Ship Creek Tauparikākā walks: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

This is a true wild South Westland experience for people of all ages and abilities. Enjoy magnificent photo opportunities of a dune lake and sweeping coastline and walk in ancient kahikatea swamp forest, all starting from the same point.

This DOC directory entry covers Ship Creek Tauparikākā walks in West Coast, within Haast, Paringa and Moeraki rivers area / Ship Creek area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
• Walking time: 20 min return Kahikatea Swamp Forest Walk | 30 min loop Dune Lake Walk
• DOC grade: Easiest

Access and alerts

Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.

Dog access

No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.

Description

There are two walks at Ship Creek. You can complete one or both of them, starting at the same carpark.

Kahikatea Swamp Forest Walk (at Ship Creek Tauparikākā)

Time: 20 min returnDistance: 800 m returnAccess: Suitable for wheelchairs

This walk is suitable for wheelchairs. This is a gentle walk following the slow-flowing Ship Creek Tauparikākā. A creek-side viewpoint allows easy observation of the forest plants and wildlife. The track loops through an area of dense swamp forest where you can see stunning specimens of New Zealand’s tallest tree, the kahikatea (white pine).

Dune Lake Walk (at Ship Creek Tauparikākā)

Time: 30 min loopDistance: 1 km loopAccess: Suitable for wheelchairs

The first part of this walk, along the sand dunes, is an easy access short walk that is suitable for wheelchairs. The track then becomes ‘short walk’ grade and winds through dense coastal forest stunted by wind. The walk opens out to provide magnificent photo opportunities from platforms that overlook the dune lake and the sweep of the coastline southwest to Jackson Head.

Getting there

These walks are signposted off SH6 as you head north from Haast to Lake Paringa.

Ship Creek Tauparikākā is 20 km north of Haast.

Know before you go

There are toilets at car park, as well as picnic area and tables.

Carry a raincoat as South Westland weather is very changeable.

Insect repellent is recommended the ward off sandflies and mosquitoes.

Nature and conservation

This outstanding World Heritage Area showcases New Zealand’s unique lowland kahikatea swamp forest and wetlands. Only 2% of kahikatea forest remains with Ship Creek Tauparikākā being one of the best examples accessible to visitors that you will come across. This ancient swamp forest provides visitors a glimpse back in time and before human settlement.

Dune lake

Sitting between the swamp forest and the active foredunes is the dune lake. It was formed overtime as the coastline sediment accumulated between dune ridges. At the same time, the back dunes gradually have become clothed in forest vegetation. Ship Creek Tauparikākā provides a classic example of these natural processes.

The driftwood-strewn sandy beach and rocky outcrops continue to provide valuable resting and breeding habitat for coastal wildlife and habitat for rare coastal plants. Pīkao/pingao is the dominant native cover on the sand dunes at Ship Creek Tauperikaka, with the native sand daphne, coastal sedge and ice-plant common.

History and culture

International shipwreck of mystery

Ship Creek takes its name from the wreck of the Schomberg, a clipper that ran ashore on an uncharted sand bank in Victoria, Australia in December 1855. No lives were lost, subsequent enquiries blamed Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes with passengers mentioning his tyranny and ‘neglect of duty ‘on the voyage.

Initially some mystery surrounded the wreck when it was noticed by James Hector a geologist and explorer and later director of the Colonial Museum (now Te Papa Tongarewa) during a visit in 1871. After some international back and forth and discussions with the ship builder in Aberdeen, Scotland it was confirmed as wreckage of the Schomberg that had drifted 2000 km across the Tasman sea from the initial wreck site.

Sources and reuse

Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.

The accompanying photograph is published in DOC's official route gallery with an explicit reuse licence. Its original caption and credit are retained; it does not establish current track conditions.