Westport

One of New Zealand's oldest ports, Westport sits at the mouth of the mighty Buller River. Once a boomtown for two separate gold rushes, it's now a quiet little hub (population 3,100) for the local farming and coal industries, plus the rapidly expanding adventure tourism niche. It's a quiet place to stop over before heading south toward Punakaiki and the glaciers or north to Karamea and the Heaphy Track; the best of Westport is out of town, either on the coast or up the rivers. The iconic Westport look is breaking white-capped waves, blue sea, seals, rocky outcrops, and acres of flax and wetlands. Stop by the little Coaltown Museum on Queen Street to learn about the port's history and check out an extensive mineral collection. Another museum at Denniston, 18 km (11 mi) north of town up a steep mountain range, details life in this lonely outpost from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Carving a living from the rich seams of coal found in the surrounding tussock-covered hills, the settlers had to struggle with wild weather, isolation, and primitive conditions. A popular historical novel about these pioneers, The Denniston Rose, by New Zealand writer Jenny Pattrick, details the area and the early lifestyle.

The Westport Visitor Centre can provide information on Karamea and Kahurangi National Park.