Westland is the southern part of the West Coast, a narrow ribbon of land where the Southern Alps rise almost straight out of the Tasman Sea. The steep mountains force warm moist winds upward, dropping enormous amounts of rain that feed dense rainforests, glacier-fed lakes and rivers, and the occasional swamp.
The two star attractions are the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers — rare examples of temperate glaciers that descend almost to sea level, surrounded by rainforest. Hokitika is the region's cultural hub, known for its greenstone carving and annual Wildfoods Festival, while Greymouth is the largest town on the Coast and the terminus of the TranzAlpine railway from Christchurch.