West Bay Campsite

West Bay Campsite is DOC’s two-zone campground beside Lake Rotoiti. Jetty has 16 unpowered sites and Buller has 22. Both sit among kānuka and mānuka, with the shore close by but trees screening some pitches; do not count on a lake view from every site.

The campground is just off SH63 on Mt Robert Road, about a 3 km drive or a 30-minute walk from St Arnaud. Book before arrival: reservations are required and no spaces are held for walk-ins. Jetty and Buller have different summer opening windows, with Jetty generally open earlier and later. Check the dates for your zone, and book well ahead for holiday periods and boat weekends.

Both areas have toilets, cold-water showers, cooking shelters and picnic tables, but no power. Fires and dogs are prohibited, and there is no rubbish or recycling service, so pack waste out. Bring food to prepare at camp. Sandflies are a recurring nuisance, and some tent pitches are firm or gravelly, though the ground varies between the two zones.

Moraine Walk passes behind the campground and takes about 90 minutes return around Black Hill. It crosses debris left by the Travers Glacier and passes kettle ponds formed where ice blocks melted in glacial gravel. DOC describes the nearby kānuka and mānuka as early regrowth after fire and an important step toward beech forest.