Welcome to Ship Creek

Welcome to Ship Creek. Nau mai, haere mai, tauti mai ki Tauparikaka. This is a powerful place where land meets sea, where nature's forces collide creating landforms shaped by ice, river and ocean. The Tasman's heaving surf continues to mould beaches and dunes, constantly wrestling with river mouths and tossing their sediments back onto the land. Over thousands of years this process has created the Haast coastal plain , the most extensive wetland area in the country. You are standing at its northern boundary., For Māori, this place resonates deeply. As people of the land, Ngāi Tahu and their predecessors trace their roots back over 700 yrs. A number of kāinga/settlements were once spaced along the South West's wild coastline, taking advantage of the area's rich seasonal kai/food supplies. The nearest kāinga were just north at Paringa and Bruce Bay/Mahitahi where, today, Kāti Mahaki ki Makaawhio, a sub-tribe of Ngāi Tahu, are centred around their marae/meeting place., Ship Creek/Tauparikaka is a place of respite and retreat. Both for ourselves and for the wildlife attracted here, it is a welcome breathing-space , a coastal paradise., The sequence of vegetation, from the golden sand sedge/pingao to the wind clipped broadleaf forest, to mature kahikatea groves and wetlands beyond, provide superb habitat for an array of birds, fish and invertebrates., Beneath the breakers, the marine habitat is equally as healthy, luring whales, dolphins, seals and penguins to feed on the ocean's bounty. Look offshore for the threatened Hector's dolphins /tutumairekurai who favour these waters, especially over the summer when their calves are born., Ship Creek is a place of mystery. Why did European explorers name it Ship Creek? Visit the shelter and find out more …, Dune Lake Walk , 30 minute round trip , Follow the curved boardwalk from the shelter for a circuit through the dune landscape. A number of viewpoints frame the best vistas. Wander through dense coastal forest to gain a bird's eye view of the extensive Haast coastal plain unfolding down to Jackson Bay/Okahu. Weave through rushes beside a dune lake and identify birds and aquatic life thriving in this wetland zone., Kahikatea Swamp Forest Walk , 20 minutes return , In addition to the drama of the coast, a peek into a remnant kahikatea forest is well worthwhile. Appearing to ‘walk on water’, these trees interlock their roots to help keep them upright in the boggy conditions. A boardwalk follows tranquil Ship Creek inland giving you a close encounter with a swamp forest and New Zealand's tallest trees. Along the way, the story of their ecology and destruction is interpreted through sculpture, imagery and script., You are travelling a World Heritage Highway , Highway 6. Te Wāhipounamu-South West New Zealand World Heritage Area covers 2.6 million hectares representing New Zealand's most spectacular mountains to sea landscapes. This is one of the great temperate wilderness areas of the world., Caption The magnificent sweep af coastline from Ship Creek Tauparikaka Point (foreground) south to Jackson Bay/Okahu showing the Haast coastal plain dotted with wetlands and lakes. Andris Apse