Punakaiki

A small village on the West Coast of the South Island, home to the Paparoa Park Visitor Center and Dolomite Point (directly opposite), the entrance to the Pancake Rocks.

Lake Paringa DOC camp

A small but beautiful camp site and picnic area on the shores of Lake Paringa.

Butchers Flat and Pear Tree Flat

If you are looking for a secluded camp site with a beautiful river and great swimming spots and walks try Butchers Flat.

Road end Cascade river

I had just finished a great book by Chris Long who grew up at Gorge River, a secluded place on the West Coast, approx half way between Haast in the North and Milford Sound in the South.

Helena Falls Beach – Long Point, Catlins

A hidden gem in the Catlins, this beautiful secluded beach is just a short walk from the carpark. The reserve was purchased in 2009 by the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and the Ministry of Conservation’s Natural Heritage Fund. The trust has fenced off parts of the reserve and created a carpark and walking tracks. Forest and…

Purakaunui Falls

Beautiful Purakaunui Falls: The 22m falls are located on the Tautuku River in Catlins Conservation Park and are often described as the most spectacular in the region. The walk to the falls is very pleasant, passing through a variety of forests and shrub types such as huge tree fuchsia, stands of olearia, and podocarp forests.…

Ashburton Lakes – Lake Heron, Moari Lakes and Lake Emily

ASHBURTON LAKES – Lake Emily, Moari Lakes and Lake Heron

Waiuta

Waiuta is an almost abandoned gold mining town, 38 km south-east of Reefton. The town grew to provide accommodation for miners who worked at the nearby Blackwater mine which became the West Coast’s richest gold mine. The town is now designated a protected area, under the care of the Department of Conservation and a volunteer…

Piano Flat Camping ground

The popular Piano Flat riverside camping ground is situated in a farmland area with the beautiful Waikaia river running through it. There are walking tracks and tramps from here plus biking, fishing, hunting and 4WD excursions (see my Whitecoomb road post) This camp is very busy over Christmas, New Year and Easter etc. The last…

Whitecoomb Road

We were staying at the Piano Flat camping ground for a few days last summer and decided about 10.00am one morning to take the dogs up the road and find a quiet swimming hole for them. After they had a good swim we thought we would drive a bit further up Whitecoomb road.