Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fly from Karamea to Takaka with
Helicopter Charter Karamea
( 03-782 6111;
www.adventureflightsgoldenbay.co.nz
)
for around $190 per person, then walk back on the
Heaphy Track; contact the Information & Resource Centre for details.
Rongo Backpackers run track and town transport including services to Heaphy,
Wangapeka, Oparara Basin and Westport on demand.
THE GREAT COAST ROAD
There are fine views all the way along this beautiful stretch of SH6, although its most
famous attractions are the geologically fascinating Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. Fill up
in Westport if you're low on petrol and cash - there's no fuel until Runanga, 92km away,
and the next ATM is in Greymouth.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Westport to Punakaiki
Set on 42 serene hectares, 17km south of Westport, the solar-powered, energy-efficient
Beaconstone Eco Lodge
( 027 431 0491;
www.beaconstoneecolodge.co.nz
;
Birds Ferry Rd;
dm $28-31, d $70-74; Oct-May; )
is a bushy retreat with touches of Americana
cool. Inside are cosy beds and a laid-back communal area, while beyond the doorstep are
bush walks leading to peaceful river swimming holes. There's only room for 14, so book-
ing is recommended.
Jack's Gasthof
( 03-789 6501;
www.jacksgasthof.co.nz
;
SH6; mains $12-28; from 11am
Oct-Apr)
is 21km south of Westport on the Little Totara River, where Berliners Jack and
Petra run their eternally popular pizzeria with adjacent bar improbably bejewelled with a
disco ball. Avail yourself of campsites (from $6) and a basic room ($50) if you require a
sleepover.
For a true taste of the region's gold mining past, swing into
Mitchell's Gully Gold
of Westport, where you'll meet a pioneer's descendants and explore the family mine.
There are interesting tales, relics, tunnels and railtracks, plus a giant waterwheel and the
odd trap-door spider.
The next stop is
Charleston
, 26km south of Westport. It's hard to believe it now, but
this place boomed during the 1860s gold rush, with 80 hotels, three breweries and hun-
