Westport

The port town of Westport is the largest centre of the Northern West Coast and the perfect starting point for exploring the region's heritage and scenery.

Westport has a great range of places to stay, from luxury accommodation for a romantic weekend getaway to motels, home stays, backpacker hostels and camp grounds for those looking for budget accommodation. Wherever you stay, you will find the locals willing to point out the best places to shop and eat. You have plenty of choices when it comes to sampling the local fare, including a number of cafés, restaurants and eateries, offering a quick bite to award-winning cuisine. There is also a Guided Heritage Walk around Westport.

Westport is steeped in history; a visit to Coaltown Museum will help you imagine life as it was for New Zealand's pioneering coal miners as you walk through a simulated underground coal mine. Nature lovers can visit the Cape Foulwind Seal Colony, and the nearby coastal walkway offers views of the magnificent West Coast sunsets.

Charleston

Just twenty minutes south of Westport lies the historic gold mining township of Charleston where you can explore the gold-workings. Relax and take in nature's wonders from the Nile River Rainforest Train. Charleston is also famous for its Glow Worm Cave Tour. The galaxies of glow worms and incredible stalactites and stalagmites formations in one of New Zealand's largest caves will astound you.

Denniston

Just 15 minutes from downtown Westport is the village of Waimangaroa - the gateway to the historic settlement of Denniston, located 600metres above sea level with sweeping vistas of Westport and the surrounding landscape.

Denniston was established in the 1800s by coal miners working on the Burnett's Face, Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale mines. Originally, the only access up 'the Hill' was the steep Bridle Path, or a heart-stopping ride in a coal wagon up the Incline. It's arduous and often treacherous access meant that many of the early settlers came down from 'The Hill' as they called it only once a year - some, particularly women, not for a decade or more. Today, shingle roads linking the original settlements provide vehicle access across the plateau. The remnant relics, mine sites, rope roads and townships remain as an evocative reminder of one of the harshest and most unforgiving environments in which to live. The plunge from the head of the incline is a view not to be missed.

As well as its incredible history, Denniston offers a wide range of walking tracks from a few minutes to a full day.

For those looking to pit their skill and endurance against the remarkable terrain, the Department of Conservation and local recreation groups have developed a number of mountain biking and four-wheel driving tracks.

Granity, Ngakawau and Hector

The NorthWest Buller seaside villages of Granity, Ngakawau and Hector are a charming mix of early mining cottages, artists' studios and holiday homes, and are but a short 20 minute drive up the coast on State Highway 67 which runs from Westport through to Karamea and the entrance to the mighty Heaphy tramping track. With the Tasman Sea thundering in on your left and the unforgettable crags of the forested high plateau rising to 3,000 feet on your right - the site of the high altitude mining towns of Denniston and Millerton - this is an unforgettable journey.

Granity houses the Northern Buller Museum built around the old (restored) coke ovens - with quaint local collections and information on Denniston, Millerton and the rugged early life of miners on the coast. Here you can browse the many craft, sculpture and art galleries.

Ngakawau is only four minutes on from Granity. On the way you'll see the road to Millerton, a quirky high altitude present day mining village with a colourful past, offering wonderful short walks.

To the north are the pristine rainforests along the Charming Creek Walkway where you will be accompanied by a myriad of native birds as you follow the Ngakawau Gorge.

From Ngakawau you can take the Charming Creek Walkway, one of the South Island's Top Five Short Walks. Also in Ngakawau you will find the world class Hector Pottery, the Stockton Mine Aerial Ropeway, excellent river and sea fishing, and beaches equally popular among surfers and beachcombers.

Hector lies across the bridge, and is named after James Hector, a pioneer explorer, geologist, and natural scientist who founded many of New Zealand's scientific organisations and discovered the Hector's Dolphin. Enjoy the Hector's Dolphin sculpture picnic area and stone barbecue at the mouth of the Ngakawau River - and watch out for these small and endangered dolphins which often play just beyond the breakers. In the summer you can take the kids to the local swimming pool, or have lunch at the outdoor café on the beach.