The West Coast & Glaciers: The Complete Guide

The West Coast is the South Island at its wildest: a long, narrow strip of rugged coastline and rainforest squeezed between the Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps, where just 33,000 people share the space with fur seals, rare kiwi and two of the most accessible glaciers on earth.

This is the stretch of the trip where the scenery does the talking. Here's everything worth stopping for, from the seal colonies of Cape Foulwind to the ice caves of Franz Josef and the skydive over Fox.

The West Coast at a glance

The Coast boomed in the gold and coal rushes of the 1860s, and the towns of Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika still carry that frontier character. Today it's an outdoorsy paradise and adrenaline hub: surfing, horse trekking, jet boating, caving, white water rafting and kayaking, threaded together by the Great Coast Road, the 100km stretch between Westport and Greymouth that Lonely Planet named one of the world's top 10 coastal drives.

Two practical notes: mobile coverage is patchy across much of the region (consider it a feature), and the local delicacy is the whitebait fritter, best eaten where the country's biggest whitebait catch comes in.

Westport and Cape Foulwind

Cape Foulwind Walkway

A wild headland walk past a lighthouse to a colony of up to 100 New Zealand fur seals, visible all year round, with panoramic views of the mountains and coast. Choose the quick version (15 minutes, 500 metres from Tauranga Bay car park to the seal viewing platforms) or the full 3.4km walkway around the cape. Stray stops here for around 30 minutes on the run between Abel Tasman and Westport.

• Where: Tauranga Bay car park, Westport
• Cost: free

West Coast Brewery Tour

Two hours inside a working West Coast brewery: the fundamentals of brewing, the full production process and the science at every stage, finished properly with beer tastings and a BBQ lunch.

• Where: 10 Lyndhurst Street, Westport
• Price: $35 per person

Stay: TripInn Hostel (YHA Westport)

Stray's preferred stop in Westport: a historic 1860s gentlemen's residence with beautiful woodwork and intricate pressed tin ceilings, close to the main street's shops and evening entertainment. Gardens, a new kitchen, laundry and internet, with doubles, twins and dorms.

• Where: 72 Queen Street, Westport
• Price: from $30 a night. Book with your driver to get the Stray rate

Punakaiki: Pancake Rocks and Blowholes

Thirty million years in the making: the sea bed rose above the waves in ancient earthquakes, then sea, rain and wind eroded the limestone into towering stacks that look exactly like piles of pancakes. Come at high tide, when ocean swells surge through the caverns beneath and erupt skyward through the blowholes.

The walk is an easy 1.1km paved loop (about 20 minutes) through native coastal vegetation, starting opposite the visitor centre on the edge of Paparoa National Park, with viewpoints over the blowholes and surge pools. Stay on the paths: the rocks are as fragile as they are dangerous. And yes, the cafe across the road serves pancakes.

• Where: Dolomite Point, Punakaiki, State Highway 6
• Cost: free

Greymouth: waterfalls and whitebait

Coal Creek Walk

An hour's walk down through the Coal Creek valley to Coal Creek Falls, where the pool below the falls is made for a refreshing post-hike dip. Return by the same track.

• Where: starts at the car park at the end of Ballance Street, Greymouth
• Cost: free

Greymouth is also home to Monteith's Brewing Company, the Coast's most famous beer name, and a good place to hunt down a whitebait fritter. An hour south, Hokitika is New Zealand's pounamu (greenstone) capital and hosts the gloriously weird Wild Foods Festival every March.

Franz Josef: glacier country

Franz Josef is a tiny rainforest town (population 450) with an outsized attraction: a 12-kilometre glacier that is one of the fastest moving in the world, grinding down its valley almost to the edge of the bush. In Māori legend the ice is Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere, the frozen tears of the maiden Hinehukatere, mourning her lover Tane after he fell from the peaks.

Every Stray South Island trip stops here, and the overnight is a highlight: adventure all day, then hot pools and a big night knowing someone else is driving tomorrow.

Walk on the ice: Franz Josef Glacier Guides

The world-renowned glacier experience. The Glacier Heli Hike pairs a scenic helicopter flight with around three hours of guided walking among the ice caves, crevasses and tunnels of the glacier's upper reaches, with routes tailored to your group and the day's conditions. All technical gear is provided (crampons, boots, jackets, trousers, hats and gloves), and every booking includes free entry to the Glacier Hot Pools afterwards, three pools of varying temperatures tucked into native bush. Ice climbing and overnight glacier trips are there for the ambitious, and the ground-level Glacier Valley Walk covers the approach to the terminal face.

• Where: Glacier Base, 63 Cron Street, Franz Josef
• Bring: warm layers (wool or polypro), quick-dry trousers, food, water, sunglasses, sunscreen and a camera
• Good to know: book in your Seymour app for a discounted price

The Helicopter Line

The pure scenic-flight option: soar over both Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers and take in Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak. Flights run from the 20-minute Alpine Vista through the 30-minute Twin Glacier, 35-minute Alpine Explorer and 40-minute Mountain Scenic Spectacular up to the 50-minute Mount Cook and the Glaciers.

