A walk on the wild side
From roaring waterfalls to stunning coastal walks, this is a step back into a Jurassic New Zealand. Fact file
We’re in a tunnel – a roaring waterfall on one side – and a snaking path disappearing into thick native bush on the other. A few metres down the track, we find a swing bridge with native birds fluttering nearby, their melodic chorus competing with the rapids below.
It feels like we’ve reached a slice of New Zealand so untouched, so pure, it should have taken days of backbreaking high-country trekking to get here. But this is an easy one-hour walk from the carpark, part of DOC’s new series of Short Walks.
If this is anything to go by, these trails are going to give the infamous Great Walks, like the Milford track, a run for their money.
Our journey from Wellington started with one of the most stunning flights in New Zealand. The Sounds Air hops across the Cook Strait and takes a low path over the Marlborough Sounds, an iconic maze of ancient rivers and valleys that’s long been covered by the sea.
Every minute or so the shades of green grow darker as the wild Kahurangi National Park approaches.
Wedged between the Southern Alps and the tempestuous Tasman Sea is our destination: Westport.
Our three-day adventure started at Charming Creek, half-an-hour north of Westport and one of the latest trails to become an official Short Walk.
The gradual track follows an old rail link through thick forest along the side of a gorge and ends in spectacular fashion: overlooking the thundering Mangatini Falls, which casts a huge plume of vapour across the valley.
By afternoon, we were on to our second walk – along Cape Foulwind. This stunning section of coastline was named by Captain Cook, after his ship was blown off course by the howling wind. The track snakes along sheer granite cliffs, past a historic lighthouse, and pops out at a large seal colony, where you can watch dozens of pups and their parents laze on the warm rocks.
We ended the day in the neighbouring bay learning to surf in the shadow of the Southern Alps. Half a dozen locals were already out in the waves enjoying the last kiss of sunlight, while the beginners were closer to shore. There wasn’t any wind and the water was surprisingly warm – the West Coast was revealing her charm.
The next day we headed into the veins of the Alps: down a 1.6-kilometre cave. Underworld’s rafting trip starts with a rainforest train journey, before a short walk up to the cave entrance. Then its down the ‘‘throat’’ of the cave, complete with impressive underground formations.
The best is left for last: floating underground in a tyre tube, staring up at a galaxy of glow worms.
If you want a glimpse into ancient life, there is no better stop than the famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki; its formation dates back 30-million years. A dramatic – at times fort-like walk – has been built around a maze of rocks stacked precariously
like pancakes, with surging blowholes popping up in between.
The most poignant moment came on our last day, visiting Cave Creek, the scene of the 1995 accident where a viewing platform collapsed, resulting in 14 deaths.
After a 30-minute car ride inland from Punakaiki, it’s a short 40-minute walk to the end of the track. There, down a steep gorge, we find a creek lined with towering boulders and overhanging trees. It’s a scene of great beauty and sadness.
Our fleeting trip to the West Coast ended fittingly on the TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch through some of the country’s most spectacular scenery.
I always thought discovering this part of the world meant weeks of trekking into the wilderness but it’s actually possible in stunning little bitesized trips that are surprisingly addictive – and just as rewarding.
The author was hosted by the Department of Conservation.
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More information
❚ DOC’s new series of Short Walks: doc.govt.nz/shortwalks
❚ Westport’s new lost lagoon walk is also well worth the stop: westport.nz/ walking
❚ Underworld runs a four-hour underground glow worm trip: caverafting.com Last year Brook Sabin and his partner Radha Engling quit their jobs and sold everything to travel. Each week Kiwis in Flight takes you on their adventures. See