Denniston, Cape Foulwind and Punakaiki

Neither of us slep well last night so it was no surprise that we slept in and had a late start to the day. However, after completing the usual chores we gunned the engine and made our way northeast to Denniston.

Denniston is a historic coal mining village – not just a mining operation. The drive up to it was 8km of steep winding road and we were blown away by two cyclists peddling their way up to the top. Once there the views were spectacular. You could see all down the coast.

The local Department of Conservation, the Westport District Council and Te Papa have done a great job of preserving the history of the area. The are many photoboards all around the site showing what it once looked like.

At its peak there were 80 wagons of coal leaving the site each day, but it would have been a miserable place to live for the families. It would be cold, windy, wet and the soil is all rocks held together by a bit of mud. Bits of coal lie all over the ground everywhere. There is nothing cheerful about the place.

We then drove past Westport again and stopped in the have a look at Cape Foulwind and the light house there. Foulwind was a bit of a misnomer today because there was no wind! We were somewhat surprised that the the light house was so short!

The drive down the coast was amazing. It is said to be one of the most picturesque coastlines in the world and it is easy to see why. The road is lined by groves of nikaus or giant flax bushes.

The next stop was Punakaiki (Pancake rocks). This is another area that has been well set up for tourists and I think we might have been the only English speaking people there. At the risk of demonstrating that I have a very limited vocabulary, I have to say that this was a place well worth visiting – spectacular.

Tonight we are overnighting at the Cosmopolitan Club carpark at Runanga, just outside of Greymouth. There are lots of freedom camping places along the way but they all seemed a bit lonely and exposed so we tried somewhere more populated to be safe. We have decided to stay in Greymouth tomorrow as well as there seems to be so much to see and do.