Neither one of us slept well last night so it was no surprise when we slept in! However, after doing the usual chores we farewelled Westport and headed northeast to Denniston, an historic coal mining area. It is no longer operating but DOC, the Westland Council and Te Papa have worked together to open its history up to the public. You can do tours through the coal mine but we elected not to do this.
The road in to Denniston is steep and wondy for 8 kms. We couldn’t believe it when we passed two cyclists peddling their way up the steep incline. Once at the top there are views all down the coast. It is not usual for the weather to be as pleasant as it has been for us for the last few days, so I can imagine that Denniston must have been a hell of a place to live for the coal mining families. All topsoil for any gardens had to be carted from the coast. The terrain here is all rocks, held together with a little mud, and a bit of coal.It is exposed, windy, with a huge rainfall and extremely cold in winter.
There are lots of old photos showing what the place was like, and old equipment is left rusting where it was last used.Some old buildings lie in a collapsed heap while the foundations of others are all that remains. At one time 80 full wagons of coal left this site each day.
We then travelled on to Cape Foulwind which was a bit of a misnomer today as there was no wind. We did not have the time to walk out to the seal colony which I believe is a 2 1/2 hour walk, but we did walk up tp the light house. Again the views were great but we were a bit surprised that the lighthouse was not very tall!
Driving on towards Greymouth, the coastal scenery is magnificent. It is said to be one of the most picturesque coastlines in the world, and that is easy to believe.
Away From Home NZ 