Gillespies Beach

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Gillespies Beach. Matheson Cafe serves incredible pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, seafood, meat, and poultry dishes.  Betsey Jane Eatery & Bar is an upscale restaurant that serves pizzas, burgers, soups, salads, seafood, poultry, and meat dishes.  The White Pub Cafe & Bar serves incredible soups, salads, burgers, steaks, seafood, poultry, and meat dishes.  Sir William Fox Restaurant & Bar serves amazing burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, meat, seafood, and poultry dishes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant nearby, Cook Saddle Cafe & Saloon serves delicious meat, seafood, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for hotels near Gillespies Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 5-Star Te Waonui Forest Retreat is 56 minutes away by car and offers many amenities, including a spa, a terrace, a bar with a fireplace, an outdoor pizza oven, and a restaurant.  A more affordable hotel is the 4-Star Te Weheka Hotel Fox Glacier, which offers many amenities, including a bar, a fireplace, a library, and a restaurant.  Another moderately priced option is the 4-Star Fox Glacier Lodge, which has several amenities, including comfortable rooms and a barbecue grill facility.  A more reasonably priced option is the 3-Star High Peaks Hotel, which has a few amenities, including comfortable rooms and a restaurant.  If you are looking for another affordable hotel, Sunset Motel has comfortable rooms, whirlpool tubs, and a restaurant.

Gillespies Beach, New Zealand, does not have lifeguards or any other amenities except a campground and hiking trails, so plan your trip accordingly.

Gillespies Beach offers several fun activities, including swimming, beachcombing, camping, tidepooling, and watching wildlife.  Swimming is permitted if you intend to enter the water, although it can be dangerous due to rough waves and strong currents.  Hikers can enjoy the nearby Gillespies Beach Walking Tracks, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.  If you enjoy tidepooling, this beach is home to various marine life, where you may spot crabs, sea anemones, mussels, and other small creatures in the tide pools.  If you want to enjoy camping, you may book a nearby Gillespies Beach campsite that offers an amazing camping experience near the beach.  Visitors may spot New Zealand fur seals and many coastal birds, including oystercatchers and gulls, near the beach.  Also, Hector’s dolphins, one of the world’s rarest dolphin species, are sometimes seen off the coast.  Gillespies Beach is a remote and scenic beach on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, known for its serene environment, dramatic cliffs, rugged coastline, gold mining history, and Instagram-worthy vistas, making it a perfect location for capturing photos.  Dogs are not allowed on the beach if they are on a leash, and it is open from sunrise until sunset.

Gillespies Beach does not offer an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Gillespies Beach is easy - the beach has several parking spots near 1161 Gillespies Beach Road, near Cook River, Westland National Park 7886, New Zealand.  After parking, visitors have to walk southeast for five minutes to access the beach.

Gillespies Beach was named after Joseph Gillespie, a prospector who discovered gold in the area in the 1860s.  The beach and its neighboring area became a small but bustling gold mining settlement during the West Coast gold rush in the late 19th century.  Remnants of the mining days, including rusted mining equipment and tailings, can still be found near the beach.

There are many attractions near Gillespies Beach.  Westland Tai Poutini National Park is a protected area spread over 1,320 square kilometers famous for its glaciers, rainforests, lakes, and rugged coastline.  It was established in 1960 and is part of the Te Wāhipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Area, recognized for its exceptional natural beauty, geological significance, and unique ecosystems.  Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including hiking, watching wildlife, photography, and guided tours to experience the wild beauty of New Zealand’s South Island.  The Fox Glacier Valley Walk is a popular, moderately challenging hiking trail that meanders through a dramatic glacial valley, waterfalls, and rugged terrain along the Fox River, which together offers stunning views of Fox Glacier and the surrounding alpine landscape.  It is worth noting that there is a viewing area where you can see Fox Glacier from a safe distance, as access to the glacier is restricted due to safety concerns.  Lake Matheson is a small glacial lake located near the town of Fox Glacier known for its mirror-like reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman.  Hikers can explore this lake via a scenic loop track that takes you through native rainforest, where you may spot pukeko, black swans, ducks, and native forest birds along the trail.

Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is a stunning alpine park known for the country's highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook, and features breathtaking glaciers, rugged peaks, hiking trails, lakes, and alpine landscapes.  Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including hiking, mountaineering, glacier kayaking, boating, and aerial tours over glaciers and mountains.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, Trident Creek Falls is a beautiful 35-meter-high multi-tiered waterfall nestled in lush rainforest that cascades down moss-covered rocks, creating a picturesque scene.