Awarua/Haast Visitor Centre — Attraction in West Coast

From the outside, the building and carpark appear large and impressive, but up close, the entrance feels a bit tired and unkempt. There seems to have once been a water feature surrounding the front of the building, which is now dried up—it’s a little sad, as you can imagine how beautiful it must have looked when it was functioning.

Inside, the space isn’t as grand as the exterior suggests, but it’s clean and practical. The staff are friendly and helpful, offering good traveller information and clean restrooms. There’s also a small retail area where you can buy items like t-shirts, bags, and sandfly repellent, along with some informative material about the sandflies, wildlife in Haast and the wider South...

The lady at the reception should learn how to greet people. She has no customer care. When I entered, the lady was on phone and did not even looked at us or did not smile. Looked like not bothered at all about our presence. There was nobody else in the office/shop. She must learn good manners. I just left the shop. I visited there with my two kids on 30/9/2020 at 12.45 pm. Very...

I asked for hikes in the way to Wanaka and a smiling nice woman told me that I can find all the information on the signs by the road... I asked if she can at least recommend something family friendly and she told me that I should buy a $2 DOC brochure. The brochure was useful but I was expecting a bit more help from a visitor center. Very awkward experience compared to...