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.
 |
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
| 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).
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 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)
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Kahikatea Swamp |
Kahikatea Swamp |
Kahikatea Swamp |
Kahikatea Swamp |
Dune Lake walk
30 minutes return.
 |
 |
 |
| 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.
 |
 |
 |
| 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).
 |
 |
| 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
 |
 |
 |
| 87 Fantail |
92 Thunder creek |
115 Roaring Billy |
119 Orman |
120 Depot creek |
HOME
Email: 
Copyright © 2021 J.S. Milne.
