The ninety minute drive between Westport and Karamea is one of the most isolated in New Zealand, and despite the short journey there are enough interesting stops and side trips to fill in a couple of days.
Before you set out from Westport, veer south to visit the surf beach at Tauranga Bay and the Cape Foulwind walkway, which has a seal colony. Once you’re on your way, plan for stops at the coal mining ghost town on the Denniston Plateau and a short hike to Lake Hanlon.
The road end is at Kohaihai, north of Karamea, and it’s one of the access points for the Heaphy Track Great Walk. Here you’ll find the real highlights of this trip – Karamea Beach, the walk from Kohaihai to Scotts Beach, and the Oparara Arches.
Tauranga Bay and Cape Foulwind
As you approach Westport from the south, you’ll see a side road that takes you to Tauranga Bay and the Cape Foulwind walkway.
Park at the north end of Tauranga Bay and take the walkway up to the cliff top to see the seal colony. There has been extensive native planting around the area and you’ll probably see weka, a native bird known for stealing shiny objects for their nests. You can continue on the track to reach the lighthouse, which is around two hours return, although the best section of the walk is the first kilometre or two.
Denniston Plateau
If you like a bit of industrial history and enjoy fantastic views, this is for you. Denniston Plateau was once the home of a substantial coal mining operation, but today it’s a ghost town, marked by the remaining industrial facilities. You can stand right on the edge of the Denniston Incline, which in its day was the longest gravity-driven rail system in the world.
To get there, turn off the main road at Waimangaroa and take the steep road up to the plateau, six-hundred metres above sea level.
Karamea Road
Nikau palms line sections of the road to Karamea, giving stunning views. These are some of the most southerly palms in the world and take about twenty years to form the start of the trunk, then one hundred years to grow to ten or fifteen metres.
About halfway along the road there’s a winding section that crosses over the Karamea Bluffs in front of the Radiant Range. Keep an eye out for the section where the verge is wide enough to stop and take in the view!
Lake Hanlon
Lake Hanlon is a pretty area, with the lake surrounded by forest and often still enough to give reflections. There’s also a small pier where you can stop for a rest – or jump off if you want to cool down in the water. The walk to Lake Hanlon takes about fifteen minutes each way, and there’s a sign marking the access track just before you hit the flats again.
Karamea Beach
If you’re taking two days for this trip, the best place to spend the night is Karamea. There are campsites and motels, plus a couple of restaurants, a grocery shop and a cafe.
Karamea Beach, however, is the best reason to spend some time here. According to the official New Zealand map the beach has no name, despite being ten kilometres of white sand and waves. When we visited at New Years there were few people – and luckily, even fewer sandflies.
Kohaihai
Kohaihai sits at the end of Karamea Road. There’s a campground and a nice beach (and, important to note, a modest sandfly population). Kohaihai is also one of the access points for the multi-day Heaphy Track Great Walk, which ends in Golden Bay.
For a wonderful shorter walk, take the two-hour return track to Scotts Beach. This walk has it all – a gorgeous lagoon and river mouth, a nikau forest, a hike to a high point above Scotts Beach through varied native forest, before the walk down to the beach.
Scotts Beach
The Heaphy Track is known for its beaches, with white to coloured sand fringed by native forest and nikau groves. Happily, one of these – Scotts Beach – is just an hours’ walk away from Kohaihai. You can camp at Scotts Beach overnight or extend the hike by walking to the next beach. (Note, however, that it’s occupied by a healthy and thriving sandfly population).
Ōpārara
Ōpārara is without a doubt the unmissable stop for this trip, and you should give yourself two or three hours to explore. There are short walks to the Ōpārara Arch and the Mirror Tarn. These, plus the Moira Gate loop, pass through stunning rainforest where you may spot endangered but friendly South Island robins.
The arches themselves are stunning – if you have limited time, the Moira arch is the more photogenic of the two. You can also use Ōpārara as a starting point for a day hike along the Ōpārara Valley, which links to the Fenian Track near the Fenian Caves, but you need to organise transport at each end.
To reach Ōpārara, take McCallums Mill Road. The road is narrow, winding and metal, unsuited to campervans. Check at the Karamea visitor centre before you try to take even a smaller van. You can arrange a shuttle bus.
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