Westport Overview

A 19th-century gold-rush town, the original Westport washed away in a flood in 1872. Gold fever subsided, but the town soon made a comeback of sorts thanks to the coal mining, shipping, and fishing industries. Today, Westport (pop. 6000) attracts those who wish to challenge—either by kayak or by raft—the rough, tempestuous Buller River as well as nature buffs looking to explore the impressive network of caves in the area.

InterCity (☎379 9020; www.intercity.co.nz) heads daily from Craddock’s Energy Center/Caltex Garage, 197 Palmerston St., to Fox Glacier (7hr., 11am, $52) via Punakaiki (1hr., $17), Greymouth (2hr., $22), and Franz Josef Glacier (6hr., $49), as well as to Nelson (3hr., 3:55pm, $39) via Murchison (1hr., $30). Atomic Shuttles (☎349 0697 or 0508 108 359) departs daily to Fox Glacier (6hr., 2pm, $52) and Franz Josef Glacier (5hr., $49) via Greymouth (2hr., $20) and Hokitika (3hr., $25) as well as to Picton (6hr., 1:30pm, $55) via Murchison (1hr., $25) and Nelson (3hr., $40). Southern Link K-Bus (☎0508 458 835) buses south to Punakaiki (50min., daily 6:50pm, $18) and Greymouth (1hr., $26) and northeast to Murchison (1hr., 10:30am, $26), Nelson (4hr., $41) and Picton (6hr., $56). East West (☎789 6251 or 0800 142 622) runs daily from Craddock’s to Christchurch (4hr., 8am, $56). Karamea Express (☎782 6757) departs from the visitors center and runs to Karamea (1hr.; Oct.-Apr. M-Sa 11:30am; May-Sept. M-F; $27). Cunningham’s Motors, 179 Palmerston St. (☎789 7177), heads to Karamea (2hr., M-F 3pm, $18), stopping to drop off mail at various points along the way. Westport Shuttles makes trips on demand to area attractions. (☎789 2162 or 027 589 8962. Seal colony $25; Denniston $55; both and Karamea’s Nikau Walk $85.) For a lift into town, call Buller Taxis (☎789 6900). Though Let’s Go urges you to consider the risks, hitchhikers report success catching rides to Christchurch, Nelson, and Punakaiki outside of town, just over the bridge on the Buller River.

Orientation And Practical Information

The Buller River marks Westport’s western border. The main drag is Palmerston Street (SH6), which intersects Brougham Street (SH67) near the center of town. SH6 runs south down the west coast and northeast to Murchison, while SH67 goes north to Karamea. The Westport Visitor Information Centre, 1 Brougham St., provides free maps. (☎789 6658; www.westport.org.nz. Internet $2 per 20min. Open daily 9am-5pm; in winter 9am-4pm.) Other services include: BNZ, Palmerston near Brougham St., with a 24hr. ATM (open M-F 9am-4:30pm); the police (☎788 8310), on Wakefield St. close to the intersection with Palmerston St.; Buller Pharmacy, 160-162 Palmerston St. (☎789 7629, urgent ☎789 6032; open M-F 8:30am-5pm, Sa 9:30am-12:30pm, Su noon-12:15pm); Buller Medical Centre, 45 Derby St. (☎788 8230; open M-F 8:30am-5pm, Sa-Su 10-11am and 5-6pm); Internet access at Dirty Mary’s (see below; $5 per hr.); the post office, at Palmerston and Brougham St. (☎788 8193. Poste Restante. Open M-F 8:30am-5pm, Sa 10am-12:30pm.)

