Westport sits at the mouth of the Buller River on the north end of New Zealand's West Coast, a working town that grew up on coal and gold. The Māori knew the river as Kawatiri, and European settlers arrived in the 1860s when gold was found upstream, then stayed for the coal dug from the high plateau at Denniston, whose steep incline railway was one of the engineering marvels of its day. The coal trade still shapes the town, and the harbour and the long quay give it a plain, practical character that suits the coast.
Westport is also where the drama of the coast begins. To the west the road runs out to Cape Foulwind, a headland with a walkway and a New Zealand fur seal colony, and the name is a reminder of Captain Cook's bad weather in 1770. South of the town the highway squeezes between the Tasman Sea and the forested hills, passes the cliffs of the Paparoa range, and arrives at Punakaiki, where the Pancake Rocks, layered limestone stacks, blow spray through blowholes on a rising tide. From here the road continues toward Greymouth and the glaciers further south, about a hundred kilometres to the next big town.
The riding is superb but demanding. The highway has long coastal stretches with surf crashing on one side and rainforest on the other, interrupted by narrow one-lane bridges and tight bends, and the West Coast is one of the wettest parts of the country, so be ready for rain and slippery paint on the road. Sandflies at every stop are the other local feature, and a long-sleeved jacket and a bit of repellent help. On a clear day you can see the Southern Alps rise white in the distance.
Fuel and food are easy in Westport itself, and you should fill up properly before you leave because stations thin out on the road south. The coast road is quiet in winter, though cold and wet, and best from late spring to autumn. Order a plate of whitebait fritters if the season is right, as the Coast has a long tradition of them.