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LEARN TO SURF AT TAURANGA BAY

Experienced surfers come from all over the world to conquer the famous surf breaks on Aotearoa’s western beaches. While it’s less well-known than the more dramatic breaks, Tauranga Bay’s long sandy beach — just south of Westport — is also a hub for surfers and wannabes. And, as luck would have it, there are a couple of good surf schools in town.

Conditions at Tauranga Bay are cool for novice surfers. Find professional surfer, national surfing judge and former team coach Mark Perana at the big white West Coast Surf trailer on the bay’s pretty beachfront. Mark offers lessons and coaching for all levels of surfers from kids to advanced board riders. The 2-hour starter pack is suitable for anyone who wants to learn to surf. The lesson includes surfboard and wetsuit hire. BYO swimming gear.

Check in at Bazil’s Hostel & Surf School in Westport for the full deal — quirky affordable accommodation to suit singles, couples and families, comfy surroundings and a friendly vibe. The saying here is that if you can swim, you can surf. Sign up for a surfing lesson, or launch out with a hired paddleboard or kayak.

LEARN TO DRIVE A QUAD BIKE AT FRANZ JOSEF

Rough, rocky, muddy and wild, the old glacial river valley next to Franz Josef Village is the natural setting for this adventure and, with expert tuition from the guides at Franz Josef Wilderness Tours, just about anyone of driving age can learn to ride a quad bike!

Parked up beside the Waiho River, which flows from Franz Josef Glacier, the fleet of Can-Am all terrain vehicles includes single and 2-seater quad bikes, and a 3-seater buggy. The quad bikes have power steering, padded seats and independent suspension to help ride out the bumps. The 3-seater has a steering wheel rather than handlebars and is great for family groups, including children from 4 - 5 years old.

Tours start with a training session and drivers must do a few spins on the test track before setting off on a guided 2.5-hour tour. The off-road track through the old glacial landscape offers a progression of challenges as riders work up their confidence and skills, travelling over clean river shingle over rocky riverbed and streams, along a pretty rainforest trail, up and down, and across a grassy river terrace that’s full of muddy hazards — the wetter, the better.

On a clear day the views of the Southern Alps and Franz Josef Glacier are magnificent but the fun amps up when it starts to rain. Head to toes wet weather gear is supplied so everyone stays warm and dry. It’s the ultimate rainy day activity, and riders come away with complimentary photos to show off to friends.

LEARN TO KAYAK AT ŌKĀRITO OR FRANZ JOSEF

Ōkārito Lagoon —New Zealand’s largest unmodified wetland — is a coastal paradise surrounded by sheltered rainforest, home to rare rowi kiwi and a staggering 70-plus bird species. The usually calm, shallow waters offer near perfect conditions for learning to paddle a kayak and, on a clear day, the backdrop of snow capped Southern Alps is majestic.

Ōkārito Kayaks — based in the red shed right opposite the lagoon — offer guided tours in double and single kayaks that are super stable and perfect for first-time or novice kayaker. Owner-guides Baz and Gemma have decades of kayaking experience, know these waters well and how best to prepare and outfit guests with everything that’s required for a safe and memorable outdoors adventure. They will adapt tours to fit the guests and, while the rescue boat is always on standby, they say you don’t even need to know how to swim because most of the lagoon is less than 1-metre deep.

Close to Franz Josef, Lake Mapourika is another kayaking dream location. Franz Josef Wilderness Tours’ Kayak Discovery Tour is designed for a first-time family kayaking experience. The fully guided, 1 to 2-hour experience is suitable for all ages from infants through to teenagers and grandparents with a kayak to fit each scenario. The tour never strays far from the lake edge, following the shoreline for multiple beach breaks, but never too far from home for the return paddle. The tour also includes free family photos.

LEARN TO SUP AT PUNAKAIKI

SUP — aka stand up paddleboarding — is a popular summer activity and a beautiful way to explore the West Coast’s serene lakes and scenic waterways. There are several places on the West Coast where you can hire a paddleboard and join a guided tour with a qualified instructor to learn the ropes or polish up your skills.

Launch out on an expedition into a Jurassic waterscape in Paparoa National Park. Near the famed Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, Waka Puna Paddle & Pedal rents out SUPs, kayaks and e-bikes. Families and beginner paddlers can enjoy the majestic limestone gorge and lush rainforest beside the peaceful Pororari river and lagoon. More adventurous paddlers can explore further up this enchanting river to the lower reaches of Cave Creek.

Bazil's Hostel, in Westport, is an all-in surf / SUP school and hostel with a variety of backpacker and self-contained accommodation and a range of free-to-use sports equipment for guests. Learn to stand up paddle board with a fully guided tour on the tranquil Kawatiri Lagoon. All equipment is provided and they reckon it’s ‘suitable for all ages and abilities’.

A sublime spot, near Franz Joseph Village, Lake Mapourika’s calm, reflective waters offer the perfect setting for a spot of stand up paddleboarding. Hop on a stable, inflatable SUP and explore the ancient rainforest and sheltered bays with an experienced instructor/tour guide from Franz Joseph Wilderness Tours. Summer water temperatures can reach 20C or more.

LEARN ABOUT WEST COAST POUNAMU

From taonga to treasure, the West Coast is a land rich in natural resources — pounamu, gold, coal, timber — and landscapes that will inspire your creative juices.

Wander a stony beach and marvel at the beauty of the tiny pebbles and larger rocks that have washed down from the mountains, rolled around over aeons, ground and polished into smooth forms. Among the many different colours and patterns, you may spot a piece of pounamu — New Zealand jade, often called greenstone, is a strong stone of great beauty prized by Maori for creating precious adornments, tools and weapons.

If you find a nice piece, you could turn it into a keepsake with some help from a local artist or master carver. Bonz N Stonz, in Hokitika, and Te Koha Aotearoa, at Franz Josef, are artist galleries offering hands-on carving classes. Learn about the significance of carving and pounamu in Māori culture, then design and carve your own piece to take home.

A handful of West Coast rivers are the main source of pounamu. Dig deeper into the story of pounamu by visiting the Pounamu Pathway — a fascinating new visitor experience at Greymouth or join a small group guided tour with Hokitika locals Te Rua & Sons Pounamu Trails. The tour begins at Arahura Marae, where the wharenui (meeting house) displays green-painted carvings depict the connection between pounamu and the Ngāti Waewae people, and ends on the Arahura river banks where guests learn how to fossick for the precious green stone.

LEARN HOW TO PAN FOR GOLD

Thousands of fortune seekers from around the world flocked to the West Coast in the mid-19th century after gold was first discovered. Fortunes were made (and no doubt lost) as small settlements sprang up and grew into boom towns with pubs, banks and other services — at least until the miners decided to move on to newer gold fields.

There are still working mines in various locations along the coast, and modern fortune seekers equipped with the appropriate tools can also try their luck in nine locations where recreational gold fossicking is permitted.

For complete amateurs there’s the opportunity to get in some gold-panning lessons while learning about the ‘Coast’s gold mining heritage with the Bearded Miners — a bunch of ex-miners and blacksmiths — in Reefton. Hear about the prospecting life of old, and try your hand at gold panning.

You can also roll up your sleeves at the sluice line in Shantytown Heritage Park, near Greymouth, or further south at the Ross Goldfield Information & Heritage Centre. It’s cold, wet work but usually rewards with some golden flakes of the genuine stuff.