Swamp Kahikatea Swamp

Dune Lake walk

30 minutes return.
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Dune Lake Walk Dune Lake Walk Dune Lake Walk

Hapuka Estuary Walk

Views of the estuary and the wetland. 20 minutes return. On the Jackson Bay Highway.
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Hapuka Estuary Walk Hapuka Estuary Walk Hapuka Estuary Walk

Jackson Bay/Whareki Te Kau walk

The walk runs from Jackson Bay to the rocky shore at Ocean beach (20 minutes).
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Jackson Bay Ocean Beach

Lake Ellery

This beautiful lake is 30 minutes walk (or kayak) from the Jackson River Road.
photos.

Waterfalls on the Haast road

The number attached to each waterfall is the distance from Wanaka
NZ3875 NZ3915 NZ4033
87 Fantail 92 Thunder creek 115 Roaring Billy 119 Orman 120 Depot creek

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