We drove into Westport, a town on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. At this point we weren’t sure whether to head further south to visit Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki, or to head north towards Karamea to explore one of the less visited areas in New Zealand. We visited the local I-Site (Tourist Information Center) and after a quick consultation we decided to drive north. If you are in New Zealand and in need of any local information or advice, I highly recommend visiting the I-Sites for friendly, local help.
After a windy hour and a half drive along the beautiful coast, we arrived in Karamea to explore 30+ million year old limestone arches. We made a nice loop out of the hike and spent a few hours exploring the forest and caves around Moria Gate Arch and Oparara Arch.
Following our hike, we returned to Westport in search of another campground. While looking for a suitable sleeping spot, we found a hike to the lighthouse on Cape Foulwind and noticed that a few kilometers away there was a fur seal colony. We quickly made our way toward the colony and enjoyed watching seals of all ages (including adorable littlle babies) jump around on the rocks and swim in the sea while waves crashed upon the rocks and the sunset filled the cloudy sky with color.
After an early start driving back to Nelson, we stopped for a hike at The Buller Gorge Swingbridge Adventure and Heritage Park. This is home to the longest swingbridge in New Zealand, and they offer a variety of activities including ziplining, jet boating in the river, and panning for gold. We opted for the inexpensive option of just paying to cross the bridge and enjoy the use of their trails for a couple hours.
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