Okarito Coastal Walk

Ōkārito Coastal Walk and Three Mile Pack Track

The Ōkārito Coastal Walk and Three Mile Pack Track make a beautiful half-day loop on the West Coast of the South Island. We walked in the winter in an anti-clockwise direction starting with the coastal walk (on an outgoing tide) to the stunning Three-Mile Lagoon. From Three Mile Lagoon, the Three Mile Pack Track heads inland over the Kohuamarua Bluff back towards Ōkārito. We branched off to walk up to the Ōkārito trig and finished at the wetland. In all, it was around 13.4 km.

This was our second attempt at the loop, having been defeated by the tide a year or so ago. Times vary according to which website or noticeboard you read, but DOC says to allow about an hour and a half for the beach walk and walk it 1.5 hours on either side of low tide (which is variable with the weather and sea swells). Be sure to check the tide times before you leave. A copy is posted at the village car park by the wetland walk. We had internet coverage at the campsite the night before so were able to check online too.

Getting There

Ōkārito is about 27 km and 30 minutes drive north of Franz Josef. Turn off the SH6 and head towards the coast along the decent, sealed road. The village and lagoon are at the end of the road. If you haven’t been there before it’s definitely worth breaking up your journey to pay a visit. It’s a very special place and boasts the largest unmodified wetland in New Zealand, home to over seventy species of native birds. In the winter, it has a beautiful tranquillity about it.

If you don’t have time to walk the coastal loop there are other shorter walking options and if you don’t fancy a walk at all, at least get out for a look at the wetland, beach and the wharf. A sleepy little place today, Ōkārito was once a bustling gold mining settlement and the third-largest port on the west coast. For more information check out the DOC website and also the great displays at the wharf building on the main lagoon.

Timings Okatiro Coastal Walk

• DOC time – Three Mile Pack Track and Ōkārito Coastal Walk (9.8 km) – 3 hours 30 mins.
• Our time – Three Mile Pack Track and Ōkārito Coastal Walk (9.8 km) and Trig Walk (3.6 km return) – 3 hours 10 mins (including a 15-minute break at the trig)

Ōkārito Coastal Walk

Low tide was at 11 am. We started the beach walk at 9.40 am and on a calm winter’s day with only a gentle swell, this worked out well.

The day started cold and we wrapped up in jumpers, hats and gloves. Drizzle was forecasted and the clouds hugged the land as we crossed the jumble of driftwood and walked down onto the beach. The bush-clad cliffs ahead looked like they dropped straight into the ocean from here, but as we went down the beach we could see the tide was low enough to walk around the base.

We enjoyed the great views up the beach before heading south. Casting our eyes down, we peered amongst the smooth rounded pebbles for beautiful stones or other beach treasures.

After fifteen minutes we rounded the first headland. Giant marbled boulders were strewn across the beach. As we continued, there was evidence of more recent slips from sections of the cliffs above. You certainly wouldn’t want to be caught by the incoming tide.

About halfway round the incoming waves were still meeting the boulders at the base of the cliffs and we had to do a dash across the sand on the backwash to run to the next dry spot. A pair of oystercatchers were reluctant to leave their chosen rock and danced with the waves, flying up every time the spray hit.

Three Mile Lagoon

At 10.35, nearly an hour after we started walking and half an hour before low tide, we reached Three Mile Lagoon. We saw the track leading up the cliff to the left, but first went for a wander around the lagoon to check it out from the sea side.

There was hardly a ripple on the lagoon and the glorious forest and bush were reflected in the still, dark water. It was hard to imagine there used to be a settlement at Three Mile in the gold mining days. We turned back, headed up the cliff track and over to the suspension bridge.

The quiet stillness of the lagoon was a complete contrast to the booming waves. Looking towards the trees, fantails flitted around the canopy. We spent some time on the bridge soaking it all in. 

Three Mile Pack Track

We tore ourselves away from the quiet beauty of the lagoon and headed back up the mossy track to the Three Mile Pack Track at 11 am. The wide, benched track was in great condition and the gentle incline over the next 3.7 km or so wasn’t difficult. Ferns and kiekie lined the upper reaches and moss carpeted the sides and ground. We heard plenty of birdsong, including we thought a kākā.

Ōkārito Trig

Fifty minutes later we reached the turning for the Ōkārito Trig. Some track maintenance was going on when we walked, but it wasn’t a problem. 

The uphill climb took us just under fifteen minutes and we were rewarded with some stunning views and gentle rain. Even on a rainy day, the views from the trig were amazing across the lagoon and back towards Three Mile. On a clear day, there are incredible views of the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, but not for us this time.

There are some excellent information boards at the trig and you can learn about the ecological importance and protection of endangered species at the lagoon and about the people who have lived here. We ate our lunch in the rain and had a quick chat with the only other person we’d seen today.

Ōkārito Wetland

It was pretty much downhill all the way to the beautiful, wide boardwalk crossing the wetland. It took just over twenty minutes from the trig. The breeze gently rustled the tall grasses, and a multicoloured sheen floated on the dark mud below. We paused, hoping to see or hear a fern bird.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t our lucky day for the wetland birds, and at 12.40 pm we were back at the car. It would be great to kayak the lagoon (there are kayak rentals guided and unguided, from the village). Whatever you decide to do in Ōkārito, it will be time well spent.

Click the links below for some of my other walks on the west coast.

• Buckland Peaks, Westport – overnight
• Inland Pack Track, Punakaiki – overnight
• Mt Brown hut, Kaniere – overnight
• Roberts Point Track, Franz Josef – day walk
• Alex Knob, Franz Josef – day walk
• Camp Creek to Mt Alexander, Brunner – overnight
• Stafford Bay hut – day walk (or overnight)