Accommodations

The most interesting places to stay in Westport are actually outside of town. Solar-powered  Beaconstone , a carefully crafted eco-lodge set on 52 hectares of bush, has a private swimming hole in the Big Totara River. (☎027 431 0491; www.beaconstone.co.nz. 11km south of the turn-off to Westport off SH6 on a gravel road. Towels $1. Dorms $25; twins and doubles $56-61. $3 BBH discount. Closed June-Sept. MC/V.) A steep walk uphill,  The Old Slaughterhouse , 34km north of Westport in the small seaside town of Hector, is well worth the hike. The owner built the lodge himself using natural timber, and the deck overlooks some of the best sunsets in New Zealand. (☎782 8333; www.oldslaughterhouse.co.nz. No Internet or TV, but excellent music and book selection. Dorms $25-28. Doubles $64. $3 BBH discount. MC/V.) TripInn , 72 Queen St., off Brougham St., is a lovely Victorian house with good facilities. (☎789 7367; tripinn@clear.net.nz. Reception 8:30am-9pm. Dorms $23-24. Twins $54. Tent sites $14. $3 BBH discount. MC/V.) A favorite with party-crazed Kiwi Experience backpackers, Bazil’s Hostel (YHA) , 54-56 Russell St., is a large but personable hostel with a toasty lounge. With your back to the visitors center, veer left, then turn left on Russell St. (☎789 6410; www.bazils.com. Bike rental $5 per day. Key deposit $10. Reception 7:30am-9pm. Dorms $24; twins and doubles $60. Self-contained units $80. Tent sites $10; campervan $10 per person. $2-3 YHA discount. MC/V.) Westport Holiday Park , 37 Domett St., 1km up Brougham St., offers well-maintained cabins and family-friendly activities such as mini golf. Cook dinner on the covered barbeque deck after a go on the swing set. (☎789 7043; www.westportholidaypark.co.nz. Mini golf $6, kids $4. Dorms $23; basic cabins $55, with bath $65, with bath and kitchen from $90. Tent and powered sites from $24. MC/V.)

Food

Honeyman’s , on Palmerston St., is a large chillout space with friendly waitstaff and backpacker specials on pizza and beer. (☎789 7928; Pizzas sm. from $14. Open in summer Tu-Sa 8am-4pm and 6pm-late, Su-M 8am-4pm; in winter Su-Th 8am-4pm, F-Sa 8am-4pm and 6pm-late.) Grab a meal or a pint ($5) at the Denniston Dog , 18 Wakefield St. (☎789 5030. Daily pasta and fish specials $18 and $26. Quiz night W $2 per person. Internet $2.50 per 20min. Open daily 11am-late.) Alternatively, hit up New World, 244 Palmerston St., for groceries. (Open daily 8am-8:30pm.)

Sights And Outdoor Activities

The famed West Coast limestone cave formations are a regional highlight.  Norwest Adventures offers an inimitable “Underworld Rafting” adventure that enters the Metro Cave system by foot and floats out in total darkness beneath a canopy of one of the world’s largest glowworm colonies. Those who want to stay dry can opt for the cave tour. (☎788 8168 or 0800 116 686; www.caverafting.com. Rafting $135, cave walk $80. Extreme tour with 50m abseil from $270 for 5hr.) Buller Adventure Tours (☎789 7286 or 0800 697 286; www.adventuretours.co.nz) works out of Westport and runs every imaginable tour, including white water rafting in Murchison, horse trekking (2hr.; $65), quad biking (1hr.; $105) and jetboating (1hr.; $75). Xtreme Adventures Limited caters to speed freaks with jetskiing tours along the rocky coast and up rapids. (☎0800 526 405; www.xtremeadventures.co.nz. 1-3hr. From $110.)

The Westport area also harbors several beaches with pounding surf that often have more dolphins than visitors; Carters Beach, 6km from town, extends from Cape Foulwind to the mouth of the Buller River, while North Beach, 4km from town, stretches along Craddock Dr. to the north end of the Buller. Just 16km out of town,  Tauranga Bay is famous for some of the best surfing in New Zealand. If you need gear, call Mark “the Piranha” Perana at West Coast Surfing. They also offer instruction for all levels. (☎0800 927 873; www.wcsurf.co.nz. Board and wetsuit $30 for 2hr., $70 per day. Lessons from $65.) Also in Tauranga Bay is a large fur seal colony, a 5-10min. walk from a well-marked parking lot in the northern part of Tauranga Bay. Alternatively, visitors can continue on the path and view the colony from above as well as the lighthouse via the Cape Foulwind Walk (3hr. round-trip).

Large industrial machinery, dimly lit mine shafts, and figurines carved from anthracite fill Coaltown, Westport’s regional museum, south on Queen St. across the railway tracks. (☎789 8204; coaltown@xtra.co.nz. Open daily 9am-4:30pm; longer hours in summer. $8, students $6, children $4.) For those who can’t get enough of history and coal, Denniston, an abandoned coal-mining town that hit its heyday in the early 1900s, is a popular destination. A great way to see the town is via the 1hr. Coalbrookdale Walk (20min. drive from Westport). After exploring the coal history, drink like a miner at the Miner’s Brewery, 10 Lyndhurst St., which has free tastings of five different beers, including one certified organic brew. (☎789 6201; absalom@xtra.co.nz. Open M-F 10am-5:30pm, Sa 11am-5:30pm.)