KCT starts in Westport, crosses the Kawatiri (Buller) River and heads southwest around the coast, taking in Carters Beach, Ōmau (The Cape) and Tauranga Bay, then cuts inland through Ōkari Bush before wending its way south to Charleston.

It is divided into eight sections, each with a distinctive landscape and history, and much of it illustrated along the way with compelling and artistic interpretive signage. Six of these sections are complete. The final two connect Ōkari with Charleston and are due to open in 2025.

I had two days in Westport and wanted to cycle and walk some sections. KCT project administrator Trudy Harrington offered a delightful solution.

First we drove to Virgin Bush Road, 20 minutes south of Westport, and walked the Ōkari section. There’s a lot to take in: tiny native orchids, tall rimu and tōtara, a cacophony of birdsong, and quirky kiwi sculptures designed by Westport artist Tracy Beynon.

Harrington is enthusiastic about this trail and the people supporting it: landowners Brownlee Farms and Pāmu Farms who allow access over their land, Westreef Services who constructed the trail, and the Westport Menz Shed who designed and built trap boxes and picnic tables.

She spoke at length about the volunteer trapping and restoration work being carried out by locals, including herself.

“We have 163 traps throughout the Ōkari/Tōtara sections, and since October 2023 have caught 301 rats and 29 mustelids,” Harrington says. “We’re collaborating with landowners and the Tōtara–Ōkari Trust to expand this further, and working to protect birdlife in the Cape Foulwind stewardship area.

“We’ve had a great intake of volunteers. Some of them bring experience from other projects. Mika Verheul and Hans Wiskerke, for example, have been instrumental in us getting established: they induct volunteers, calibrate traps and clear new trapping lines. Another trapper, Peter Coburn, has donated and manages 10 trail cameras so we can monitor our precious roroa [great spotted kiwi] in the Ōkari area.”

Other volunteers include the Friends of the Trail, who carry out maintenance and revegetation. “This year, helped by the Simplicity Foundation, they planted 4000 natives along the boardwalk between Westport and Carters Beach.” Then there are people like Dave King, who bikes the trail twice a month and trims flaxes. “That’s a life saver for us,” says Harrington.

“The biggest pleasure for all of us volunteers is meeting the people using the trail and seeing them so blown away by it, because it’s opening up and connecting all these beautiful areas. Local schools are coming to the trail for outdoor education and to learn about the ecology and history here. There are huge community benefits.”

On my second morning I cruised out of Coast Outdoors, on Westport’s main street, on a rented ebike and entered the trail at the Buller Bridge. The plan: to ride the first three sections to Ōkari Lagoon and back, a total of 42km.

It was the shortest day of the year, calm and sunny on the Coast, and I do believe I grinned the whole way. Highlights included the wetland boardwalk, kahikatea forest, Martins Creek suspension bridge, the mass of recent plantings and the estuary, where a big kōtuku white heron slowly lifted skyward as I rode by.

At Whare Ngāhue, a small shelter at the spot where it is believed the first wave of people arrived on Te Waipounamu, I was greeted with the words: Nau mai tauiti mai. Ngāti Waewae, as mana whenua of this area, extend a warm welcome to you. Information about archaeological explorations of this recently discovered and important site is displayed beautifully in the whare.

After a coffee stop at Carters Beach, a gentle cruise beside the sea towards Cape Foulwind was followed by an easy bushy climb over Ōmau (The Cape), where I took in a grand panorama of mountains from the Paparoa Range all the way to Aoraki Mt Cook.

Next, Tauranga Bay and Nine Mile Beach provided surf, seals and more views of the mountains. Information panels here tell of earlier peoples in the area: Māori following the pounamu trails, and Europeans seeking fortunes in the Charleston gold rush.

At Ōkari Lagoon the trail turned inland and, reluctantly, I turned around. As the sun descended I pedalled back past the beaches and estuaries and rivers to Westport, and enjoyed a new perspective of my morning’s ride.

Geoff Gabites of Cycle Journeys is a long-time supporter of West Coast cycle trails and believes the KCT will become an instant classic. “What we find special is the huge diversity, and the strength of the trail is that it can be ridden year-round. People can stop for a day and explore a region they’d seldom visit otherwise.”

Gabites also sees the KCT as a salve to counter the closure of Tōtara Bridge, near Ross, which has affected the final 10km of the West Coast Wilderness Trail. Adding the Kawatiri trail into a West Coast day rides package could, ironically, help bolster the Wilderness Trail, he says. Cycle Journeys is currently considering a daily morning shuttle from Westport to Charleston (with hire bikes available), giving people the day to ride the KCT back to Westport.

The KCT Trust is now looking to the future. The introduction of a $25 annual trail pass is “a critical step towards a more sustainable user-pays model,” says Harrington. “Uptake from local residents has been positive and we hope our summer visitors will also be supportive. We aim to foster a sense of community ownership, and at the same time invite visitors to contribute to the trail’s future and enhance their own experience.”

Rocky Point Run and Taste Buller

Expect community fun, great food and beverages and some of the most scenic running events you’ll find anywhere.

The Kawatiri Coastal Trail, on October 27, has options which include the 25km Rocky Point Run (from Ōkari forest, along Tauranga Bay and over Ōmau to Carters Beach), a 12.5km run or walk (Tauranga Bay, over Ōmau to Carters Beach) and a 5km run or walk (from Buller Bridge through the wetlands to Carters Beach). There are spot prizes and the region’s artisan producers will be showcasing their food and beverages.

Local volunteers and sponsors are making this community event possible, and funds raised will go towards trail maintenance and enhancement.