The Buller region covers the northern half of the West Coast of the South Island, named for the Buller River that runs through it. The main town is Westport, a former coal-mining centre with the Coaltown Museum telling the region's industrial history. The Buller Gorge, where the river cuts through the mountains, is dramatic driving country, and the coastal road north to Karamea passes through native bush and ends at the Heaphy Track, one of New Zealand's Great Walks.
The Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki, where limestone has been eroded into stacked formations that look exactly like their name suggests, are the most visited attraction in the region. Carter's Beach north of Westport offers a long stretch of wild Tasman coastline.