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West Coast-South Island

Plunging westward from a chain of cloud-piercing and snow-capped mountains, the West Coast of the South Island is a rugged, wild and last frontier territory. It offers luxuriant rainforests, lakes, glaciers, breathtaking coastal scenery and a truly fascinating mountain-to-sea ecosystem unlike any other in the country. It has a most diverse landscape with beautiful mountains, gurgling riversfreshwater lakes, dense forests, diverse wetlands, accessible glaciers, beaches and amazing caves. The West Coast region stretches some 600 km from North to South and it truly is a miraculous piece of paradise that is no wider than 70 km at any one point. The wild and pounding waters of the Tasman Sea relentlessly hammers its coastline covered in temperate coastal forest, from the red flowered Ratas to the native yellow Kowhai. The West Coast is a region of outstanding natural beauty. Five of New Zealand’s National Parks are here and South West New Zealand has been declared a World Heritage Area. Visitors can take guided walks onto the glaciers at Franz Josef or Fox Glacier, and visit the “icefalls”, a stunning natural phenomenon. Some of the major towns are Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. Combined with the fascinating and unique wildlife, including the rare kiwi and white heron (kotuku), seal colonies, penguins, dolphins and a variety of unique alpine flora, this 600 km long stretch of coastal region is a must-see for anyone visiting New Zealand.

Nature lovers are right at home here and it is no surprise that the West Coast attracts an ever increasing number of visitors from both, overseas and other parts of New Zealand. The region is known to have high rainfall due to the prevailing northwesterly wind patterns and its location on the Western slopes of the Southern Alps.