Lodging · Westland Tai Poutini National Park
Sleep in a former village school, now a 12-person heritage lodge.
Overview
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Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Westland Tai Poutini audio tourRecorded for this place
Ōkārito Walks: the Trig or the Wetland“Up ahead is the start of the Ōkārito walks, beside the old schoolhouse.”
Plays as you drive up to Ōkārito School House in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Ōkārito School House is a restored former school in the middle of Ōkārito village, now a heritage lodge for one booking party of up to 12. It is an overnight stay, not a museum with public indoor access; book it if you want the history to be part of your accommodation, and do not turn up expecting to tour the rooms.
Single bunks are split between the main room and a back room. Mattresses are supplied, but bring a sleeping bag or duvet, pillow slips and towels. The kitchen has a fridge, oven, microwave, toaster and cookware, and there is a flush toilet; the house has no shower. Coin-operated showers at Ōkārito campground are a short walk away. There are no shops or service stations in the village, so bring food and other supplies.
The building was erected on its present site in 1901, though parts may survive from the first school built at the wharf in 1867. It educated local children until 1946. After falling into disrepair, the building was restored with the Greymouth YHA branch and reopened as a hostel in 1960; for the next three decades it was the village's only overnight accommodation. A major restoration followed in 1990, with later community-funded improvements to the kitchen and exterior.
Wildlife
89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyŌkārito Wetland Walk1 km · 20 min · At the trailheadA curving boardwalk leads to a bench overlooking the lagoon.
ModerateŌkārito Trig Walk4.2 km · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadShort climb, then lagoon, coast and Southern Alps in one view.
ModerateThree Mile Pack Track - Ōkārito Coastal Walk9.8 km · 3.5 hr · At the trailheadWind-shaped forest leads over a bluff to a lagoon bridge.
EasyPakihi Walk1 km · 30 min · 4.5 km awayA quick swamp and forest walk ends in a mountain view.
Campground · 0.1 km awayŌkārito Community CampgroundA friendly coastal base for Ōkārito's beach, lagoon and walks.
Sight · 0.3 km awayDonovan’s StoreAn 1865 gold-rush hotel still serves as a village gathering place.
Sight · 0.6 km awayŌkārito WharfA historic lagoon wharf with gold-rush stories and mountain views.
Beach · 0.6 km awayŌkārito BeachA wild, stony Tasman shore beside Ōkārito Lagoon.
Sight · 1 km awayŌkārito TrigA bush climb opens onto lagoon, coast and alpine peaks.
Sight · 3.5 km awayThree Mile LagoonA forest-fringed estuary at the end of an old gold-rush track.
Sight · 4.3 km awayPakihi LookoutA short, steep climb opens onto wetland, forest and snowy peaks.Parkwolf’s Westland Tai Poutini ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
