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The West Coast of the South Island reaches from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in the south, a distance of 500 km. To the west is the Tasman Sea (which like the Southern Ocean can be very rough, with four-metre swells common), and to the east are the Southern Alps. Much of the land is rugged, with a coastal plain where much of the population resides.
The land is very scenic, with wild coastlines, mountains and a very high proportion of native bush, much of the native temperate rain forest. It is the only part of New Zealand where significant tracts of lowland forest remain. Scenic areas include the Hasst Pass, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and the Heaphy Track.
