West coast Tourist times NZ February 2020 by Touristtimes

FREE N E L S O N • M A R L B O R O U G H • W E S T C O A S T FEBRUARY 2020

Based in Franz Josef and proudly NZ owned and operated. Here you will find the largest kiwi hatching facility in the South Island– home to the world’s 2 rarest kiwis – the Rowi and Haast Tokoeka. This award winning indoor facility is a wonderful example of a special public/private partnership with the Department of Conservation. See live kiwi during the day inside the nocturnal house, go behind the scenes to see Tuatara, discover the interactive glacier attraction and storytelling areas or go behind the scenes on the Lonely Planet “highly recommended Backstage Pass Tour and see kiwi chicks and meet the friendly ranger team. An indoor and all weather facility. with free Wi-Fi. Enjoy the best NZ shopping and coffee in Franz Josef or a delicious snack in the café

Book online NOW AT www.wildkiwi.co.nz and save $2 off every ticket booked Open every day from 8.30am.Set aside 1 hour for a visit.

All-Weather Kiwi Attraction @Franz Josef New Zealand

Ph: +64 (3) 752 0600 Email: info@wildkiwi.co.nz

NZ Owned and operated

alice may RICHARD VAN DIJK Bladesmith / Goldsmith 1481 Motueka Valley Highway Ngatimoti, RD1 Motueka / New Zealand Phone +64 35268536 Mob. +64 21 1029679

30 Cron St, Franz Josef, New Zealand Phone: 03-752 0740 Email: alicemay@xtra.co.nz

www.hoihoknives.com

•We meet the Tranz Alpine Train •Competitive rates •Full range of cars and minivans available

170 Tainui Street, Greymouth • PH (03) 768-0379 Fax (03) 768-0740 • Email: greenfield@minidata.co.nz

eetops

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walk the

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1128 Woodstock-Rimu Road Hokitika West Coast, New Zealand p: 0508 TREETOPS See Page 3 for details

Page 2 — Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Tourist Times, February 2020

February- enjoy exploring NELSON,

MARLBORO UGH & the WEST COAST with TOURIST TIMES

tourist times team Editor / Advertising Sales: Scott Mullions scott@touristtimes.co.nz Mobile: 021 669 303 Other enquiries: enquiries@touristtimes.co.nz Published by Touristtimes SouthIsland Ltd Member of New Zealand Tourist Times Newspaper Group Ltd

Mobile 021 669 303 enquiries@touristtimes.co.nz www.touristtimes.co.nz At the time of publication Tourist Times has to the best of it’s knowledge been supplied with accurate information. Tourist Times cannot, however, be held responsible for any consequence arising from any errors or omissions

Welcome to the February edition of Tourist Times. Your regional guide to the Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regions. Tourist Times has bought together this months highlights with all the up to date information to ensure we inspire you to make the most of your stay in these regions during February So enjoy this excellent time of year and make sure you stop and check out some of the great scenery on offer during your travels, and don’t forget to check out the Local activities in the area’s you visit, there is alot on at this time of the year so check out our whats on section and all the local areas. Follow us Happy travels from the Tourist Times team.

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Boost your business today advertise with Tourist Times South Island Ltd PO Box 33257 Barrington Christchurch 8024 P: 0800 151525 M: 021 669303 E: scott@touristtimes.co.nz

A regional guide for local & international travellers

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walk the

treetops

1128 Woodstock-Rimu Road Hokitika West Coast, New Zealand p: 0508 TREETOPS See Page 3 for details

Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Tourist Times, February 2020— Page 3

NELSON RICHMOND

Drive out to Richmond for a laidback shopping experience, visit an artist’s gallery or perhaps indulge in a glass of the region’s finest wines in the vineyards just beyond the centre of Richmond.

Richmond, the seat of the Tasman District Council, lies 13 km south of Nelson in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the southern extremity of Tasman Bay. The census conducted on 6 March 2006 counted more than 14,000 residents.

Although Richmond lies outside the boundaries of Nelson City, it forms part of the Nelson Urban Area for statistical purposes, and New Zealanders informally consider it part of Greater Nelson or the “Top of the South”.

ABEL TASMAN

Abel Tasman National Park (established in 1942) is renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs, and world-famous Abel Tasman Coast Track. It also has a mild climate and is a good place to visit at any time of the year. At 22,530 hectares Abel Tasman is New Zealand’s smallest national park. It is located at the top of the South Island; the nearest towns are Motueka, Takaka and Kaiteriteri.

