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WILD & FIERCE
westland: WILDLY NATURAL, WILDLY REMOTE, FIERCELY BEAUTIFUL,
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT.
PHOTO CREDITS:
tourism New Zealand
(Punakaiki
rocks, glacier plane, ALPINE PEAKS);
home at first (driftwood beach, feeding elk, wild Tasman coast,
HOMESTEAD BEDROOM, JACKSON BAY, ALPINE FOOTHILLS).
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The
remote & rugged wild west coast:
glaciers, rain forest, lakes,
lagoons, beaches, & alps. Hiking, birding, fishing, hunting, &
shopping for Maori jade too.
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Attractions North to South in Westland:
THE BULLER GORGE:
the rugged earthquake fault
canyon entrance to Westland from Nelson
offers New Zealand's longest suspension
footbridge, jet boating, gold panning,
walking, and zip line thrill rides.
THE WILD TASMAN SEA COAST:
the cold ocean
churns into milky foam by currents and
winds: great for surfers and driftwood.
PAPAROA NATIONAL PARK & THE PANCAKE ROCKS:
northern Westland's own coastal park with
views of the strange Punakaiki (Pancake)
Rocks. |
The Tasman Sea whipped
white by strong currents
and winds attracts surfers and delivers driftwood. |
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Maori fishhook
jewelry
from Westland. |
GREENSTONE JADE JEWELRY & CRAFTS:
the wild rivers of
Westland are a great natural source for Maori greenstone
jade available in craft shops up and down the coast.
GLOW WORM FORESTS: giving the
whole family a new
reason
to take an after-dinner walk together.
THE WHITE HERONS OF OKARITO LAGOON:
eco-tours by boat or
on foot through this singular New Zealand habitat for
kotukugreat white herons.
WESTLAND NATIONAL PARKFRANZ JOSEF AND FOX GLACIERS:
two great glaciers fall from between the highest alpine
peaks west into the rain forest and almost to the Tasman
Sea. See them, fly over them, land on them, hike and
climb them (see:
FOX GLACIER). |
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THE HIGH SOUTHERN ALPS:
the great spine of the Southern
Alps separates Westland from the rest of the South
Island. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft offer scenic
flights up, over, and on to these snowcapped coastal
giants.
HAAST PASS:
the highest and most dramatic road
crossing of the Southern Alps takes Highway 6 south
from Westland to Wanaka, Central Otago, and
Queenstown.
JACKSON BAY: the coast road
ends at this lonely outpost
of far South Westland on a grand natural harbor
backed by the peaks of Mt. Aspiring National Park.
Activities in Westland:
Hiking, mountaineering,
fishing, hunting, shopping for crafts, bird watching, gold panning.
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Guided hikers explore
Fox Glacier
after being dropped off by helicopter.
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Lodgings: Top quality bed
and breakfast lodgings, like Westland Lodge and
West Coast Homestead,
ideally located for sightseeing, fishing, hunting, hiking, birding, glacier flights, and
other authentic Westland activities.
Located
about mid-way in the Westland region,
Home At First's Westland Lodge makes an ideal
intermediate stop between the Nelson and
Queenstown regions. More importantly, its
central location permits seeing all of the
principal attractions of Westland. |
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Getting to/from Westland:
Home At First guests will arrive in Westland by rental car,
normally coming south from Nelson or north from
Queenstown, a 6-8 hour drive from either of these points.
Getting around Westland: Use of a rental
car is essential here. The primary road,
Route 6,
parallels the Tasman Sea coast and the Southern Alps, is very scenic, and usually lightly
traveled.
The torturous Haast
Pass, which snakes
steeply up this canyon to cross the
Southern Alps well above tree line, is a
challenging road in the best of weather. |
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HOME AT FIRST IS
A DESIGNATED "KIWI SPECIALIST"
TOUR OPERATOR BY THE NEW ZEALAND TOURISM
BOARD.
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