Jan 14, 2026 Forest to Beach
The nearby Pakihi Walk Lookout affords you a fantastic view of the Southern Alps on a good day. Unfortunately today was not a good enough day. We took the short hike to the viewing deck, but clouds obscured the view of the mountains for us, so we took a trail around the hilltop viewing platform.
The trail led into the remnant rimu tree forest, but as the sign says, ‘No Exit’. The trail goes out to a lagoon, not to the beach, but we enjoyed being in the cool regenerating forest and turned around when we reached the marshy area.
A long ago naturally fallen rimu tree that we had to step over has amazing bark detail.
We finished our 2 mile walk and returned to the tiny enclave of Ōkārito and went down to the beach. You should be warned however, that the Wild West Coast beaches are not to be trifled with! They are not ‘bathing-beauty’, white sand swimming beaches. They are wild, rugged, dangerous places where you are NOT encouraged to swim!
One lonely fisherman in the distance who drove down to the water’s edge. The only other people were a few tourists who stopped briefly, like us, to snap some pictures of the empty, grey sand and cobbles with drift wood scattered along the tide line. I did find a small piece of pounamu (NZ jade) worn and polished by the rough sand and crashing waves over millennia.