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Wild West Coast Tour - Karamea

Wild West Coast Tour - Karamea

Tour Date: 12th Oct - 19th Oct 2023 and 27th Mar - 3rd Apr 2024

DEPOSIT - $300.00 NZD

Single - $4,141.00
Twin Share - $3,581.00
Date

Please note this is a cash or cheque price. Credit cards will incur a 2% fee

*Itinerary and costs subject to change, airline and fuel charges and currency fluctuations prior to final payment.

Mountains, lush rainforest, gorgeous lakes, limestone caves, and spectacular coastlines. Combine this with the incredible gold and coal mining history of the region. Waiuta Ghost town and Dennistoun Plateau are just some of the places we will explore.

This tour is for those with a sense of adventure and curiosity about our mining history. A chance to enjoy a range of optional short walks, and outdoor picnics in a stunning landscape. The walks range from 10 minutes to 1 hour or more, with a range of options to pick from.  This is West Coast Rainforest; dense, vibrant, and full of life, thanks to an abundance of rain, so it is essential to have a good rain jacket and suitable footwear.

We will travel in 9 -12 seat, high roof vehicles with luggage trailers. Our groups are small (just 5 - 10 people) and personalized, so we can easily stop for quick photos or short walks to enable us to really explore this amazing region. We will include time for relaxing in the uniquely vibrant towns like Reefton and Hokitika - great for shopping and checking out the many art and craft stores.

Group Size

Personalized small group tour of 5 to 10 people

Location & Duration

Karamea to Hokitika 8 Days - 7nights.Ex Christchurch and Return

Highlights Will Include

  • Arthurs Pass & Lake Brunner
  • Blackball
  • Pike River Memorial
  • Waiuta Ghost Town
  • Cape Foulwind and Tauranga Bay
  • Dennistoun Plateau
  • Karamea and the Oparara Arches
  • Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks
  • Tree top walk at Hokitika

Inclusions

  • 8 days transport, 9 or 12 seat vehicles
  • Your own experienced driver / guide for 8 days
  • 7 night's accommodation
  • 6 dinners ,5 lunches ,7 breakfasts
  • Tree top walk /Karamea museum/Coaltown Museum /Shantytown

Exclusions

Flights - I am happy to book flights and any extra accommodation at the start or finish of the tour if you would prefer. I do not have large enough groups to qualify for travel discounts and often people can use credits or air points but please let me know if you would like me to book though and we can just add to the tour cost for you.

Booking Conditions

A non-refundable deposit of $300 per person is required to secure your place on the tour. Payment can be made to this account number. Alps 2 Ocean Ltd A/C 12-3226-0040295-00 Quote your name as reference.

Full payment is due not later than one month prior to tour start will invoice you for this.

Bookings made with less than one month to start date - full payment at time of booking.

Cancellations

  • Deposit - nonrefundable
  • If this tour is cancelled due to Covid 19 government travel restrictions, a refund is available, or we will endeavour to reschedule. Alps 2 Ocean Ltd reserves the right in addition to any supplier-imposed amendment and cancellation fees, to charge a service and administrative fee of $100 per person.
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Wild West Coast Tour - Tour Route

Mountains, lush rainforest, gorgeous lakes, limestone caves, and spectacular coastlines. Combine this with the incredible gold and coal mining history of the region. Waiuta Ghost town and Dennistoun Plateau just some of the places we will explore.

This tour is for those with a sense of adventure, perhaps curious about our mining history. A chance to enjoy a range of optional short walks, and outdoor picnics in a stunning landscape. The walks range from 10 minutes to 1 hour - or more if you like, I will show you all the options. As it’s the West Coast Rainforest its essential to have a good rain jacket and suitable footwear. However, rain means the forest is vibrant and alive. We will travel in 9 -12 seat, high roof vehicles with luggage trailers Our groups are small just 5 - 10 people and personalized with spare seats in our vehicles, and we can easily stop for quick photos or short walks to enable us to really explore this amazing region.

Download Tour Map

Tour Travel Itinerary

  • Day 1

    CHRISTCHURCH - ARTHURS PASS - LAKE BRUNNER
    LUNCH | DINNER

    Tour departs Christchurch at 11 am. Wayne will gather the group then leave the city and travel across the plains to Castle Hill Station which is a wonderful place for our first stop with a walk into limestone outcrops amidst amazing alpine scenery. Arthurs Pass is next with a stop at the viewpoint of the stunning viaduct. We pass through Otira with its wonderfully unique hotel and travel a side route to end the day with the lovely vista of Lake Brunner for our first night's stay. We stay at the Lake Brunner Hotel.

    The restaurant for tonight's dinner the Lake Brunner Hotel Kingfisher Restaurant.

