West Coast Walking: A Naturalist’s Guide

The West Coast of New Zealand's South Island arguably boasts the greatest range of the country's natural attractions, from the warm, temperate nikau palm forests at Karamea to the cool beech forests of Haast, from the alpine heights of Arthur's Pass to the dramatic Paparoa coast with glaciers that descend into valleys filled with unique podocarp rainforests and pristine lakes and lagoons. This book presents an introduction to the West Coast's physical environment, plants, and animals, and it provides a guide to the walks--short, easy paths as well as longer, more demanding trails--lakes, lagoons, and highways of the remote yet accessible region. These attractions will appeal to bird watchers, botanists, natural historians, ecologists, and nature hikers.

Kerry-Jayne Wilson is a retired ecologist and conservationist who has 40 years of experience researching and exploring New Zealand’s West Coast and is a former lecturer at Lincoln University. She is the author of 70 scientific publications that include two books, A Checklist to New Zealand Birds, Frogs, Reptiles, Mammals and Butterflies and the award-winning Flight of the Huia. She lives on the West Coast.