Westport accommodation fully booked during festive season

Accommodation providers in Westport and surrounds are full to bursting. Photo / 123rf

Accommodation providers in Westport and surrounds are full to bursting with festive season visitors and the race crowd in town.

Advance Northern West Coast (ANWC) secretary Lynne Elvins, who has been running Westport's accommodation roster this week, said there had been many calls from people desperately looking for a place to stay.

"Unfortunately we haven't been able to find accommodation for most people because the whole town is booked up."

The ANWC, a district-wide tourism promotion body, took over co-ordination of the roster earlier this year.

Members take it in turns to run the roster so people arriving in town at peak times, and finding their first option full, can be helped to find another.

The aim was to give people a Westport option so they did not have to leave town, Mrs Elvins said.

However, try as they might there was virtually nothing to be found for those seeking a place to rest their head yesterday.

"As it always is in this week, everything is pretty much pre-booked."

Some last-minute cancellations were quickly filled.

Mrs Elvins said the roster co-ordinators did their best to find something somewhere for those who contacted them but Charleston and Punakaiki were also full yesterday.

Those calling were a mix of overseas tourists and domestic visitors.

The majority of accommodation providers in Westport were on the roster. They tried to give bookings to ANWC members first, however most motels and pubs with accommodation were members.

"The ones perhaps not covered are holiday homes but they're probably booked up and are probably not going to take people for just one night anyway."

She said tonight was also booked out and tomorrow looked pretty busy but once the races finished it would ease up.

Mrs Elvins said anyone who had accommodation with vacancies they wanted filled, and was not on the roster, could contact her at Chelsea Gateway Motor Lodge.

DOC sites busy

Department of Conservation (DOC) senior ranger Eric de Boer said Buller conservation and park sites were busy.

DOC's Westport office was closed until January 4, he said. If people saw something they wanted to report to the department during the holiday period they could use its hotline: 0800DOCHOT.

- Westport News