Everything you need to know about the Cape Foulwind Walkway

Described by DoC as one of their best short walks, the Cape Foulwind Walkway is a bracing and picturesque coastal walk. Photo / 123rf

Brace for the weather, the basking seals and one of DoC's best short walks, writes Elen Turner.

In a part of the country notorious for its wild weather, a place with the name of Cape Foulwind shouldn't raise any eyebrows. James Cook named the cape near Westport "Foulwind" for fairly obvious reasons: his ship was blown off course here in March 1770 by a westerly. The first European to set eyes on this land was actually Abel Tasman, in December 1642, who named it the equally apt and somewhat more mellifluous Clyppygen Hoeck, or Rocky Point. Don't let Cook's name put you off walking the Cape Foulwind Walkway, via the Tauranga Bay seal colony, as it's a bracing and picturesque place to take a coastal walk – what DoC describes as one of its best short walks.

The 75-minute (one way) walk can be started either from Tauranga Bay or the Cape Foulwind car park, at the end of Cape Foulwind Rd, but the Tauranga Bay end is a more popular starting point because if you decide not to walk the whole track, you won't miss the fur seal colony. Unless you have a pickup at either end, though, double the 3.4km track and prepare for a 2.5-hour walk. It's an easy one though, with only a bit of up and down, and suitable for the whole family. Just keep those kids away from the cliff edges (which are mostly protected by flax bushes anyway), and be prepared for all for seasons, as on any hike in New Zealand. You'll probably experience a foul wind, a bit of rain and blazing sun, all within 10 minutes, so pack a sunhat and windbreaker raincoat and embrace the West Coast in all its splendour.

The wild weather doesn't seem to bother the kekeno, or fur seals. Just a 10-minute walk from the car park at Tauranga Bay, this colony shelters between the rocks and feeds on the sea's bounty. The edge of the underwater continental shelf lies 50km offshore, forcing cold water up and stirring up nutrients fish like to eat – and fur seals like to eat fish, as well as squid and octopus. The viewing platform is conveniently above the colony, atop the cliffs, so there's little risk of disturbing them. Look down at the rocks beneath the cliff and before your eyes have adjusted you'll see that many "rocks" are actually basking fur seals.

A colony of fur seals shelter between the rocks at Tauranga Bay, Cape Foulwind. Photo / 123rf

Ten minutes further along the track, which is uphill in places, is a navigational astrolabe similar to the one Abel Tasman would have used when he came to the area in 1642. Check it out if you've spent time at the Top of the South and had wondered what this antique-sounding word – adopted by a Marlborough wine brand and an Abel Tasman roadstead – really means. The astrolabe lookout is a great spot for panoramic views of the ocean and coast, as are the next couple of lookout points along the track, Quarry View and Siberia Bay View. The Quarry View lookout is above a flat piece of land jutting out into the sea that was once a stone quarry, connected to Westport by rail. Stone from here was used to make the breakwaters at the mouth of the Buller River at Westport.

The ultimate goal of the walkway is to reach the Cape Foulwind Lighthouse (unless you start at this end, that is). Originally built in 1876 but replaced in the 1920s with the structure you see now, it's the only lighthouse between Jackson Bay, south of Haast on the far south of the West Coast, and Farewell Spit, the curve of sand at the very top of the South Island. Despite its notoriously bad weather, this stretch of coast didn't experience many shipwrecks, but the lighthouse was built to generally improve shipping safety.

The ultimate goal of the walkway is to reach the Cape Foulwind Lighthouse, with ample signage to help navigate your route there. Photo / 123rf

Along the walkway, look out for sea birds as well as fur seals (and the odd Hector's dolphin and orca). Cape Foulwind, the surrounding cliffs and the offshore islets are important breeding and nesting grounds for sea birds. These include sooty and fluttering shearwaters, fairy prions, and Australasian gannets. There are even some little blue penguin burrows on the lower slopes of predator-free Wall Island. The rocky islet opposite the fur seal colony may look small, but it is one of the most important seabird colonies on the West Coast.

A range of long-legged wading birds can also be seen around the wide beach of Tauranga Bay, including a variety of different tern, heron, dotterel, and oystercatcher species. Just don't be a stereotypical North Islander and whisper-shout "Kiwi!" when you encounter the ubiquitous weka on the paths. They're not nocturnal and they will steal your food (don't feed them!)

Whatever the weather brings to you on the day, a walk along the Cape Foulwind walkway is an invigorating alternative – or supplement – to seeing those fabulous West Coast rainforest-meets-sea views from a vehicle on a road trip.