Walk & Bike

The Kawatiri Coastal Trail is a Grade 2, family friendly cycling and walking heritage trail connecting the Buller District towns of Westport and Charleston.
 

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Tucked away on Menzies Street, the Westport Domain offers a network of easy gravel tracks through the remnants of lowland podocarp forest.

Set alongside the river, it is a sheltered and calming place for a short walk, especially on breezy days. Though some large trees were lost during Cyclone Ita, the area remains a favourite local escape.

Time: 3 hours one way    Distance: 6.8 km

Following an old railway formation between Ngakawau and Seddonville, this walkway passes through a landscape rich in geological, botanical and industrial history.

Tunnels, coal mine remains and old sawmill sites sit alongside lush bush and river views. A highlight is the suspension bridge overlooking Mangatini Falls.

Time: 10 minutes return    Distance: 400 m

A brief walk from the Granity Millerton Road leads to the remains of an old dam and part of the incline rail system once used to haul coal down from the plateau.

A quick stop that hints at the scale of the area’s mining past.

Time: 20 minutes return    Distance: 1 km

Behind the old Millerton township, the concrete shell of the miners’ bathhouse marks the start of several short walks to mine entrances and building remains.

Wide open views stretch from sea to mountains, pairing history with landscape in classic Buller style.

Cape Foulwind is a place where coastline, wildlife and history come together. The headland is home to a permanent colony of kekeno, New Zealand fur seals, along with sooty shearwaters and little blue penguins.

Known to Maori as Tauranga, a sheltered anchorage for waka, the area later caught the attention of early European explorers including Abel Tasman and Captain Cook.