Granity & the West Coast
“Discover the perfect location to explore the Northern West Coast.”
Granity is a small historical town with a population of just over 200 people.
Explore Cape Foulwind, Carters Beach, Charming Creek, Denniston, Ngakawau, Mokanui, Seddonville, Little Wanganui, Westport to Karamea.
Granity has a café and a pub. There’s a gallery with local artists’ work from cards to tables.
The Granity Museum is just across the road and railway track from Ghost Lodge and they boast an eclectic collection of local history. There’s even original old cooking ovens to see. A nursery next door might just have that elusive plant you’re looking for.
The Lyric theatre in the centre of Granity is open on the second Sunday of each month and there’s a book exchange system where you can leave a book and pick another one just down the road.
So sit on the front porch and enjoy watching the world go by.
Granity to Karamea (North)
Travel north on State Highway 67 from Ghost Lodge to Karamea, at the most northern end of the West Coast. You’ll pass the Charming Creek Walkway on the way, so stop and stretch your legs. Don’t forget to look for the Hector’s Dolphins at Hector (yes really, they do appear along this stretch of the Coast).
Enjoy the remoteness of the journey. Cross over the Mokihinui River, Karamea Bluff, the Little Wanganui River then through Little Wanganui along the coast to Karamea. You’ll love the wild beaches, native bush, stunning rivers and the Oparara Arches (The arch is 219 metres long with sides 79 metres apart and a roof 43 metres above the river that carved it).
Karamea is where the Heaphy Track finishes (or starts, depending how you want to walk it).
Allow plenty of time for photos stops along the way.
Granity to Punakaiki (South)
Punakaiki is only an hour away. Take a leisurely drive south from Granity and go on a day trip. Wander through Westport, stop at one of many local cafés and then continue on to Punakaiki, on the edge of the Paparoa National Park.
Punakaiki is well known for its Pancake Rocks and blowholes so enjoy a drive and take a look. Best time to visit the blowholes is at high tide.
Stop at Cape Foulwind on the way from Granity to Punakaiki and go and see the New Zealand fur seals (once hunted to the brink of extinction).
Further South is Greymouth, home to famous Monteith’s Brewery. The scenic coastal drive from Westport to Greymouth is one of the top ten drives in the world.
The West Coast is truly an untamed natural wilderness.