Walking
Activities ▷ Land Activities ▷ Walking ▷
West Coast
Timing Is Everything
The West Coast has walks for every level, but the single biggest thing you can do to improve them is sort your tides and your timing. At Punakaiki, the Pancake Rocks are best at high tide when the blowholes are doing their thing, while the Truman Track opens up properly at low tide. Get those two right and you're in for a treat. Get them wrong and you're just another person in a crowd eating a sandwich.
Promo code RANKERS - good deal done!
Underworld Adventures
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
35 reviews
Fox Glacier Guiding
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
212 reviews
Franz Josef Wilderness Tours
Promo code RANKERS. Save 10%
26 reviews
Air Safaris
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
6 reviews
Skydive Franz Josef and Fox Glacier
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
36 reviews
Waiho Hot Tubs
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
4 reviews
Franz Josef Heli Hike
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
31 reviews
Glacier Country Helicopters
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
52 reviews
Franz and Fox Helicopters
Promo code RANKERS. Save 10%
Pick Your Level
There's a solid spread here from quick roadside stops to genuine grunts. The Blue Pools on the Haast Pass are worth it despite the crowds, and the swim in that glacial water is something else. Around Franz Josef, the Roberts Point Track gives the best free close-up glacier views on the coast. Further north, the Oparara Arch near Karamea is my pick for the off-the-beaten-track crowd, if your van can handle the 14km of winding road to get there. And don't sleep on the smaller stuff either. The Roaring Billy Falls gets a fraction of the traffic of Thunder Creek and is genuinely worth the stop.
The Trig walk at Okarito is a cracker early morning or at sunset, and the birdlife around there has been noticeably on the up. The Monro Beach walk south of Fox is worth planning around if you're here between August and mid-January, timed for dusk at low tide for the Fiordland Crested penguins. Pack sandfly repellent for all of these. They're not joking around on the West Coast.
Walking and Trekking in West Coast
132 items with the highest ranking score first, showing page 1 of 5.
Camping NZ App
All the great camping sites on your iPhone™, iPad™ or Android™ phone or tablet. Avoid camping penalties using this council approved app. Featuring offline maps.