NELSON

There’s nowhere else in the world where you’ll find, within a short distance, three spectacular New Zealand national parks, glistening golden sand beaches and turquoise crystal clear waters, alongside alpine meadows and snowy mountain ranges. Enjoy all year in a climate that rivals the Mediterranean. Short on time? We have the best of the best, all within 90 minutes drive time. Key tourism attractions include the Abel Tasman National Park, the Nelson Lakes National Park and the Kahurangi National Park. Here’s a few “Must Do’s”: - Sea kayak, swim with seals or cruise through Abel Tasman National Park. - Visit the Nelson Lakes National Park and enjoy great alpine hiking. - Hike or mountain-bike the Heaphy Track in the Kahurangi National Park. - Plan a cycling adventure around our cycleway trails or along Rocks Road. - See the world’s clearest water at Te Waikoropupu Springs, Golden Bay. - Take a guided nature and bird tour along Farewell Spit and spend a golden day in Golden Bay. - Sample a local brew at one of our boutique craft breweries. - Journey into the countryside and meet winemakers at their cellar doors. - Play a round of golf at one of our country or ocean view golf clubs. - Walk to the summit of the Centre of New Zealand for views over Nelson city. - Spend time on Tahunanui Beach, soak up the rays and enjoy our café culture. - Cast out a line and enjoy the best fly fishing in New Zealand. - Join the locals as they buzz around the vibrant Nelson Saturday Morning Market for fresh produce, art, crafts, fashion, food, jewellery and more.

The nearest towns of Nelson, Motueka and Takaka have i-SITES, accommodation and shops catering for tramping and kayaking needs. Kaiteriteri has a petrol station, small grocery shop, accommodation and café. Marahau has accommodation, a shop and cafés. Takaka is the last place for petrol before Totaranui. There are many great day trips in the Park but if you are going to be using the track system in the park for overnight trips, make sure you are properly equipped and well prepared. Everyone needs to carry a sleeping bag, cooking utensils, sufficient high-energy food (with some extra for emergencies), a waterproof raincoat, and warm (wool or fleece) clothing. A portable stove will also be needed. Firm footwear is recommended but boots are not necessary. Giardia has been found in park waters. Boiling, chemical treatment or filtering can remove it. Check for up-to-date information on weather and track conditions before starting your trip.

WESTPORT

REEFTON

ST ARNAUD

St Arnaud is a settlement in Nelson Tasman. St Arnaud is the gateway to the Nelson Lakes National Park. The locality is also known as Lake Rotoiti which better describes this lakeside community. However, the town’s official name remains St Arnaud as Lake Rotoiti (literally small lake in Maori) is the name of a locality in New Zealand’s North Island.

How to get there

State Highway 63 leads from Marlborough on the east coast to the West Coast. Traveling east, Picton (1 3/4 hours), Blenheim (1 hour 20 minutes), Renwick (70 minutes) and Wairau Valley township (35 minutes). Traveling west Kawatiri Junction (15 minutes), Murchison (40 minutes) and Westport (2 hours 10 minutes). There are two main ways to get to St Arnaud From Nelson. The quickest is traveling through Richmond and Wakefield on State Highway 6. The turnoff is 10 minutes past Wakefield and St Arnaud is signposted through to the village. The road intersects with State Highway 63 two minutes east of the village. Otherwise, State Highway 6 continues to Kawatiri Junction which is the end of State Highway 63. Golden Bay St Arnaud 7072 - Google Maps

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St Arnaud 7072 Photos

Westport is the Buller regions largest town and offers a range of services you’d expect from a larger centre, including an airport. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes a movie theatre and lots of accomodation. With its central location Westport is an ideal place from which to explore the surrounding area – whether its north for arts and crafts, west for surf and seals, or south for fascinating limestone landscapes of the Paparoa National Park.

Things to do

Coaltown Muesuem The new Coaltown Museum has now opened in its new home with the Westport I-site next to the Clocktower building, 123 Palmerston St, Westport. Mountain Biking Denniston is the perfect location for mountain biking, offering 9 exciting rides. Track surfaces vary from gravel roads to rocky tracks and some short walking sections. All circuits have sections of track that range from Grade 2 (easy) up to Grade 3 (intermediate).

