Cape Foulwind

Cook named it Cape Foulwind in 1770 after being blown about off it, and the wind has not improved. The walkway runs about three and a half kilometres along the clifftop between the lighthouse car park and Tauranga Bay, and the colony is at the southern end: New Zealand fur seals breed here, with bulls holding territory from November, pups born in December, and the pups then spending months in a shallow rock pool nursery below the viewing platform where they learn to swim. Watching that from above, at a proper distance, is the reason to come, and the platform means the twenty-metre rule takes care of itself. Abel Tasman, the first European to sight the cape, called it Rocky Cape in 1642, and the walk gives a long view of the sea named after him. It is fully exposed - there is no shelter along the clifftop and the wind lives up to the name. Tauranga Bay has a cafe; the lighthouse end has nothing.

What you'll find

• The seal colony - breeding from November, pups from December.
• The nursery pool - pups learning to swim, below the platform.
• The clifftop walkway - about three and a half kilometres between the two car parks.
• The Tasman - open ocean the whole length of the walk.

When to go

November to April; December to March for pups in the nursery pool. The wind is the deciding factor - check it before committing to the full walk.

Things to know

Fully exposed with no shelter and often strong wind. Stay on the platform and paths; twenty metres from seals applies where the track passes close. Two car parks means either a return walk or a shuttle.

Nearby

Westport is inland; Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks are south down the coast.

Key facts