Discover golden days, new trails, adventures and stays
How to make the most of a West Coast autumn
Sunrise to sunset, settled autumn days on the West Coast are laden with the golden promise of so much to do.
Autumn is a great time of the year for a road trip on the West Coast. Roads here are perfectly matched for memorable excursions, taking your time in the scenic slow lane and stopping for photo opportunities that regularly pop up.
Places to go, things to do? There’s heaps of choice with around 600 km just along the main coastal route, miles more on inland roads leading to other destinations, fascinating places and things to do. Looking for a relaxing holiday? Here are three ways to enjoy the Coast in autumn.
Kawatiri Coastal Trail, Tauranga Bay
Family holiday getaway: Kids not cars quality time
Westport - Carters Beach - Charleston - Gentle Annie
Kids, kilometers and cars are never a great mix! So, here are some ideas for low-kilometre, short-trip, high-energy family activities. Westport and Carters Beach make great bases for kid-friendly holiday times that are big on experiences without long road trips.
Got bikes, must ride? Westport is the start of the West Coast’s newest adventure, aka the family-friendly Kawatiri Coastal Trail. The setting is unparallelled — between the wild Tasman Sea coastline and the looming Paparoa Range — but the grade 2 riding is gentle. Fully open from 22 March 2025, there are eight sections or 40 km of great riding and walking between Westport and Charleston. Ride from Westport or join from multiple access points en route.
The Kawatiri Coastal Trail runs right by the wide, sandy beachfront at Carters Beach and highlights along the way include wildlife (Tauranga Bay seal colony), rugged Cape Foulwind, the Nile River suspension bridge and storyboards recounting the areas significant Māori and European history. There are some great local walks too.
Carters Beach Top 10 Holiday Park makes a perfect base to explore the Buller district and its fascinating mining heritage. Just across the Buller River, Westport’s town services (supermarket, great coffee, excellent wild meat pies, fine pastries, tasty craft brews) will keep the family fed and fuelled for easy reach visits to the storied Denniston Plateau, Charleston’s underground wonders, and Punakaiki’s rocky action.
Go off-road on a thrilling 4WD tour of the Denniston Plateau with Outwest Tours — an immersive, hands-on history lesson for adults and kids. Lush, unspoilt and natural, family-run Gentle Annie seaside accommodation and campsite is a bit further afield, a one-of-a-kind seaside playground where the kids can run wild.
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks & Blowholes
Easy romantic weekender: Fly in, train out
Greymouth - Hokitika - Punakaiki with a side of luxe
Easy in, easy out. Fly into Hokitika, pick up a rental car, take the TranzAlpine scenic train back to Christchurch (or vice versa). From West Coast-central Greymouth or Hokitika, there’s plenty to satisfy the requirements of a relaxing weekender or a midweek adults’ break from the routine with an optional side of luxury.
Pick up a rental car (Budget, Avis, Ezicar or Thrifty) at Hokitika’s friendly little airport, then let your desires lead the way. It’s an easy drive to the Hokitika Gorge, around pretty Lake Brunner or up the Great Coast Road from Greymouth to Punakaiki. Base yourself at one or mix it up at any of these smart upmarket accommodations.
Hoping for a few nice shots of the brilliant blue waters of the Hokitika Gorge? You can have those plus an equally brilliant stay in lovely Rimu Lodge. This four-suite, 5-star accommodation comes with daytime views of the Hokitika River valley and magnificent star gazing by night. Or, on a round-trip of Lake Brunner, stay over in the gracious Lake Brunner Eco Lodge and do your star gazing from the hot tub in the trees.
Follow old gold digging trails to a classic West Coast heritage experience at Shantytown. Days were hard back then but you can relax into the vibe at nearby Goldfields Suites, listening to the birds in the gardens or out an about biking or hiking on the Wilderness Trail. Hokitika’s Awatuna Sunset Lodge offers adults-only hosted comforts and brilliant sunsets on the horizon.
From Greymouth or Hokitika, follow the stunningly scenic Great Coast Road to the action at the iconic Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. Nature’s powerful theatre never fails to attract a crowd but there are other quieter trails through nearby forest glades. Stay at Punakaiki’s beachfront Scenic Hotel.
Culture vulture? Discover local history at two of the Coast’s newest cultural attractions— Greymouth’s immersive Pounamu Pathway or the Paparoa Experience in Punakaiki’s impressive national park visitor centre. Check out Hokitika Scenic Tours if you’d rather let a local do the driving.
Lake Eggeling, Haast
Intrepid adventures: Find your wild
Haast - Franz Josef - Ross - Hokitika
Take your pick, Westland — aka the southern end of the West Coast — is where epic adventures are made. Drive in from the south on the spectacular Haast Road or from Hokitika via the glaciers, whichever, it doesn’t get any better for visitors looking to experience some of Aotearoa’s most impressive wilderness landscapes.
Thrills guaranteed. Don’t overlook Haast because this little village is the gateway into the UNESCO-recognised Te Wahipounamu - Southwest New Zealand. There are no roads and few trails into these vast, inaccessible mountainous landscapes but visitors can get a true taste of wild on a jet boat river safari or a scenic helicopter flight. Navigate a boulder-strewn wilderness river into virgin forests or alight from a helicopter onto the banks of an alpine lake.
Twin glaciers and their twin glacier townships — Franz Josef and Fox — are the stepping off place for comfy digs, great food and outdoor adventures in New Zealand’s celebrated Glacier Country. Boot up to hike across the glacier ice, scale an icy mountainside or get a birds-eye-full from a scenic flight or an epic tandem sky diving expedition — unmatched anywhere else on Earth. Check into a tree house at the Rainforest Retreat, self-contained, eco-conscious Ribbonwood Retreat or go full luxe at Te Waonui Forest Retreat.
Walk the hills following a trail of mining relics above the historic gold mining boom town of Ross. The old cemetery testifies to a less than glorious past when many perished chasing their fortunes in these rugged hills. The cherry trees and memorial garden commemorate a community of Chinese miners. Enjoy quirky style and contemporary comforts at Ross Beach Top 10 holiday park or Hokitika’s perfectly placed Beachfront Hotel.
