Driving from Karamea to Oparara | West Coast | New Zealand | 4K

Categories: West Coast Region

Tags: driving, karamea, new zealand, oparara, west coast

Added: 2 years ago

Driving from Karamea to Oparara, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Karamea is a coastal town about a 100km drive north of Westport. It is the northernmost settlement of reasonable size on the West Coast. The town is secluded, being located between the mountains and the sea. As such, it offers excellent tramping, fishing, kayaking, and caving. The Karamea area is on the border of Kahurangi National Park. It is a natural wonderland with opportunities for hiking, caving, birdwatching, mountain biking, fishing and hunting, kayaking, and rafting. Karamea has many short walks nearby, including the Scotts Beach Walk and the Nikau Walk with each highlighting Karamea's natural bush and coastal features.

The Heaphy Track is excellent for families or those new to tramping. It starts or finishes at Kohaihai, 16km north of Karamea. From May through September, the Heaphy is also open to mountain biking. Other trails, including the Wangapeka and Karamea-Leslie Tracks, are popular too. There are guided walks and kayaking into the Oparara Arch and Cave and the Honeycomb Hill Caves from Karamea. When you visit, you feel like you have entered another world – it is beauty born of a million years of isolation.