Westport M v Kaitawa Memorial Kawatiri Beach Trail

The Tip Head, Westport The Tip Head is a coastal granite rock structure consisting of two breakwaters at the mouth of the Buller/Kawatiri River — a classic Westport landmark, dramatic in any weather and especially spectacular when a westerly swell is running and the river is in flood. Buller Kawatiri Getting there on the Skinny Turbo The Tip Head is right on the edge of town, accessed via Beach Drive or the junction of North Tiphead, Coates Street, and Craddock Drive. The Kawatiri River Trails connect at the junction of North Tiphead, Coates Street and Craddock Drive, so you can ride riverside trails from near the town centre and arrive at the breakwaters with barely a car in sight. NZ Pocket Guide The Skinny Turbo is well suited to this — it's light, nimble, and the narrower tyres roll efficiently on the flat gravel paths and sealed esplanade that run along the riverbank. The Kawatiri River section of the Kawatiri Coastal Trail runs right on the edge of Westport, flanked by native flax/harakeke and cabbage trees/tī kōuka along the riverbanks, with views out to the Tasman Sea — so the ride itself is the attraction, not just the destination. AllTrails At the breakwaters The Tip Head has both an East and West breakwater. You can ride out along the top of the rock structure in calm conditions — it's wide enough for a bike and gives a surreal feeling of riding into the sea. The confluence of the Buller River and Tasman Sea from this vantage point, with Cape Foulwind visible to the south, is hard to beat on a fine West Coast morning. The river mouth is also a great spot for birdwatching, with a variety of wading birds and seabirds