Gillespies Beach

Westland Tai Poutini National Park


Follow Cook Flat Rd for its full 21km (the final 12km is narrow, winding and unsealed) to this remote beach, a ruggedly beautiful, wind-blasted length of slate-grey sand and shingle near an old mining settlement. Interesting walks from here include a 30-minute, partly sheltered circuit to a rusting gold dredge from 1932, and a 3½-hour return walk to Galway Beach, a seal hang-out; don't disturb them.

Five-hundred metres shy of the beach, signposted from the road, is a well-kept miners' cemetery, reached by a five-minute walk. There's a basic, eight-site DOC campground by the beach.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Westland Tai Poutini National Park attractions

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On a clear day, this is one of the best land-based positions from which to see Fox Glacier (though its retreat may mean you see just a snippet).

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5. Peters Pool

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