Driving Wharf Street in Karamea | West Coast | New Zealand | 4K

Categories: West Coast Region

Tags: driving, karamea, new zealand, west coast, wharf street

Added: 2 years ago

Driving Wharf Street in Karamea, 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.

The West Coast Region in New Zealand is a strip of land between the South Island's Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea. The region is wild and sparsely populated, with some of the most beautiful landscapes in New Zealand. You will find soaring mountain peaks, impressive glaciers, tranquil lakes, raging rivers, and lush rainforests here. In addition, the West Coast has a very scenic 600km coastline.

The West Coast has the largest protected land area of all New Zealand regions. The region provides access to five of New Zealand's 13 national parks. The south of the West Coast region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in light of its distinctiveness and in recognition of its unique place in the world.

The Coast's reputation for hospitality is legendary. "Coasters" display genuine friendliness and strength of character as unique as their surroundings.

In the townships of Westport, Greymouth, and Hokitika, you can learn about the West Coast's colourful past and shop for pounamu (greenstone or jade). Pounamu is the local treasure whose only significant source within New Zealand is from the West Coast's raging mountain rivers.

The West Coast region has many excellent short scenic walks, hiking opportunities, and adventure pursuits for all ages and levels of ability. Anglers will find they are in paradise anywhere on the Coast.

Try rafting an underground stream through a weird world of stalactites, stalagmites, and glowworms. A wild, ruggedly beautiful coastline between Westport and Greymouth features the matchless Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and blowholes.

On the Okarito Lagoon's shores Near Whataroa, New Zealand's only nesting colony of the white heron (kotuku) is found. Boat trips on this primeval swamp reveal these elegant birds in their natural glory.

Graded glacier trips at both Fox and Franz Josef accommodate every level of fitness and experience. There are scenic flights and helicopter excursions for those who wish to view the glaciers from the air.

There are many relics of the gold rush days of the 1860s. Different walks explore the historical workings. You can try gold panning at the Shantytown museum, a replica goldfield town of the last century near Greymouth.