Upper South Island and the West Coast Features

Upper South Island and the West Coast Features

• Top Reasons to Go to Upper South Island and the West Coast
  

  Mountains and Glaciers: The South Island is piled high with mountains that divide the island lengthwise. You can walk or ski them, or catch a... Read more

• Abel Tasman National Park
  

  Golden sand, sheltered bays, and granite headlands are washed by clear blue water and fast-moving tides; rocky inshore islands provide habitat... Read more

• Kahurangi National Park
  

  Kahurangi is a vast wilderness area of deep river valleys, thick beech forest, and high marble mountains. Helicopters are dwarfed by house-sized... Read more

• Nelson Lakes National Park
  

  Snow-covered peaks and high alpine passes loom over two deep brooding lakes. Dense native forest, swampy wetlands, and tumbling rivers line the... Read more

• Paparoa National Park
  

  Towering granite cliffs and stacks of pancake rocks, dark tannin-stained rivers edged by virgin kahikatea forest, karst landscapes riddled with... Read more

• Westland National Park
  

  Gigantic blocks of ice tumbling off the glacier face; ice fields higher up the glacier, their blue ice sparkling in the sunlight; rugged peaks... Read more

• French Pass and D'Urville Island
  

  They're not easy to get to, but if you have an adventurous spirit and don't mind a rough road, French Pass and D'Urville Island are two of the... Read more

• Farewell Spit
  

  A 35-km (22-mi) protected sandbar with a 19th-century lighthouse, Farewell Spit is renowned for its tremendous seabird population.... Read more

• Okarito Town
  

  Back in 1866 Okarito was a thriving town of more than 1,200 people, with three theaters and 25 hotels. People came for the gold and for many... Read more