Attractions

Outwest Tours offers a wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on journeys into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails, as you relax in one of their fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive vehicles.

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Raft the legendary Buller River Earthquake Rapids, the section with the most whitewater in the breath taking Buller Gorge. Adventurers will experience plenty of white water action. Challenge yourself at the “swim” rapid, and after all the rapids, glide through deep pools and lush subtropical rain forest. First Rafting Trip? No worries!! Your guides will give you full rafting safety instruction.

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Just the name alone is evocative of a bygone era. Ride past old mining relics, ascend through native forest and break out on to alpine tops offering breath-taking views. Descend in to open river valleys littered with lakes and tarns. Ride along the slopes of a stunning river gorge. The Old Ghost Road is part of the New Zealand Cycle Trails network. We at ASURE Chelsea Gateway Motor Lodge are proud to be an Official Partner of The Old Ghost Road and New Zealand Cycle Trails.

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Just a 15 minute drive from Westport township, the seal colony is easily accessible from the car park at Tauranga Bay. The track is well formed, the gradient gentle and it is a comfortable 10-15 minute walk to the viewing platforms. This is a breeding colony so offers plenty of activity to watch all year round. The female seals remain at the colony for their entire lives and the pups start to arrive around late November. The track continues along the bluffs to the Cape Foulwind lighthouse, which can also be accessed from the other end of the track.

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The Pancake Rocks are columns of limestone that began forming 30 million years ago. Sea, wind and rain over time have eroded the layers to resemble stacks of pancakes. Optimum viewing time is around high tide, especially if there is a heavy swell running as sea water is forced up through the blowholes with spectacular effect, but the stop is still worthwhile regardless of the conditions. The drive between Greymouth and Westport is rated by Lonely Planet as one of the 10 best coastal drives in the world, so aim to complete the journey in daylight hours if possible.

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Rated by the AA as one fo the ‘101 Must-Do’s for Kiwis’, the drive along State Highway 6 follows the mighty Buller River. Stop at the Buller Gorge Swing Bridge Adventure and Heritage Park right beside the highway 14kms from Murchison, where you can walk across New Zealand’s longest swing bridge or take the ride across the river on the flying fox. On the other side of the river you can explore gold mining relics and a miner’s cottage or take a variety of walks or a jet boat ride on the river. Throughout the park, information panels will tell you about the history of the Buller Gorge and the flora and fauna of the area.

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The Oparara Basin is home to impressive limestone formations and magnificent rainforest inhabited by the great spotted kiwi, blueduck, kaka, NZ falcon, kea, the rare lesser short-tailed bat and large carnivorous snails, among many other species. Don’t miss the Oparara Arch walk (25 minutes one way) on a well formed track following the Oparara River, the Moria Gate Arch walk (30 minutes one way) and the Mirror Tarn walk (10 minutes one way). There are also other longer tracks to explore if time allows.

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