Once you reach the West Coast on the Haast Highway SH 6, you can stop at Jackson Bay Okahu. But it is only another 10 minutes to the Okuru River mouth at Hapuka Estuary.
This is an incredibly photogenic place in calm conditions with late afternoon light. A short boardwalk around the Hapuka Estuary lagoon puts you right over the wetlands, and the beach is accessible just along the road.
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