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Hiking

Cape Foulwind Walkway: seals, cliffs and lighthouse views near Westport

ReGear

Choose a short seal-colony walk or Cape Foulwind’s 3.4 km one-way coastal route. Includes maps, parking, effort and return-trip planning.

Coastline at Cape Foulwind in evening light.

Cape Foulwind offers two useful choices: a short visit to the seal viewing platform, or a longer coastal walk towards the lighthouse. Decide which you want before starting so the return journey is part of the plan.

Quick facts

  • Full walkway: 3.4 km one way, about 75 minutes.
  • Walking back the same way: roughly 6.8 km and 2½ hours, plus stops.
  • Short seal-platform option from Tauranga Bay: 1 km return, about 30 minutes.
  • Toilets and free parking at both ends; bring drinking water.

Entrance and getting there

The walkway is about a 15-minute drive from Westport. Start at Tauranga Bay for the seal platform, or use the northern Lighthouse Road car park. Arrange a pickup if walking one way; otherwise allow time to retrace the route.

Location and route maps

Cape Foulwind location relative to Westport on real aerial imagery, with north up.
Cape Foulwind mapped walking track highlighted orange on real aerial imagery, with its entrance marked and north up.

Orange highlights show the mapped walking paths. Use DOC’s current track page and map for alerts and trip planning.

The walk, in order

  1. From Tauranga Bay, follow the formed path to the seal viewing platform.
  2. For the full walk, continue north along the coastal track towards the lighthouse.
  3. Pass the lighthouse and continue to the northern car park, or turn back earlier for a shorter outing.

What to expect

The seal-platform section is the easier, accessible option, with gentle slopes and some steeper parts. The full route is a longer coastal outing. Wind and exposed cliff edges matter more than the kilometre count: keep children close and stay on the formed path.

What I would bring

I would bring a jacket that blocks wind, walking shoes, water and binoculars if available. View seals from the platform and give them space; DOC specifies at least 20 metres.

Facilities and the return plan

Dogs must be on a lead. Mountain bikes are not permitted on this walkway. Accessible toilets are at Tauranga Bay, and phone coverage is patchy. Check your transport arrangement before leaving the car park.

Another outing to consider: Hokitika Gorge’s short walk.

More walks to compare

Sources and photo credits

Source checks: 29 September 2026.

Maps: aerial imagery from LINZ Basemaps and its imagery contributors, CC BY 4.0; location labels and track highlights added. Track and road geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Photo: 2022-06-03 Cape Foulwind, New Zealand.jpg — Maksym Kozlenko. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display.