Westport is on the West Coast at the mouth of the Buller River, around 90 minutes north of Greymouth and 3 hours from Nelson via the Buller Gorge on State Highway 6.

Denniston is a former coal mining settlement on a plateau 600 metres above Westport, famous for the Denniston Incline railway that lowered coal down the near-vertical hillside. Its heritage workings are open to explore.

What is there to do in Westport?

The Cape Foulwind walkway and lighthouse, the Tauranga Bay seal colony, Carters Beach, Coaltown Museum and the Denniston Plateau cover the essentials, with the Buller Gorge and Punakaiki within day-trip range.

What schools are in Westport?

Buller High School is the main secondary school, with Westport North School and St Canice's School covering the primary years.

How do I get from Greymouth to Westport?

By car, around 90 minutes north via State Highway 6 along the coast. InterCity buses connect Westport with Greymouth and Nelson.

Which schools are in zone for Westport?

Children living in Westport are in zone for Westport South School. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Westport?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page. Enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Westport, West Coast | Postcode, Population & Property Values

Living in Westport

Westport sits at the mouth of the Buller River on the West Coast, around 4,500 people in the Coast's second town, and it carries the region's character in concentrated form: coal in the hills, surf on the bar, weather with genuine personality, and a community that treats resilience as a basic utility. The town has been flooded, battered and economically squeezed more times than it cares to count, and it remains, pointedly, here.

Coal built Westport, hauled down impossible inclines from the Denniston Plateau, whose ghost-town workings 600 metres above the coast now form one of New Zealand's most atmospheric heritage sites, the famous Denniston Incline plunging off the edge like an engineering dare. Coaltown Museum in town tells the story with proper Coast pride.

The coast delivers the rest: Tauranga Bay's seal colony and surf 15 minutes south, the Cape Foulwind walkway rounding the lighthouse headland, and Carters Beach's long sand five minutes from the main street. The Buller Gorge road in remains one of the country's great drives.

Buller High School anchors the schools, the port and fishing fleet still work the river mouth, and Greymouth is 90 minutes south. Westport asks nothing fancy of life: coal-built bones, ocean out front, hills out back. The Coast's deal, take it or leave it. Locals took it generations ago.

Is Westport a good place to live?

Westport is home to roughly 5,976 people across 126.3 km². On Suburb's overall livability scale, Westport scores 75 out of 100, with a safety score of 81/100 and 27% green space.

Schools: Westport has 1 school in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $367K, and weekly rent typically sits around $265.

Lifestyle: Westport has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. Public transport stops are within easy reach. The current temperature is 9.6°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Westport is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety81
Amenities100
Schools41
Housing Affordability100
Green space89
Community33
Transport10

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $367K
Median Weekly Rent: $265/wk
Median HH Income: $51K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): +4.6%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Buller District →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Westport?: Westport is on the West Coast at the mouth of the Buller River, around 90 minutes north of Greymouth and 3 hours from Nelson via the Buller Gorge on State Highway 6.
What is Denniston?: Denniston is a former coal mining settlement on a plateau 600 metres above Westport, famous for the Denniston Incline railway that lowered coal down the near-vertical hillside. Its heritage workings are open to explore.
What is there to do in Westport?: The Cape Foulwind walkway and lighthouse, the Tauranga Bay seal colony, Carters Beach, Coaltown Museum and the Denniston Plateau cover the essentials, with the Buller Gorge and Punakaiki within day-trip range.
What schools are in Westport?: Buller High School is the main secondary school, with Westport North School and St Canice's School covering the primary years.
How do I get from Greymouth to Westport?: By car, around 90 minutes north via State Highway 6 along the coast. InterCity buses connect Westport with Greymouth and Nelson.
Which schools are in zone for Westport?: Children living in Westport are in zone for Westport South School. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.
How do I check my school zone in Westport?: Use the School Zone Checker on this page. Enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Westport

Schools in zone for Westport

Children living in Westport have a guaranteed right to enrol at these school, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

Westport South School
Full Primary · roll 232 · decile 5

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Westport. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Explore Westport

Things to do(17)

Magazine area

Whanake

Neil’s Eels

Westport Deep Sea Fishing School

Tribe Team Training - Westport

Buller Gymnastics Club

Buller Bluewater Classic

Patterson Park ( Racecourse)

Sunset Speedway

Westport Trotting Club

The West Coast Bush Bath

Westport Bridge Club

Sunset Speedway Westport

LivStrong Fitness 24/7 Gym

Victoria Square

The Westport Dojo

Westport Bowling Club

Parks & green spaces(1)

Victoria Square

Healthcare(2)

Buller Pharmacy

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	20.15	14.01	161.47	11.65
☀️ Feb	19.57	13.61	232	9.91
🍂 Mar	18.2	12.32	200.13	9.3
🍂 Apr	16.84	11.4	234.93	7.91
🍂 May	14.87	9.7	323.03	5.99
❄️ Jun	13.24	7.88	319	6.15
❄️ Jul	12.37	6.91	206.27	6.09
❄️ Aug	12.41	6.59	313.8	6.82
🌸 Sep	13.55	8.16	280.83	7.58
🌸 Oct	14.29	8.78	261.5	8.87
🌸 Nov	16.11	10.25	262.17	10.1
☀️ Dec	18.32	12.98	240.1	10.73

Living in Westport

Is Westport a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Westport

Schools in zone for Westport

Westport South School

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Explore Westport

🎯Things to do(17)

Magazine area

Whanake

Neil’s Eels

Westport Deep Sea Fishing School

Tribe Team Training - Westport

Buller Gymnastics Club

Buller Bluewater Classic

Patterson Park ( Racecourse)

Sunset Speedway

Westport Trotting Club

The West Coast Bush Bath

Westport Bridge Club

Sunset Speedway Westport

LivStrong Fitness 24/7 Gym

Victoria Square

The Westport Dojo

Westport Bowling Club

🌳Parks & green spaces(1)

Victoria Square

🏥Healthcare(2)

Buller Pharmacy

Buller Hospital

Eat & Drink in Westport

🍽️Places to eat & drink(36)

Gibby's Café

PR's cafe

Denniston Dog

J's Feed The Soul

Johnny's Restaurant and Bar

Smileys Pizza & Takeaways

The West Coast Pie Company

Oz’s Skewers

El Fogon del Sur NZ

Whanake Gallery & Espresso Bar

Westport Floating Basin

Tony's Buller Cafe

Brew Box Espresso

The West Coast Pie Co

Pr's Cafe & Restaurant

Southern Feast Westport

Pizza Stop Westport

The Quarry Restaurant

Freckles Cafe

Yellow House Cafe and Restaurant

Gibbys Cafe

The Copper Pot

Smiley's Pizzas and Takeaways

Scarlett and Co

J's Cafe

Rainbow Cake Kitchen

The Garrison

Priya Indian Restaurant

Club Buller

Denniston Dog Restaurant and Bar

Portside Bar & Bistro

Mister Chops

Shortjaw Brewing

Euro Food Store

PortSide Bistro & Bar

Criterion Hotel and Pizzeria

Tradies & Services in Westport

🔧Tradies & services(9)

Bridgestone Tyre Centre

Busy Bees Kawatiri

Diverse Engineering

Things to do(17)

Parks & green spaces(1)

Healthcare(2)

Places to eat & drink(36)

Tradies & services(9)

Shops(26)

Beauty & fitness(22)

Professional services(9)