Karamea

This area is ‘the end of the road’, in one sense. The coastal highway north stops here. Anyone wanting to go further has to walk, along the Heaphy Track, (one end of which starts here); a few miles south is the less well-known Wangapeka track. The coastal Bush has a sub-tropical look about it, with stands of Nikau Palms; and there are more sunshine hours than in Auckland (in the north of the North Island). At the height of the season, there are probably three hundred visitors in the area.

Karamea itself is a tiny settlement at the point where the road more or less stops. The Bush and the Heaphy Track are a few miles north, down a gravelled road, and the beaches of the Tasman Sea stretch for miles either way along the coast. You reach Karamea by driving an hour north of Westport, and up and over a range of forested hills (with very narrow, winding roads) called the Karamea Bluffs, which are a protected reserve. Just before the Karamea Bluffs at Gentle Annie beach, Mokihinui, is the Cowshed Cafe for any visitor passing thru in need of sustenance. It was a cowshed, and now is a Cafe, with delicious food and generous portions.

Past the Bluffs, in Karamea, is the Last Resort. It’s more than just a hotel, being the centre of a wide variety of eco-tourism activities; the restaurant is excellent (try the venison). The recreation/bar areas are guaranteed to relax you at the same time as you admire the craftsmanship of the builders. The Last Resort makes a superb base from which to explore the surrounding area; you can easily spend a week here and do something different every day. Highly recommended for an escapist, relaxing holiday!

If relaxing in a spacious home which on looks an unspoiled beach and beautiful sunset is more your thing, then I can recommend this Karamea Beachfront Farmstay.

The entire region is now part of the Kahurangi National Park, where examples of 60% of New Zealand’s native plant species can be found.