Perfect Stop Over

The Buller District is situated at the very top of the South Island’s West Coast. Here, the Southern Alps fade into a jumble of lesser giants and the climate takes on the balminess of adjoining Golden Bay and Nelson. Temperatures range from 9 - 25 degrees celcius and it stays relatively frost free all year. Moderate and regular rainfall ensures the forests  stays lush and green, including the subtropical nikau palms which grow in profusion here.

Buller includes some of the country’s finest protected land, including two national parks, a forest park and numerous scenic reserves. In the north, there’s the 455,000ha Kahurangi National Park which stretches all the way to Nelson, while down in the south is the 38,000ha Paparoa National Park which was established in 1987 to protect the unique combination of vegetation, birdlife and unparalleled karst limestone landscapes that forms the dramatic backdrop to the famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki.

You wont find any crowded tourist spots in Buller, but you will probably find your own secluded beach, picnic place, private swimming hole or walking track, if that’s what you want. Buller is one big natural play space.

We’ll get the ball rolling for you…the minimum activities we recommend..

1.     Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and  Blowholes in the South;

2.     New Zealand’s largest limestone arches and pink granite formations in the north at the Oparara Basin, Karamea;

3.     The brand new Banbury Mine underground train and interactive historic mine experience, Denniston

4.     Underworld rafting in the Nile River Caves and glowworm grottos at Charleston;

5.     81 amazing walks from short to day to Great Walk;

6.     Tauranga Bay all year round Seal Colony;

7.     Learn how a miner lived in the 19th century when the promise of gold lured thousands at the Bearded Miners 1860s replica hut in Reefton.

8.     River rafting down the mighty Buller River;

9.     World class mountain biking – from the high plateau via Denniston to Charming Creek Walkway, Waiuta in Reefton and the K-road track in Karamea;

10.  Working mine tours to Oceania Gold Mine in Reefton or Stockton Opencast Coal Mine between Granity and Ngakawau on the high plateau.

We’re just four hours drive from Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers via the West Coast Road (SH6) through Punakaiki. Alternatively, you can arrive from Nelson, Picton or Blenheim via the spectacular Buller Gorge. Christchurch and Kaikoura are connected to Buller via Arthurs or Lewis Pass. From Hanmer it’s about three hours drive which takes you through Reefton to Greymouth or State Highway 69 to Inangahua Junction and Westport.

Use our Drive Times and Distances Map for easy planning:

So what are you waiting for?  Book your Buller stopover now!