It’s been no secret how a lot I like New Zealand’s West Coast.
Ever since my first go to in 2013, I’ve been enamored with this quiet but highly effective nook of New Zealand. The least populated area, the West Coast, stretched nearly the complete size of the South Island. Home to huge mountains, uncommon birds, historical forests, and no folks, it couldn’t be extra good, particularly for introverts like me.
But nowhere captures my coronary heart greater than the stretch of shoreline from Greymouth to Westport, particularly round Punakaiki. It’s a spot that vacationers go to however not as many as different spots on the South Island with extra dramatic vistas. This a part of the West Coast is all about slowing down, taking it simple, and having fun with being in nature.
You can’t rush right here; it’s a spot that conjures up mindfulness and rest. I come right here at the very least annually to go off the grid, calm down, and reset, and I usually come up right here to write down. This previous winter, I spent nearly per week on the Perfect Stranger’s Bach on a West Coast getaway, which was magical.
There is one thing so nostalgic about being by the ocean. I usually surprise if it speaks to some historical a part of our manufacturers; are we tapping into one thing we inherently crave however can’t vocalize? Why? I believe so. Can you relate?
One of my favourite issues about this a part of the West Coast is that it’s stuffed with hideaways and outdated baches (traditional kiwi vacation properties) hidden amongst the flax bushes beside the ocean. With its dense rainforests, you usually don’t even know they’re there. Over the years, I’ve stayed in a lot of them, loving all of them. Each and everybody has an epic story and make for an unforgettable West Coast getaway.
Perhaps I like this space as a result of it does really feel like a unique decade. With little cellphone reception to being fairly distant, many baches have instructions like “2.3 kilometers past the bridge by the third-mile sign, and if you come to the big bay, you’ve gone too far.”
Far out, I like that.
This time I spent 5 days on the Perfect Strangers Bach, simply north of Punakaiki.
One of the OG baches of its time, it’s tucked away proper in regards to the surf. Family-owned for many years, discerning readers would possibly acknowledge the title from the 2003 kiwi movie Perfect Strangers, a lot of which was shot right here. Trust me; it’s much more tranquil in actual life.
Welcome to my comfortable place! I’ve pushed by this spot so many occasions, however until it’s right here, you’ll miss it. It’s so distant that you just park alongside State Highway 6 and wander all the way down to it. There’s not loads of site visitors on this a part of the nation.
Weka positively outnumber the locals right here, correctly.
A secret I spill so usually it could actually’t actually be referred to as a secret anymore is that I believe New Zealand’s West Coast is greatest skilled in winter, Punakiki particularly.
From Fiordland as much as Golden Bay, the winds die down within the wintertime, and the ocean turns into calm. The clouds disappear, and also you usually get lovely bluebird nonetheless, clear and heat days. Because it’s such a wild place, folks are inclined to suppose that winter have to be the worst climate, after I’ve discovered the alternative to be true. Big storms are available in summer season.
And when you rise up to Punakaiki and additional north, it sits in a wee trans-Tasman microclimate that brings heat, humid air. That’s why you get so many tropical native palms and nikau right here. You may even develop fruit that in any other case you could possibly solely develop far north on the North Island.
The locals will in all probability homicide me for sharing this, however I can’t assist it.
But by far, the perfect a part of staying on the Perfect Stranger’s Bach on a West Coast getaway is that you’ve your personal personal seaside.
There aren’t any cabanas or coconuts right here, but it surely gives a number of the shoreline’s greatest views. You have a sandy seaside plus rockpools to discover – all the time test the tide occasions; low is greatest. And there’s a powerful quantity of mussels to forage alongside the shoreline. Is there something higher than white wine linguini with mussels you caught your self? Nope, there isn’t.
Just penning this has made me so nostalgic for this unbelievable place. To go to sleep to waves crashing alongside the seaside and native birdsong within the air is nothing wanting magical.
Where’s your haven? Do you’ve got a favourite place by the ocean that calls to you? Share!
Many due to Perfect Strangers for internet hosting me on the West Coast – like all the time, I’m retaining it actual – as you could possibly anticipate much less from me!