The wild West Coast

We predict that interest in the South Island’s wild West Coast, and in particular Hokitika, is going to be pretty high right about now, with New Zealand author Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker prize-winning novel The Luminaries now adapted for television. It sure does sell the area’s rugged, untouched beauty. The West Coast Gold Rush in the 1860s has created some fascinating history here. One of the most interesting places to immerse yourself in it is the small town of Reefton. Here you can visit a replica miner’s hut run by the Bearded Mining Company, where you can learn how a miner lived in the 19th century while you sit by the fire to enjoy a cup of billy tea. Some say there’s a supposedly haunted pub here too and there are also some interesting living characters in these parts. Speaking of spirits, don’t miss a tour of the Reefton Distilling Co., and if you’re lucky you might get to meet its ambassadors, Reefton born-and-raised identical 70-year-old twins, Steffan and Nigel MacKay, who know everything there is to know about the area.

While on the West Coast, don’t bypass Punakaiki, north of Greymouth, where some natural phenomena will blow your mind. At Dolomite Point you’ll witness a heavily eroded limestone area, the foundations of which were formed 30 million years ago. Today they look like stacked pancakes, hence their name Pancake Rocks. At high tide, watch as water shoots through the vertical blowholes and mind you don’t get sprayed. If you’re lucky you might also spot some Hector’s dolphins playing close to shore.