November 28, 2024
If you have never been to New Zealand, you probably haven’t heard of Greymouth. It’s a small town on the west coast of the South Island with a history of gold mining, coal mining, forestry, and fishing. It’s also near the location where the Māori first arrived about a thousand years ago.
If that doesn’t sound exciting enough, I’m about to convince you to visit.
First, it is the western destination of the Tranzalpine Scenic Railway, which departs from Christchurch. It is one of the most scenic train rides in the World! Some people make the return trip in one day, but I advise against it.
Why would you turn around in less than an hour, making for a very long day on the train, when there is so much to see and do in the area?
I must admit that when I first arrived in Greymouth, I thought I may have made a mistake. Why had I booked three nights in this rather sad-looking town?
View of Greymouth from the King Domain hiking trail
I could see that they were trying to attract visitors, but it’s a bit of a work in progress. There are some nice-looking restaurants and shops as well as some beautiful murals in town, but many of the buildings could use some work.
I knew I would be walking and hiking. There were several possibilities, but I needed to book an excursion to see more of the surrounding area. You see, I had been traveling for over three months at this point and somehow neglected to make solid plans for Greymouth.
Then I got lucky. My host had left a folder of things to do and see. I noticed that there was a locally run day tour up the coast and around several locations.
When I went to book online. It looked like I may be the only one signed up for tomorrow’s tour. Would I be getting a call or email message to cancel?
The next morning, I met Jackie, my guide for the day. She greeted me enthusiastically and confirmed that I was her only guest for the day. She asked about my dietary needs (I’m celiac/gluten-free), and I informed her that I wasn’t much of a drinker. (A stop at a local brewery and distillery were part of the tour.) Not a problem! Jackie adapted the tour to suit me.
After a stop at a viewpoint, our first main stop was at Punakaiki for the National Park Visitors Center and Pancake Rock and Blowholes. During our walk through the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, Jackie shared her knowledge of plants and birds. I learned all about the Kea, and we saw the Weka close-up.
The walk was incredible; one of the most beautiful coastal areas I’ve ever seen!
The water was relatively calm, so the blowholes weren’t very active. I wasn’t complaining about the lack of wind, though.
The Visitor’s Center was new and sparkling, with a newly opened Ponamu Pathways experience. These interactive experiences were created in cooperation with Weta World, the folks who made the Lord of the Rings movies.
After that, we made our way to Tauranga Bay to see the stunning beach and seal colony. The first of this year’s new pups had just been born and were making some noise down below. Jackie had names for the male seals and told me many more females would arrive soon to give birth.
The next stop was lunch—yes! I have yet to eat a bad meal, and PR’s Cafe didn’t disappoint. I had pumpkin-orange soup and bread. It truly hit the spot.
From there, we drove through Buller Gorge, essentially running between two national parks.
We stopped in Reefton to see the site where community members are recreating the country’s first power plant. (Yes, little Reefton on the sparsely populated West Coast was the site of New Zealand’s first power plant.) When complete, it will power the streetlights in town.
The walk included a river crossing on an old-style swing bridge.
Reefton is a recreational hub with oodles of hiking trails near town.
Our last main stop was the Brunner Mine site. Sadly, it is the site of New Zealand’s biggest mining tragedy, where 65 men lost their lives in an explosion back in 1896. The mining operation was shut down and the land was left to regenerate to its natural state.
I can’t speak highly enough about Jackie and the West Coast Scenic Taste Tour. www.wcscenicstastetour.co.nz
She was knowledgeable and remained enthusiastic throughout the day. I could tell she loves her job.
I hope I’ve convinced you to visit Greymouth and the West Coast. Say hello to Jackie for me!
Wandering Shannon 