Karamea is a town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost settlement of any real size on the West Coast, and is located 96 kilometres (60 mi) northeast by road from Westport. Apart from a narrow coastal strip, the town of Karamea and its local area are completely surrounded to the south, east and north by Kahurangi National Park.
Kahurangi National Park in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand is the second largest of the thirteen national parks of New Zealand. It was gazetted in 1996 and covers 5,193 km2 (2,005 sq mi), ranging from the Buller River near Murchison in the south, to the base of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay in the north. The park has no single dominant landform, but includes an unusually wide variety of landscapes, including mountain ranges, rivers, gorges, raised peneplains and karst features such as caves and arches. Many of the landforms within the park are considered to be nationally or internationally significant.
The Heaphy Track is a popular tramping and mountain biking track in the north west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located within the Kahurangi National Park and classified as one of New Zealand's ten Great Walks by the Department of Conservation. Named after Charles Heaphy, the track is 78.4 kilometres (48.7 mi) long and is usually walked in four or five days. The track is open for shared use with mountain bikers in the winter season from 1 May to 30 September each year. The southern end of the track is at Kōhaihai, north of Karamea on the northern West Coast, and the northern end is in the upper valley of the Aorere River, Golden Bay.
The Karamea Bight is the name given to a large bay in the Tasman Sea formed by a curved stretch of the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It stretches for 100 kilometres north from Cape Foulwind to just north of the mouth of the Heaphy River.
Arapito is a town in the Karamea area of New Zealand. Arapito is a farming community on the south side of the Karamea River, upriver from the main Karamea township.
State Highway 67 (SH 67) is a New Zealand state highway located in the northern parts of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 51.2 km long usually on the coast and connects SH 6 with the settlement of Mokihinui. It used to be 96 kilometres long and ran the entire length of the road from Westport to Karamea The highway and its spur serves the large West Coast town of Westport and lies entirely within the Buller District.
The Baton River is a river in the Tasman District of the South Island of New Zealand. It rises near the Baton Saddle in the Arthur Range and flows ESE then northeast before feeding into the Motueka River 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of Woodstock. A tramping track follows the upper part of the river valley, leading to the Karamea-Leslie track and Kahurangi National Park.
The Huia River is a river of New Zealand's South Island West Coast. It flows north to meet with the Kakapo River two kilometres before the latter flows into the Karamea River, 17 kilometres to the east of Karamea.
The Karamea River is located in the West Coast Region of the South Island of New Zealand. The river rises within Kahurangi National Park in the Matiri Range of the Southern Alps. The river rises to the east of Mount Allen, meandering west briefly before turning north. After some 25 km (16 mi) it again turns west, to enter a series of small lakes where its waters are joined by those of the Roaring Lion River. From here the river continues west through steep-sided valleys before leaving the national park and reaching its floodplain 10 km (6.2 mi) from the coast of the Tasman Sea. The river passes the small settlements of Umere and Arapito before reaching the Ōtūmahana Estuary and the Tasman Sea close to the township of Karamea.
The Leslie River is a river of the northwest of New Zealand's South Island located in the Buller District. A tributary of the Karamea River, the Leslie flows west from the Wharepapa / Arthur Range, meeting the Karamea 28 kilometres (17 mi) east of the town of Karamea. The river's entire length is within Kahurangi National Park.
The Roaring Lion River is a river in the Buller District of New Zealand's South Island located in Kahurangi National Park. It flows southeast from its source in the Tasman Mountains to the east of Mount Domett, gradually turning southwest before reaching the Karamea River 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Karamea.
The Crow River is a river located in Kahurangi National Park in the West Coast Region of New Zealand. It arises in the Wharepapa / Arthur Range and flows south-west and then north-west into the Karamea River. The river may be named after the South Island kōkako, sometimes called the orange-wattled crow.
The Taipō River is a river of the northern West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows east from its sources at Mount Zetland, fed by many streams draining the north side of the Allen Range to reach the Karamea River 25 kilometres southeast of Karamea.
Little Wanganui is a dairy-farming village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, on the Little Wanganui River. It is 77 kilometres (48 mi) north of Westport and 21 kilometres (13 mi) south of Karamea, at the opposite end of the Karamea Beach. The settlement has a pub, community hall, and volunteer fire brigade, and in 2013 the population was 207. There is a surfing beach, and the Little Wanganui River is popular for whitebaiting and fishing for brown trout.
The Karamea Aerodrome serves the town of Karamea, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is a non certificated aerodrome located around 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) northwest of the town.
Karamea Centennial Museum is a museum in Karamea on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
Ōtūmahana Estuary, also known as the Karamea Estuary, is a tidal estuary in the Buller District of the West Coast Region of New Zealand. It is located at the mouth of the Karamea River and also receives the outflow of Ōtūmahana creek.
The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track in the north-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the main tramping tracks in the Kahurangi National Park, a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation. The route traverses the southern end of the park, from the historic Wangapeka goldfields area west of Tapawera, to the coastal plains of the West Coast at Little Wanganui. The route is 59 km (37 mi) long, and crosses the Wangapeka and Little Wanganui saddles, each over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The track passes through the valleys of the Wangapeka River, Karamea River, Taipō River and Little Wanganui River. The majority of the track is in river valleys and under forest cover, with small sections in tussock land at Stag Flat and the Little Wanganui Saddle. It typically takes walkers 4–6 days to complete the route.
Umere is a town in the Karamea area of New Zealand. Umere is a farming community on the north side of the Karamea River, upriver from the main Karamea township.
