Walk Details

NZ Walking Routes > West Coast > Westport - Buller - Reefton > Denniston walking tracks

Denniston walking tracks

Location

The turnoff to Denniston is at Waimangaroa, 15 km north of Westport along State Highway 67.

Description

Denniston was the main township of a unique collection of mining towns built to service the coal mines on the Denniston plateau. It is accessible via nine kilometres of winding, sealed road from Waimangaroa, and it offers magnificent views down to the coastal plains of the Karamea Bight and the mouth of the Waimangaroa River.

Denniston Bridle Path (3 hr)

Signposted from Conns Creek Road behind Waimangaroa at the bottom end and Denniston township at the top, a bridle track makes a pleasant if steep bush walk. A short branch track near the top leads to the incline that carried coal down (and occasional cool-nerved passengers up). A lower branch to the Waimangaroa-Denniston road offers a shorter walking option. Aside from the incline, which was used for the transportation of coal, the bridle path, completed in 1884, was the only means of access to Denniston. Travel along this route was either by horse, or on foot.

Brakehead Walk (40 min)

Starting at the Brakehead, this 40 minute walk leads past 'The camp" Denniston's first settlement, and on to the Banbury Arch viewpoint, returning via the historic mine workshop site. Many relics from Denniston's past can be seen on this walk.

Town Walk (40 min return)

Starting at the 'school site' by the Friends of the Hill Museum, this 40 minute walk takes you through the old streets of Denniston township. Passing by the bowling green and beside old residential sections, brick chimneys are still evident in various stages of decay. The walk crosses the main highway and runs alongside the old Denniston-Burnetts Face rope road, before emerging again at the 'school site'.

Coalbrookdale Walk (2 hr)

A good shingle road behind Denniston (still used by coal trucks) leads to the start of the walkway. This follows part of a rope road that carried coal from the mines to the top of the Denniston Incline. Relics include tunnels, foundations, a haulage winch and the country's best remaining example of a mine fan house.

Level

Medium

Amenities

• Historical
• Lookouts

Source

www.doc.govt.nz

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