The West Coast - New Zealand's South Island - page 209

the map is about to get slightly bigger, being the northern trailhead for the spectacular new
Old Ghost Road ( Click here ) .
At the Mokihinui River mouth, 3km off the highway, is the not-so-gentle Gentle Annie
Beach , and salty Gentle Annie Coastal Enclave ( 0274 188 587, 03-782 1826; www.gentleannie.co.nz ; De
Malmanche Rd, Mokihinui; sites from $12, s/d/tr from $25/50/75, cabins $130; ) where there are camp-
sites, a lodge, a range of self-contained accommodation and the Cowshed Gallery & Cafe.
There are also bush walks, a maze on a look-out point, and glow-worms nearby.
Between Mokihinui and Little Wanganui the road meanders over the thickly forested
Karamea Bluff , affording expansive views of the Tasman Sea. It's worth stopping to do the
Lake Hanlon walk (30 minutes return) on the Karamea side of the hill.
DON'T MISS
OPARARA VALLEY
To quote a local: 'if this were anywhere else, there'd be hordes streaming in.' Too true. Lying within Kahurangi
National Park, the Oparara Basin is a natural spectacle of the highest order - a hidden valley concealing won-
ders such as limestone arches and strange caves within a thick forest of massive, moss-laden trees that tower over
an undergrowth of Dr Seuss-esque form in every imaginable hue of green. Excellent information panels can be
perused at the main car park and picnic area.
The valley's signature sight is the 200m-long, 37m-high Oparara Arch , spanning the picturesque Oparara
River - home to the super-cute, rare blue duck (whio) - which wends alongside the easy walkway (45 minutes re-
turn). The smaller but no less stunning Moria Gate Arch (43m long, 19m high) is reached via a simply divine
forest loop walk (1½ hours) which also passes the Mirror Tarn .
Just a 10-minute walk from the second car park are the Crazy Paving & Box Canyon Caves . Take your torch
to enter a world of weird subterranean shapes and rare, leggy spiders. Spiders, caves, darkness… sound like fun?
Beyond this point are the superb Honeycomb Hill Caves & Arch , accessible only by guided tours (3-/5-hour
tours $95/150) run by the Karamea Information & Resource Centre. Ask about other guided tours of the area, and
also about transport for the Oparara Valley Track , a rewarding five-hour independent walk through ancient
forest, along the river, popping out at the Fenian Walk car park.
To drive to the valley from Karamea, travel 10km along the main road north and turn off at McCallum's Mill
Rd where signposts will direct you a further 14km up and over into the valley along a road that is winding,
gravel, rough in places and sometimes steep.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Karamea & Around
The relaxed town of Karamea (population 380) considers itself the West Coast's 'best kept
secret', but those who've visited tend to boast about its merits far and wide. An end-of-
the-road town it may well be, but it still has a bit of the 'hub' about it, servicing the end