Tag: adventure

Why Greymouth Should be on Your New Zealand Itinerary

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!

Adventure Skiing

The best kinds of friends are those who both support you and get you to stretch your comfort zone. My move to Montana was all about getting a fresh start and seeking new experiences. New friends have been an integral part of those new experiences.

Thanks to Meetup groups, I have met many new friends who have enriched my life in so many ways. One friend graciously offered me downhill ski lessons to help me get back on the slopes after more than thirty years away. Another friend shares my love of cross-country skiing and has introduced me to some new adventures.

A few weeks ago, three of us went adventure skiing up to the Mission Lookout in the Flathead National Forest. The first part was pretty easy. We skied along a road that had been traveled by snowmobiles, and it was mostly flat.

The real adventure began when we started our ascent to the lookout tower. We were then skiing through about a foot of virgin powder, making our way uphill. The work was worth it, and there was a true sense of accomplishment when we arrived. The best part was that since it wasn’t a groomed course, my friend was able to bring his dog. Watching her romp around in the deep powder chasing snowballs was the perfect lunchtime entertainment!

Yesterday, my friend led us on another ski adventure on the Beaver Lake Trails. It was a little more exciting than I had envisioned since the words “trail” and “lake” were in the description he had posted. I envisioned a leisurely day of skiing around a beautiful lake. Well, it was beautiful, but not exactly leisurely.

The trail began with an uphill climb on a rather narrow, icy, snowshoe path. It was by far the most challenging path I had attempted on skis. I will admit that I even took my skis off in a couple of spots where it was just too steep or curvy for me. Fortunately, the first part was the worst, and after that there was no heading back anyway. Oh, and did I mention that I was the only woman among a group of five men? Wimping out wasn’t an option.

We arrived at a road, and I asked if we were skiing that next. Nope. More trail. The next section didn’t seem so bad. Maybe I was getting used to this crazy narrow trail skiing; maybe I was okay with taking a few falls, too.

Later, we skied a road that brought us near the lake. My friend turned to me and said, “Now, you are in your zone,” or something like that.

That initial steep climb was worth it when we arrived at the lake. And we didn’t ski around it; we skied across it! Yet another first for me. There was something so satisfying about the sensation of my pole tips hitting the ice of the frozen lake as we glided across. The sun was shining down on us by then, and we had all shed our jackets. Such a nice change after a stretch of sub-zero and single digit days! It was my first taste of spring-like skiing in Montana.

When we arrived back at our cars, my friend told me that he didn’t post ski outings at places like golf courses. “It’s going to be an adventure when you ski with me.”

I’m so grateful for my new friend and his sense of adventure. These are the experiences that I was seeking when I moved here. Alone, I wouldn’t have taken on adventures like these; friends make all the difference.