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The West Coast Tai Poutini region is a unique part of New Zealand
that covers a distance of 600 kilometers, with a population of 31,000
and contains 1.9 million hectares of land protected by the Department
of Conservation.
The region offers a variety of tramps with more than 1,000 kilometers
of hiking paths. There are five national parks, two Wilderness Areas
and a World Heritage Area and there is an outstanding range of natural
features including rainforests, glaciers, wetlands and an ocean
habitat that is home to the Hector dolphin.
Among the top attractions are guided walks to the famous glaciers.
GEOGRAPHY
Sandwiched between the Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea, the West
Coast stretches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point
in the south, a distance of some 550 kilometers - the distance between
Auckland
and Wellington.
TRAVEL TIPS
Peak tourism season runs from mid-October through the end of April.
Reservations are recommended during this period.
Winter weather is not too harsh. The warm currents of the Tasman
Sea keep the temperatures relatively mild. It rarely snows in the
lowlands.
MINERALS
The region's abundant mineral wealth attracted early migrants.
The West Coast is famous for its jade
(pounamu), coal and gold.
TOURISM INDUSTRY
The West Coast hosted the 2006,
2007 Ecotourism
Conference and is preparing for the 2008 event.
There are a high number of businesses utilizing the environment
to provide tourism services such as glacier guiding, rafting and
cave tours. The Department of Conservation estimate that the conservation
area on the West Coast generates $221 million a year within the
local economy. In addition about 15% of the West Coast workforce
is employed on conservation land.
GLACIER TOWNS
The two main glacier towns of the West Coast, Franz Josef and Fox
Glacier, are surprisingly temperate.
FESTIVALS
Wildfoods Festival
FESTIVAL
PARKS
Kahurangi
Paparoa
Arthur's Pass
Westland
Mount Aspiring
BARRYTOWN
Barrytown
- Tom Walter
GLACIERS
Fox
Glacier - Tom Walter
GREYMOUTH
Greymouth
WORLD HERITAGE SITES
Te Wahi Pounamu
REFERENCES
Developing
Ecotourism Education in New Zealand - Brian MacKenzie
West Coast Development
Trust
Tourism West
Coast
Buller District
Poutini Press
West
Coast - The Press
West
Coast Tracks and Walks - Department of Conservation
Wild
Food Festivals New Zealand
FLICKR
New
Zealand Collection
Group:
Ecotourism Challenges
West
Coast New Zealand
West
Coast New Zealand
Westcoast
Cards - Tom Walter
ONLINE
FLICKR
WIKI
New
Zealand - Planeta Wikispace
ONLINE
WIKI
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