The small town of Reefton is a place for everyone to enjoy - be it for a day or two, a week or a place to call home. Reefton’s gold rush in the 1860’s helped to establish a rich heritage. As well as being the first to have a public supply of electricity, the town was the first to switch on an electric street lighting system in the Southern Hemisphere. Many of the heritage buildings have been restored and offer an insight to the past. There are some Great cafes and restaurants and lots of accomodation choices from a campmg ground to motels, if you are passing through Reefton is well worth a stop, it won’t dissapoint! Cape Foulwind Walkway & Seal Colony Walk One of New Zealand’s most accessible seal colonies is just out of Westport at Tauranga Bay. The 10 - minute walking track from the car park leads to viewing platforms directly overlooking the colony. This is a year-round colony, the best time to view is October to March when the Big Bull Seals are their for mating, and also a great time to see seal pups playing.

Takaka

Cook Strait Tasman Bay Motueka

Karamea Bight

Nelson

Picton

Richmond

62 63

Blenheim

6 63

Westport

63 6

St Anaud 65

Page 4 — Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Tourist Times, February 2020

Fox & Franz Josef alice may

30 Cron St, Franz Josef, New Zealand Phone: 03-752 0740 Email: alicemay@xtra.co.nz

Alice May Restaurant So named after the owners Grandmother, this warm and welcoming restaurant takes you back in time, white walls, exposed rafters, historic artifacts and a nice cosy fireplace. Offering good hearty food in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. This restaurant is family friendly and an absolute must while in Franz Josef. Open from 4.30pm-10pm you will find Alice May Restaurant on 30 Cron St, Franz Josef.

Hari Hari Hari Hari is 45 minutes south of Hokitika and was once a

logging settlement,but today Hari Hari, is popular for bush walking, bird watching, and trout or salmon fishing. Hari Hari is a small rural settlement in the south west of the West Coast region. It was in Hari Hari that Australian pilot and adventurer Guy Menziescompleted the first solo flight across the Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand in 1931.

Franz Josef

The great little town of Franz Josef which shares it’s name with the nearby Glacier, there are plenty of places to stay and some excellent eateries, you can kayak at the nearby Lake Mapourika or catch a scenic flight from one if the local operators. There are also some really great walks, and tours that you can do. Located on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, 148 kms south of Greymouth and 25 Kms from Fox Glacier, Franz Josef is a small town with a population of 440. Franz Josef town is 5 km from the Franz Josef Glacier terminal face. Its accessibility makes it a major tourist attraction and the reason why many people visit Franz Josef. The 12 km long Franz Josef Glacier is one of New Zealand’s most spectacular natural attractions, a remnant from the Ice Age which is one of South Westland’s major draw card for visitors. The town is also 20 minutes walk from the Westland National Park. At Franz Josef there is a range of activities ranging from the walks on Franz Josef Glacier with a duration of 3 hours, bush walks, scenic helicopter flights of Mt Cook, Fox, Tasman and Franz Josef Glaciers, to name a few of the activities that are available. Visitors to Franz Josef will find a small but comfortable township with a First Class hotel, a good selection of motel, hostel and motor camp accommodation and several restaurants. Despite being in the wilderness, the town has all essential services including a good garage, a district nurse and Visitors Centre and Department of Conservation Office.

Glacier Kayaking

Franz Josef is the home to the world’s rarest kiwi — our own very special native bird. With just 5 species of kiwi to be found in New Zealand the rarest of them all is called the rowi (only 450 left alive in the wild today) and you are guaranteed to see them live inside the West Coast Wildlife Centre and its famous hatching programme. This is a wonderful public/ private partnership with the Department of Conservation - and not to be missed! You will also find the brand new $250,000 live Tuatara attraction. Tuatara are only found on predator free islands around New Zealand and date back to the time of the dinosaurs.This award winning indoor facility (Qualmark Silver rated ) is a wonderful example of a special public/private partnership with the Department of Conservation. See live kiwi during the day inside the nocturnal house, go behind the scenes to see Tuatara, discover the interactive glacier attraction and storytelling areas or go behind the scenes on the Lonely Planet “highly recommended Backstage Pass Tours” and see kiwi chicks and meet the friendly ranger team. An indoor and all weather facility with free Wi-Fi. Enjoy the best NZ shopping and coffee in Franz Josef or a delicious snack in the café. The attraction is wheelchair friendly and easy single level attraction entry suitable for people of all ages and abilities. Open every day from 8.30am . Set aside at least 40 minutes for your visit. All tickets purchased are valid for 24 hours so you can come in and out as many times as you like for no additional cost. A fantastic deal!