  • Day 2

    LAKE BRUNNER - BLACKBALL - WESTPORT
    BREAKFAST | DINNER

    First stop is Blackball famous for its historic hotel, spicy salami and its rich gold and coal history. It is also the entrance to the new Papara Track, which crosses Papara range leading to Punakaiki on the West Coast. Travelling through the Grey Valley we stop at the Pike River Memorial. and visit the Waiuta Ghost town. before stopping in Reefton for a relaxed lunch break and chance to explore the town. We drive through the lush Buller gorge and venture out to Cape Foulwind ,a short walk to the seal colony at Tauranga Bay sure to be a highlight. We stay at the Buller Bridge Motels in Westport.


    Dinner at Dennistoun Dog Restaurant.

  • Day 3

    WESTPORT -DENNISTOUN PLATEAU - KARAMEA
    BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER

    Leaving Westport, you can enjoy the coastal drive and wild beaches on our way to Karamea passing through little towns like Granity and Mokihinui. If weather is good, we will go up on Dennistoun plateau today or else leave it for the return journey. Lots of chances to stretch the legs on the way to Karamea . The day finishes at the Karamea Museum with a talk from the curator on the region's rich history.

    Staying at the Last Resort for 2 nights.

  • Day 4

    KARAMEA - OPARARA ARCHES -HEAPHY TRACK
    BREAKFAST | LUNCH

    Time to explore the Oparara Arches a 1-hour return walk. The largest limestone caves in the Southern Hemisphere and home to the extinct moa. The nearby Mirror Tarn is an option that is also well worth the short walk. We can explore a section of the Heaphy track and a short loop stroll through a stand of Nikau is quite unique. It is a region of stunning limestone cliffs with Nikau Forest that gives a tropical feel yet all the time still so close to a wild untamed coastline.

    Dinner tonight is a free evening of your choice.

  • Day 5

    KARAMEA - CHARLESTON - PUNAKAIKI
    BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER

    Today's drive from Karamea to Punakaiki along the Great Coast Road is stunning. There are many highlights from mining towns like Charleston to the historic and amazing Dennistoun Plateau. The coastal highway also, offers dramatic views and then if time and the tides are right a walk out to the pancake rocks. There are a range of other short walks to explore from Truman's Coast track, to the Punakaiki and Pororari river valley tracks We stay for 1 night at the Ocean View Hotel which is set right on the beach.

    Dinner at the Punakaiki Tavern tonight.

  • Day 6

    EXPLORE PUNAKAIKI -PANCAKE ROCKS - SHANTYTOWN -HOKITIKA
    BREAKFAST | DINNER

    There are a range of short walks this morning from Truman's Coast track, to the Punakaiki and Pororari river valley tracks. This is the western finish of the Papara Trail that starts by Blackball. If conditions allow, I will take you for a short drive up a valley road following the old pack routes into remote backcountry. There will be a chance for you to grab a lunch and coffee in Greymouth before we visit Shantytown a wonderful place to see goldmining history We stay at Bella Vista Hokitika for our last 2 nights.

    Dinner at Stumpers.

  • Day 7

    HOKITIKA - HOKITIKA GORGE - TREE TOP WALK -EXPLORING THE TOWN
    BREAKFAST | DINNER

    Today is a day of options in Hokitika. You may choose a relaxed time exploring the towns shops, and museum, perhaps take the beach walk, or doing the Tree Top Canopy walk. This is 15 minutes out of town and takes about 1 hour to complete, it is a relatively easy walk and is set amongst the giant podocarps near Lake Mahinapua.I can also take you out to the Blue Pools in the Hokitika Gorge with its stunning new walkway.

    Final dinner is at Quayside Restaurant.

  • Day 8

    HOKITIKA -CHRISTCHURCH
    BREAKFAST | LUNCH

    Our final day is a relaxed drive back to Christchurch with stops to explore Kumara and Arthurs Pass ,we will reach the Christchurch airport by 3pm for those with flights or I can take you to your accommodation if you decide to extend your stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level of fitness do I need?

No matter what your fitness level, you can choose the activity level you feel appropriate for you, provide alternative options for the varied fitness levels, with a small group it is easy to personalize this.

What if I want to change some of the travel plans?

Sometimes our travellers like to visit relatives while on the journey. The tour travel times each day are arranged to give time for you to meet others, or if we are stopping for a walk nearby, Wayne can arrange that you spend your time differently. If you are thinking you would like to visit someplace that is not listed in the itinerary, we can sometimes build this in. It is worth
having a chat to Wayne to see what is possible

What about cancellations or interruptions due to level changes?

We do ask for a small non-refundable deposit to begin the booking process; however, all other expenses are fully refundable if we did need to cancel. In most instances we would look to reschedule and will be in touch with you if this arises. If in the event the level changes were imminent while we were travelling, we would look to get you quickly and safely back to a destination you could travel home from e.g., Queenstown or Christchurch.