Westland Tai Poutini National Park

Westland Tai Poutini National Park, WC

Places in Westland Tai Poutini

53 places · 35 sights ranked by Parkwolf

Places
53
Sights
35
Audio stories
49

Hear the audio tour

Lake Matheson: the Short Walk and the Mirror

All Westland Tai Poutini places

53 places

1SightAudioLake Matheson Jetty LookoutA short rainforest walk reaches the lake’s famous mountain mirror.2SightAudioTe Kopikopiko o te WakaCarved waka and a glacier panorama share a striking creation story.3SightAudioSentinel RockA short climb for glacier history and a wide valley view.4SightAudioFox Glacier South Side ViewpointThe 6.4 km south-bank walk to Fox Glacier's final viewpoint.5SightAudioView of Views LookoutA high lookout frames Aoraki and Tasman beyond the lake.6SightAudioReflection IslandFor the Alps doubled, aim for a still dawn.7SightAudioRoberts Point LookoutA demanding hike ends above Franz Josef Glacier.8SightAudioWelcome Flat Hot PoolsWarm pools and Sierra Range views, after a long backcountry tramp.Visitor centerAudioWestland Tai Poutini National Park Visitor CentreGet local track and weather advice before heading into the glacier valleys.9SightAudioWest Coast Wildlife CentreSee rowi up close at the centre that helps hatch them.10SightWaitangiroto White Heron ColonyWatch nesting kōtuku from a sheltered hide across the Waitangiroto River.11SightAudioŌkārito WharfA historic lagoon wharf with gold-rush stories and mountain views.12BeachAudioGillespies BeachA rugged beach with gold-rush relics and Southern Alps views.13SightAudioAlex KnobA full-day climb buys you Franz Josef Glacier from above.14SightAudioJetty Bay, Lake MāpōurikaA little jetty makes an easy stop for lake reflections.15SightAudioŌkārito TrigA bush climb opens onto lagoon, coast and alpine peaks.16SightAudioLake Gault LookoutA lakeside shelter with Southern Alps views, reached on foot.17SightAudioPeters PoolA quick, accessible walk to a mountain reflection pool.18SightAudioChristmas LookoutA high glacier view after three hours of uphill walking.19SightAudioTatare TunnelsA water tunnel with mining history and glowworms in the dark.20BeachAudioŌkārito BeachA wild, stony Tasman shore beside Ōkārito Lagoon.21SightAudioRata LookoutTwo hours uphill earns a first glimpse of Franz Josef Glacier.22SightAudioCanavans KnobA short rainforest climb to glacier views from a granite knob.23SightAudioCallery Gorge BridgeA rainforest walk to a 29-metre bridge over Callery Gorge.24SightAudioLake WombatQuiet rimu forest leads to a small, still kettle lake.25SightAudioGillespies Beach Miners CemeteryA quick stop in Gillespies Beach's gold-mining past.26SightAudioGillespies Suction DredgeA rusted dredge makes a failed gold venture easy to picture.27SightAudioSt James ChurchA small church whose altar view landed on a 1946 peace stamp.28SightAudioGillespies Bucket DredgeA rusting gold dredge ties this quiet walk to its mining past.29SightAudioGillespies Miners TunnelA miners’ tunnel still cuts through the old coastal pack track.30BeachAudioGalway BeachA forest tramp to a pebble shore and winter seal haul-out.31SightAudioThree Mile LagoonA forest-fringed estuary at the end of an old gold-rush track.LodgingAudioWelcome Flat HutA 31-bunk hut after seven hours on the Copland Track.32SightAudioWaiho Hot TubsA private, wood-fired soak among Franz Josef’s ferns.RestaurantAudioMatheson CaféBreakfast with Aoraki and Tasman in view.33SightAudioDonovan’s StoreAn 1865 gold-rush hotel still serves as a village gathering place.34SightAudioHende’s Hut and GalleryA 1907 cliff gallery on a demanding glacier-valley tramp.LodgingAudioŌkārito School HouseSleep in a former village school, now a 12-person heritage lodge.CampgroundAudioOtto/MacDonalds CampsiteA lakeside campground with sheltered tent and open van areas.CampgroundAudioWelcome Flat CampsiteBackcountry tents near hot pools, after a long valley walk.CampgroundAudioGillespies Beach CampsiteA simple coastal camp with goldfields walks and Southern Alps views.CampgroundAudioŌkārito Community CampgroundA friendly coastal base for Ōkārito's beach, lagoon and walks.35SightAudioPakihi LookoutA short, steep climb opens onto wetland, forest and snowy peaks.LodgingChancellor HutA 12-bunk historic hut on a glacial shelf above Fox Glacier.LodgingAlmer HutA historic 12-bunk hut for serious glacier crossings.LodgingDouglas Rock HutAn eight-bunk base for a demanding Copland backcountry trip.LodgingArchitect Creek HutTwo bunks make a useful overnight break halfway to Welcome Flat.LodgingCentennial HutA booked mountaineering hut high on Franz Josef névéLodgingPioneer HutA high alpine base for climbs above Fox Glacier’s névé.LodgingCassel Flat HutA six-hour walk to a six-bunk hut for experienced trampers.LodgingChristmas Flat HutA remote four-bunk hut for serious backcountry tramping.LodgingHorace Walker HutA four-bunk overnight for expert trampers in remote river country.LodgingLame Duck HutA four-bunk stop deep on an expert backcountry route.
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide

Westland Tai Poutini, narrated.

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 tour

Recorded for this place

Lake Matheson: the Short Walk and the Mirror
0:00 / 0:33
“You're coming up on Lake Matheson, known for reflecting Aoraki, Mount Cook, and Mount Tasman in its dark water. For a shorter visit, choose Jetty Lookout: about forty-five minutes return through rainforest.”

Plays as you drive up to Lake Matheson Jetty Lookout in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • How Waves Sort Black Sand
  • Why Crevasses Open
  • Te Kopikopiko o te Waka: Canoe and Mountains
  • Mount Fox Route: a Full Mountain Day
  • 49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“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!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Take Parkwolf to Westland Tai Poutini.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

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