Westport
Westport is a town in the Buller district on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Understand
Get in
By road
Westport is at the mouth of the Buller River. It is about 5 km up State Highway 67 from the junction with State Highway 6.
When travelling from Nelson or Christchurch, take State Highway 6 from Inangahua Junction via the Buller Gorge to the junction with State Highway 67. Allow at least an hour for travelling the gorge. The road through the Buller Gorge is single lane in several places and frequently traveled by buses and trucks. Take care, be patient, and enjoy the scenery.
When travelling from Greymouth, take State Highway 6 along the coast via Punakaiki to the junction with State Highway 67. Allow 1.5 hours driving, plus set aside an hour to see the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.
By plane
- 1 Westport Airport (WSZ IATA). Sounds Air has one to three flights a day Su–F from Wellington. Adult $199, child $179.
By bus
Intercity have a daily coach from Nelson via Murchison, arriving in the morning and going onwards to Fox Glacier. There is also a daily service from Fox Glacier, via Franz Josef, Hokitika, Greymouth (connecting with the train from Christchurch) and Punakaiki.
East West Coaches run shuttle buses from Christchurch via the Lewis Pass, or via Arthur's Pass and Greymouth. The bus stops at the Caltex Gas station, 197 Palmerston Street.
Get around
Buller Taxis is the only taxi operator.
See
- 1 Coaltown Museum, 123 Palmerston St. $10.
- There are three galleries in Westport town, two retail galleries on the main street, Palm St Gallery and Honeycomb and also InterSpace Gallery, an exhibition space in an historic hotel which is one block from the main street www.arthotel.co.nz.
- Granity is 26 km north of Westport and has Torea Gallery, Granity museum and op-shop and scenic beaches you could spend hours at.
Do
- Cape Foulwind Hike starts just a few km from town and follows the coast to the seal colony. It's a nice hike and if you're lucky the fog will be rolling in, the wind will be blowing and the surf pounding and you will see why Captain James Cook named the area Cape Foulwind. The hike will take less than an hour and is well worth the time and the minimal effort.
Buy
Eat
- 1 New World Supermarket, 244 Palmerston Street. daily 8:00AM - 8:30PM.
Drink
- 1 West Coast Brewery, 10 Lyndhurst Street. book a tour in advance. Brews craft beers, including Green fern organic lager. tours $30.
Sleep
- 1 Westport YHA, 72 Queen Street, ☏ +64 3 789 7367. 85 bed hostel in a protected building built in the 1860s. beds from $27 - ensuite doubles $99.
Connect
Internet access is available, including WiFi, at the Public Library in town, during Library hours.
Go next
- The Truman Track is south along the coast from Westport and is a 15 minute hike to the coast with excellent breakers and a pebble beach.
- Pancake Rocks & Blowholes further south at Punakaiki, Paparoa National Park. Exceptionally interesting rock formations viewed from a paved trail.
- Karamea - About 1.5 hours (90 km) drive to the north on State Highway 67, and the start (or finish) of the Heaphy Track. (There is no exit road from Karamea other than State Highway 67, so make it a day trip, at least.)
- Greymouth - the next sizeable town to the south
- Reefton – inland to the south-east