Haast township is scattered over a wide area and comprises Haast (a small servicing settlement), Haast Junction on the main highway, and Haast Beach on the Haast Beach-Jackson Bay Road. Where exactly the middle of town might be is anybody's guess, but more importantly this loose collection of petrol stations, hotels and shop (there is only one general store) is the gateway to a beautiful, wild
region known simply as 'Haast'.

Wilderness and Wildlife

The wilderness area of Haast is part of the South-West New Zealand World Heritage Area (Te Wahipounamu). Established in 1990, Te Wahipounamu encompasses Westland, Mount Cook, Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks - roughly 10 percent of New Zealand's total area.

The Haast region stretches along the coast south of Haast township to the Cascade River. This remote pocket of land between the sea and the Southern Alps preserves a unique natural environment composed of majestic kahikatea swamp forests, coastal lagoons, deserted driftwood-strewn beaches and beautiful rivers and lakes. At rocky points along the coast it is possible to view blue and Fiordland crested penguins and fur seals. Inland the lowland rainforests offer refuge to parakeets, kakas (bush parrots), kiwis and many other native birds.

Destinations in Haast

Makarora