Book online NOW AT www.wildkiwi.co.nz and save $2 off every ticket booked

Lake Matheson /Te Ara Kairaumati Walk

With views of the Aoraki/Mt Cook and Mt Tasman reflected on the still waters of Lake Matheson this has seen many a photographer capture the beauty while on this walkway. Suitable for all fitness levels everyone can enjoy what is considered one of our best short walks on offer. Lake Matheson was formed when Fox Glacier Te Moeka o Tuawe retreated from its last significant advance which was about 14,000 years ago. During the last major ice age, the glacier spread across the coastal plains towards the sea, dumping huge piles of rock. The glacier ground a depression which later filled with water forming the lake. There are two options to choose from when taking this walk, the shorter option: Carpark to Jetty Viewpoint, this is a 40 minute return and a distance of 1 km and the longer option: Lake Circuit which will see you doing a 2.6 km return in about 1 hour 30 minutes.For more information on this and other tracks check out www.doc.gov.nz.

Franz Josef Glacier

Fox Glacier

Fed by four alpine glaciers, Fox Glacier falls 2,600m on its 13km journey from the Southern Alps down to the coast, with it having the distinction of being one of the few glaciers to end among lush rainforest only 300 metres above sea level. Some 140 glaciers flow from the Southern Alps, however only two (Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers) penetrate as far as the lower rainforests. The Fox Glacier township is just 6 km from the glacier and offers an intimate village experience, tucked into the rainforest-clad foothills of the Southern Alps, the township offers a range of quality accommodation, hotels, cafes, a general store and service station.

Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Tourist Times, February 2020 — Page 5

Haast

Haast, The perfect destination to explore some of New Zealand’s most unique scenery and wildlife situated amidst spectacular & rugged scenery of the South West New Zealand World Heritage area, between ancient rainforests of Te Wahipounamu, glaciers, and the Tasman sea.

Haast offers a unique insight to the “real New Zealand” a rare gem, unspoilt by humans and thriving with native bird life. Discover the extraordinary history of South Westland, from pre european Maori, and the importance of pounamu, to early pioneering, gold mining, logging, fishing, deer recovery, and more. Try sea fishing, fly fishing, whitebaiting (in season), deer stalking, bird watching, tramping, nature walks, jet boat safaris, helicopter adventures and glacier flights. Haast offers visitors a variety of accommodation, to suit a range of requirements,from Hotels, Motels, B&B’s,Boutique Lodgings and camping facilities. Haast has a supermarket, gift shops, locally made crafts and jewellery, petrol stations, restaurants cafe’s and bars.

Haast Pass The Haast Pass rises to a height of 562 metres above sea level at the saddle between the valleys of the Haast and Makarora Rivers. As such, it is the lowest of the passes traversing the Southern Alps. The Haast Pass road is devoid of any settlements between Haast and Makarora. The road passes through predominantly unmodified beech forest. The pass itself is within the limits of Mount Aspiring National Park and forms part of the boundary between Otago and the West Coast. it is well worth a stop and there are plenty great tracks and waterfalls.

Haast - Google Maps

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Haast Photos · Search nearby

Jacksons bay

Lake Paringa

Jacksons Bay is 32km South west from Haast,The bay marks the farthest extent of the West Coast’s road network. The small road which meanders along the coast from Haast, close to Jackson Head. This was the site of the landing of the early settlers of the area, and is close to the mouth of the Arawhata (or Arawata) River. The third river to enter the Tasman along this stretch of coast is the Waiatoto River, which enters the bay 10 kilometres to the east of Jackson Head.

Haast Jackson Bay 6 Wanaka

Heartland Hotel, Haast

Dwarfed by the mountains, rivers, beaches and lush rainforest of the South Westland World Heritage Area, our Heartland Hotel Haast provides the perfect resting spot for travellers and adventurers alike.

Rugged West Coast cuisine

The West Coast has its share of tasty treats from the surrounding rugged natural environment, from game meats to the famous West Coast whitebait. With either buffet dining (seasonal) from our carvery in the Waiatoto Room to our casual café and hearty pub style fare in the Frontier Café & Bar also now available from 10am – 5pm our cabinet food ready to takeaway. we will ensure that you leave happy and contented.

5 km

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/Haast/@-43.9113169,169.124171,11z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x6cd59d256cd89b67:0x500ef86847972d0

Blue Pools - Near Haast Pass

3Oth Nov

Waiatoto Restaurant

Frontier Café & Bar

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Gates of Haast