Hidden away in the rugged West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Greymouth is one of the country’s best kept secrets. With its dramatic coastline and luscious forests- this part of New Zealand offers a plethora of photographic opportunities for the keen explorer. In this article, we’ll explore some tips and tricks for capturing the best possible photographs of the Greymouth Region, as well as some general traveller’s advice.
Greymouth is the largest town on the Western Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Founded during the Gold Rush in the 1860’s, the town became a highly sought after location for mining companies around the world. Throughout history is has also become infamously associated for some of the most tragic events in the history of New Zealand mining- including the Pike River and Strongman Mining disasters. Despite its tragic history, Greymouth continues to remain a treasured hub for landscape photographers to explore the surrounding regions.
Motukiekie Beach
Motukiekie Beach is just a short 20-minute drive from Greymouth town. It’s a must-visit location for photographers wishing to capture a truly wild and untamed landscape of New Zealand. The most iconic features of Motukiekie Beach are the towering rock stacks out at sea, as well as the vivid orange starfish, visible to the rock pools during low tide.
The clifftop drive to Motukiekie Beach is one of the most breathtaking- giving our famous ‘Great Ocean Road’ in my home state of Victoria a run for its money. There are a few scenic viewpoints worth visiting along the way, but the main access to the rocks is by parking at a pullout by an old hut (we use this as our landmark which is roughly here).
From this access point, it is about a 20 minute walk to the beginning of rock stacks, and you can even keep walking further to the next beach for different viewpoints.
Tides are Crucial
One piece of advice when visiting Motukiekie is to check the tides. Motukiekie beach is only accessible at low tide. If you’re planning to visit in the early morning or evening as most photographers do, ensure the low tides roughly coincide with those of sunrise/sunset. I use the Tide Forecast website to check, as it’s got a graph which pictorially shows the tides and the sunrise/set times together, making it very user friendly.
To see the starfish, you’ll need to walk out onto a black rock platform just in front of the rock stacks. It’s even more crucial to do this at the lowest part of the tide, as you may not be able to reach it otherwise. Or if the tide is incoming and you get a bit carried away photographing the starfish (like we almost did), you may even get stuck out there!
If you can, I’d highly recommend investing in a pair of waders. These have completely changed my life when it comes to shooting seascapes. Waves can be incredibly unpredictable and while it’s important to navigate how close you choose to get the waves depending on your level of experience around them, you’ll almost always get the odd wave that catches you by surprise that completely drenches you! Waders are great for getting out onto the rock platforms because sometimes you do have to navigate some deeper water, depending on the swell and the tide. A handy side benefit of waders is that they also help protect you from New Zealand’s greatest enemy: the sandfly.
Beware the Sandflies
If mosquitos are your life-long enemy, you’re going to meet a little guy you’ll hate even more. Beware: the dreaded sandfly. Sandflies are typically found on the West Coast of New Zealand, and yes- that certainly includes Greymouth.
While these little unassuming little bloodsuckers are only 1/3 the size of a mosquito, their bites pack a mightier punch. Not only are Sandfly bites far more itchy, but they can swell up to the size of a marble and can last weeks!
While I am lucky to have never been bitten, this is largely due to the cautionary tales by my travel partner Kah Kit. I managed to leave Greymouth unscathed, so here is some advice on how I managed to do so:
- Visit during the cooler months: We arrived in Greymouth in May, and while there were some Sandflies around, they weren’t nearly as many as Kah Kit had encountered during previous visitings during the Summer period. Like mosquitos, sandflies thrive in warm weather so if the cold doesn’t bother you, I’d opt for a visit anytime between Autumn to Early Spring.
- Wear Bushman’s 40% Deet: There are plenty of options when it comes to repellent, but many of them won’t work unless they are 40% Deet. An added bonus is that this repellant also works the best for mosquitos as well. Win!
- Cover Up: Similar to mosquitos, sandflies will be strongly attracted to any exposed skin. Creating a barrier out of several layers of clothing can be a life saver (this is where the waders can come in handy). It’s a good idea to even wear gloves to protect your hands (even if it’s not that cold). I also wore a rain jacket with a hood to create a thick, non porous outer layer to really keep those little buggers out.
- Careful Opening the Car: When opening the car door, ensure that you only do it when you really need to. The last thing you want to do is be trapped inside with them. While there weren’t too many sandflies during our visit, Kit has previous stories of having to run around in circles, trying to swarm these aggressive bastards off before quickly making a break for it into the car. Sounds dramatic, but it’s true.
While sandflies may seem like the devil of New Zealand, at least unlike mosquitos, sandfly bites don’t carry diseases- they are more just a big nuisance than anything.
Pancake Rocks
If you venture about 20 minutes further past Motukiekie, you’ll come across one of New Zealand’s most intriguing natural formations: the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks. These limestone formations were carved over millions of years out of layers of sediment that eventually rose up out of the sea due to the seismic action in this region. Over time, the treacherous ocean has eroded back the limestone, creating crevasses beneath the surface, including a blowhole- where the sea water ferociously bursts through the opening of the rock.
There is an easy, well paved walk that allows access to a range of great lookout points for these rock formations, as well as surge pools and the main blowhole. I’d recommend going on a high tide, as the blowhole wasn’t doing much ‘blowing’ when we went, as the waterline was a bit low (and perhaps the swell too). It was still really cool to see the power of the ocean at play.
There are numerous great locations for photography opportunities. The photo below was taken at a view point near the surge pool, about 10 minutes into the walking track, just past the blow hole. I loved this towering, lone rock formation jutting out of the water, which is very iconic of North West coastlines. I love the way sun set behind this rock, creating some wonderful backlighting against the green foliage and also the water that splashes up against the rock.
The main viewpoint is also worth photographing. As mentioned, we didn’t get much seawater coming out of the blowhole, but there are still some great compositions that can be made with the layered rocks and the hazy layers of headland in the background.
This is a great photo I found by Joshua Cripps, which really shows the full extent of what is the blowhole is capable of- you can find more on his website.
The last place in the Greymouth worth mentioning is Hokatika. Unfortunately I didn’t get time to visit Hokatiki this time, but it is known for its beautiful turquoise gorge. If you love nature walks, then I highly recommend visiting this beautiful spot, as it has a stunning hour-long walk that traverses around the gorge. This will most certainly be on my bucket-list when I next visit this region.
In conclusion, Greymouth is undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets. It is a place of unparalleled natural beauty, offering photographers a wealth of opportunities to capture the stunning, wild scenery that makes New Zealand what it is.
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About Me
I am a photographer based in Torquay, an hour south of Melbourne. I have wide range of experience in landscape, portrait, aerial and construction photography.
I have spent extensive time overseas, attending workshops with world renowned photographers, refining my photography style and knowledge.
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