West Coast

The Westcoast stretches 600 kilometres along the western edge of the South Island. The West Coast is a rugged land of wild, pebbled and rocky beaches and bush-clad hills sweeping up to towering icy peaks. The Westcoast is a region of contrasting features such as high snow-capped mountains, towering, lush rainforests, lowland river valleys, magnificent coastlines, bizarre limestone landscapes, grinding glaciers, surging rivers and brooding lakes.

The West Coast is a wild and sparsely populated region with a population of about 35,000 people. It is home to five of New Zealand's National Parks: Kahurangi, Paparoa, Arthurs Pass, Westland and Mount Aspiring, as well as the South Westland World Heritage Area.

The West Coast abounds with not to be missed natural features, from the Oparara Arches and Seal Colony in the north through to Glaciers and calm mirror lakes in the south. In between, you'll find rain forest, lakes, Pancake Rocks and rugged coastline and beaches.

Try rafting a subterranean stream through a weird world of stalactites, stalagmites and glow-worms. Between Westport and Greymouth is a wild, ruggedly beautiful coastline that features the unique Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki.

The South Island is cooler than the North Island by a few degrees. Winter in New Zealand is from June to August and summer is from December to February. There are regional variations: It is quite warm and pleasant up in the Northland region at any time of the year. Higher altitudes are always considerably cooler, and it is usually windy in Wellington, which catches the winds whistling through the Cook Straight.

Snow is mostly seen in the mountains, although there can be snowfalls, even at sea level, In the South Island, particularly in the extreme south. Some of the plains and higher plateaus also receive snow in winter, notably the Canterbury plains and the high plateau around the Tongariro National Park, especially on the east side. Snow is seldom seen near sea level on the West Coast of either and not at all in the far north.

An important thing you must know about the New Zealand climate is that it is a maritime climate, as opposed to the continental climate typical of larger land masses. This means the weather can change with amazing rapidity.