Full Day Tour of the Sights and Tastes of the West Coast
Description
This tour gives you the chance to relax and enjoy the sights and tastes along our route through the Grey and Buller districts, although a moderate fitness is required as you walk around firstly Punakaiki and then up to the seal colony. See the coastal Highway, among the top 10 highways in the world. Discover the delights the West Coast has to offer in scenery and less well known treats such as the Shortjaw brewery (Tuesday to Saturday) or Historic mining areas. Let your driver do all the work while you admire the views, sample beer and spirits or learn a bit about the natural environment and local history that makes the West Coast a unique and "must see" part of your visit. Sundays in summer we may stop at the Fox River Market.
Tour Options
Itinerary
8.30am. Our tour begins when we meet at the Greymouth Town Square, opposite the Clock Tower. From here we travel up the picturesque Coast Road, one of the top 10 Scenic highways in the world.
9.10am Along the Pancake Rocks walk you will see captivating flora and fauna, incredible rock formations, maybe even the blowholes in action. Keep an eye out for the endangered Hectors Dolphins swimming past. Note : Some tricky rocky stairs are on this walk.
11am After continuing along the Coast Road, with a stop for photo opportunities, we arrive at Tauranga Bay. If the beauty of this secluded bay wasn't enough, a short walk, up an easy incline, takes us to a viewing platform above the seal colony. Watch the seals simply lounging on the rocks or playing in the water.
12 noon. Lunch in Westport (including in the tour price). We will dine at your choice of one out of two fabulous establishments in Westport. The West Coast Pie Company has taken the iconic New Zealand pie a step further, using only wild or local ingredients and the flavors are amazing. Or PR's Cafe will give you a slightly more traditional Cafe style lunch (caters for v/df/etc).
1pm Tuesday to Saturday means a tasting of the craft beers at Shortjaw Brewery. Be surprised at the unexpected flavour created by the brewer, as you taste and learn about the process of creating great beer. *Sunday and Monday we have added attractions in Reefton.
1.45pm Take in the rugged beauty of the Buller Gorge, stop and take photos, see and learn about some surprising features of the Gorge and the development of the road by the the early settlers. We may also have an opportunity to stop at the small cottage industry Rotokuhu Lavender
2.45pm. Tuesday to Saturday arrive in the charming little town of Reefton where you will enjoy a tasting of award winning spirits from the range of Gin, Whiskey and more. On all days you can wander the town as it sits by the Inangahua River, cradled between hills and mountains. *Sunday and Monday cross the old swing foot bridge to explore the site of the first power station in New Zealand and visit the Reefton I-site with its surprising displays.
3.30pm We travel through the picturesque farmland of the Grey Valley on our way to The Brunner Mine site, Memorial and Walk which are set in a small, very pretty Gorge. Learn some of the mining history and see the evidence of historical mining set in the beautiful New Zealand forest.
5.15 A short drive brings us full circle back to Greymouth.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Tastings are Strictly for 18 years old and above. Younger teenagers are welcome on the tour but must be supervised by a parent and are not permitted to have ANY alcohol.
Reviews(25)
Wonderful time spending the day looking at scenic sights and learning about the the history and plant life in the area. Great experience.
We had a wonderful day out enjoying the sights and tastes of the West Coast. Our tour guide Jackie was really knowlegable and a real character. It was a full day crammed with some stunning scenery, wildlife food and drink and a great craic!
We loved our tour with Jackie. She was immediately welcoming, warm and so knowledgeable about all local geography and history. We had a great day seeing sights, ate a delightful lunch together at a cafe. Many more interesting and tasty sights rounded out our day. Comfortable vehicle and truly a small group tour of 5 tourists. Thank you Jackie!
This was a fabulous day seeing fantastic coastline of the west coast. Even though it rained, it didn’t spoil the glorious scenery ( it’s New Zealand’s Great Ocean Road), and the visit to the seal colony, pie shop for lunch, brewery and gin distillery were all excellent too. Jackie was a fab guide with her extensive local knowledge. Definitely recommend you do this trip.
What a fantastic trip. Our guide, Jackie, was absolutely superb . Her knowledge of the best views, best places to stop and give guided walks and local history made the whole day an absolute joy.
Was a great day tour. It was well paced with plenty of time to see the all the sights. The scenery throughout the day was amazing and I loved the pancake rocks and seal colony. The West Coast Pies were yummy and although I am not a beer connoisseur I loved going to the Short Jaw Brewery and hearing how all the different beers were made. Little biddies gin was amazing and my bottle will last ages as it won't be shared !! Jackie had so much knowledge of the history of the area and kept us entertained all day. I will be recommending this tour to everyone.
Brilliant day. We saw so much on this tour. Jackie, our guide, was very knowledgeable about the area, the culture and no matter what we asked, she was well informed. From the Tauranya Bay seal colony, where we saw so many seals to pies washed down with beer at the Shortjaw Brewery, it was a very full day. The walks were short and easy and we got some great photo opportunities at various viewpoints. Highly recommended.
We had an amazing day, touring with Jackie. I especially liked seeing the seals and our short forest hike.
Jackie was brilliant, soo much local knowledge, supporting local businesses and overall a fantastic day. The views and visits are amazing!
We had an incredible day touring the west coast. The scenery is so incredibly beautiful. The rock formations of the pancake rocks is interesting, the seal colonies so fun, and the towns from Westport inland to finish a day that simply flew by. Our guide Jackie was so knowledgeable about the area and passionate about the ecology and culture it took our trip from incredible to unforgettable! Highly recommend. .
