West Coast (New Zealand) Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
region of New Zealand's South Island
About West Coast (New Zealand)
The West Coast was the last frontier to be exploited by New Zealand's colonists. The region still has that frontier look and feel in many places. Even a few metres from the roadside you can experience what the first explorers might have encountered - pure and natural nature. Before tourism became a more economical sustainable business,coastersmined coal, dredged or panned for gold, cut down the native forests. Generally they cleared the land and drained the swamps for farming and exploiting the land for its minerals. They still exploit the land for coal and timber but now it tends to be done in more environmentally sustainable ways. Today, much of the land and forest has been put into the conservation estate. Many areas of marginal farmland have been allowed to revert to more natural stat
West Coast (New Zealand) Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 13 sections including: