The 3.4-kilometre family-friendly coastal walkway from Cape Foulwind lighthouse to a fur seal colony near Tauranga Bay car park is one of the West Coast’s best short walks.

Hugging the shoreline closely, the trail skirts around the promontory high above the Tasman sea with fabulous views of the rugged coastline and long waves pushing whitecaps onto deserted stretches of sand. On a fine day, the Southern Alps are visible in the distance.

The coast is certainly wild and wind-swept, but I don’t quite see why Captain James Cook bestowed such an unfortunate name upon this headland in 1770 – until we’re at the other end of the trail, on a wooden platform, watching the seals laze on the rocks and splash about in the shallow rock pools, and the sun disappears behind a menacing dark cloud.

It starts to rain. Slightly at first, but minutes later, we’re caught in a torrential downpour. Flax and cabbage trees sway violently in the storm and the choppy sea swallows up the beach and pounds against the cliffs as we race back to our car in the lashing rain. I think “Foulwind” may be a fitting name for this wind-whipped headland after all.

We’re back at the car park, drenched from head to toe when the rain suddenly stops, all clouds disappear, and the sun floods across a baby blue sky. Expect the weather to be a little temperamental, and take a rain jacket just in case.

The 15-minute walk from Tauranga Bay at the southern end of the track to the seal colony is a shorter option if you’re more interested in the fur seals than the clifftop walk or lighthouse.