• Where: Main Road, Franz Josef
• Good to know: book in your Seymour app for a discounted price

Franz Josef Wilderness Tours

Paddle across the glassy, glacier-carved waters of Lake Mapourika, reflecting the towering peaks of the Southern Alps, and explore New Zealand's rarest kiwi habitat.

• Explorer Kayak Classic (3 hours): Slip through a narrow, primeval rainforest creek into the protected Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary.
• Kayak & Walk (4 hours): Add a scenic rainforest walking leg among 900-year-old native kahikatea and rimu trees, with refreshments included.
• Scenic Cruise & Cruise & Walk: Enjoy a comfortable covered boat cruise across the lake with optional guided walks.
• How to book: Check live morning and afternoon sessions and book on request via the Seymour app.

Free walks around the glacier

• Glacier View Point Walk: the classic 45-minute return track to the terminal face viewpoint
• Sentinel Rock: a short, steady 900-metre climb to big views of the glacier, valley and Waiho River, with panels explaining the glacier's history
• Peters Pool: an easy 1.2km track to a small kettle lake where, on a calm day, the glacier valley and mountains reflect perfectly in the water
• Callery Gorge Walk: 5.2km (1 to 1.5 hours) from the end of Cowan Street through native rainforest along the Tatare Tunnels Track, past gold-mining relics and a historic water race to the Callery Gorge bridge

A shuttle runs from the village to the glacier valley car park for the first three; the alternative is a 5km walk each way.

Franz Josef Wildlife Centre

Kiwi, Tuatara & Penguin Encounter Don't miss the chance to meet New Zealand's rarest native treasures. The Franz Josef Wildlife Centre is the largest kiwi captive rearing facility on the South Island and a critical partner in protecting the rowi kiwi from extinction.

Kiwi & Tuatara Encounter: Grab a 48-hour pass to explore the indoor walk-through nocturnal house, see live kiwi foraging, meet prehistoric tuatara, and watch live penguin feeding sessions daily at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

VIP Backstage Pass: Go behind the scenes with a specialist kiwi ranger to tour the incubation and chick-rearing rooms to see real conservation in action.

How to book: Grab your general pass or book the exclusive VIP Backstage tour directly in the Seymour app.

More in the village

Soak at the Glacier Hot Pools or catch a film at the Alpine Cinema on a rainy day. Come evening, the Monsoon Bar at the Rainforest Retreat brings the party vibe, the Landing Bar covers drinks and dinner on the main street, and Picnics Bakery is the local secret for pastries and Nutella doughnuts.

Fox Glacier

Half an hour south of Franz Josef, Fox Glacier is the quieter sibling: 13 kilometres long, 300 metres deep and just 5km from its village, which sits among rainforest-clad foothills with views to Aoraki Mount Cook and Mt Tasman. It's named after William Fox, an early New Zealand Prime Minister.

Skydive Fox Glacier

One of the most beautiful drop zones in the world: jump from 9,000ft, 13,000ft or a huge 16,500ft over national parks, subtropical rainforest, the Southern Alps' biggest glaciers and snowfields, and New Zealand's two highest mountains, with the Tasman Sea glittering on the other side.

• Where: 1 Cook Flat Road, Fox Glacier
• Good to know: This skydive is not booked through the app. You can coordinate your booking and weather slot directly with your Stray Guide/Driver on the bus.

Getting there with Stray

The West Coast is a signature stretch of Stray's South Island routes: the coast road from Abel Tasman down through Westport, Punakaiki and Greymouth to glacier country, with the stops timed for the seals, the blowholes and a proper night in Franz Josef. Your driver books the heli hikes, flights, kayaks and skydives as you go, with Seymour app discounts on most of the above.

FAQs

Can you walk on Franz Josef Glacier?

Yes, but only by guided heli hike: a helicopter lifts you to the glacier's upper reaches, where guides lead around three hours of walking among ice caves and crevasses, with all technical gear provided.

Are the Pancake Rocks free to visit?

Yes. The 1.1km loop walk at Dolomite Point, Punakaiki is free and takes about 20 minutes. Visit at high tide to see the blowholes at full power.

What is the best time to see the Punakaiki blowholes?

High tide, when ocean swells force water through the underground caverns and out of the blowholes. Rough seas make the show even bigger.

Franz Josef or Fox Glacier: which should you visit?

Franz Josef is the livelier base, with heli hikes, hot pools, kayaking and nightlife; Fox is quieter, with a 13km glacier and one of the world's most scenic skydives. Stray's South Island trips take in the region so you can experience both.

Where can you see kiwi on the West Coast?

The West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef houses live kiwi and runs conservation programmes, and Glacier Country Kayaks paddles into the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary on Lake Mapourika, home of New Zealand's rarest kiwi, the rowi.

What is whitebait?

Tiny juvenile fish netted in West Coast rivers and fried into the region's famous fritters. The Coast lands the largest concentration in New Zealand, and the fritter is the local dish to try.