Adv 223 Yumpu

The West Coast is rich with untouched beauty, Fox Glacier shows the timelessness of the area
Top: West Coast Wilderness Trail / Below: Mountainbiking in Reefton
Later referred to as the Great Journey,
this mission of epic proportions lasted
a gruelling 550 days, traversing some
of the most difficult, uninviting and
inhospitable terrain in this far-flung
outpost of the British Empire.
Brunner and his loyal guide Ketu made
it back to Nelson in March 1848, long
after his superiors and indeed most the
growing settler community had given
them up for dead. To his dismay, he
recalled that the little dog which had
been his constant companion had been
sacrificed during one of his many stints
of near-starvation.
Brunner’s epic endeavours - an
18-month series of adventures that
pushed him to the limits of human
endurance - gained him a place in
history, with news of his exploits
reaching Wellington and ultimately
London. The Royal Geographic Society
honoured him with its Patron’s Medal
and its French counterpart, the Société
de géographie, awarded him a diploma.
Brunner’s reputation-building expedition
set off a surge among those seeking to
emulate his achievements. Wave after
wave of adventurers headed for the
West Coast. Brunner had discovered
coal and when gold was found just as
the Land Wars erupted elsewhere in this
British colony, a rush of unprecedented
proportions unfolded.
Eleanor Catton’s Man Booker prizewinning
novel The Luminaries led to
a BBC mini-series which screened
recently on TV1. It captures that era on
the West Coast superbly.
Those that stayed at the end of the
gold rush, and the many thousands
who followed - to hack farms from the
wild jungles, to harvest the vast timber
resources or to build communities -
all helped create a region in which
adventure became an integral part of
everyday life. This is the foundation on
which the West Coast’s visitor industry
rests today.
Everywhere on The Coast there’s an
adventure to be experienced and a
postcard vista to be recorded at each
turn of the trail, bend of the river, or
ripple on the lake or at the edge of
what is now known as the Big Ditch.
They range from the hot and smelly to
the placid and gentle and everything in
between. Mixing and matching of these
various elements has a lot going for it.
Here is just some of what is on offer:-
Cycling:
The West Coast hosts two of New
Zealand’s most challenging multi-day
riding trails. The Old Ghost Road
traverses the north-east of the region
[see accompanying article for details]
and is becoming increasingly popular
with advanced MTB enthusiasts
seeking a connection with the past,
as well as with nature. The newest
multi-day trail is through the Paparoa
National Park and includes the
Pike River mine memorial. It is 55
kilometres, one way and takes three
days. Grade 4. Check with DOC for
hut space availability and bookings.
Those seeking a more leisurely, less
strenuous cycling experience can
opt for the West Coast Wilderness
Trail, which begins in Greymouth and
terminates at the small former gold
mining hamlet of Ross.
One of the most accessible and
smoothest trail rides in the country, it
can be done over three or four days,
passing through ancient rainforests,
along the banks of glacial rivers and
moody lakes and around wetlands.
Parts of the trail involve cycling along
bush tram lines and water races with
history and heritage everywhere
- old gold mining settlements and
workings, historic bridges and a
chance to experience the hardships
of life in the mid-19th century, when
the West was occupied but never
conquered. This trail can be tackled
guided or un-guided. Grade 2 with
some Grade 3 on-road sections.
A multitude of short rides and helibiking
options exist over the length
of the West Coast, each with their
own characteristics and degrees of
difficulty. Reefton is a great base for
heli-biking, but other locations also
offer options. Short rides for all ages
and experience levels can be found
throughout the region. The i-SITES
in Westport, Greymouth and at Franz
Josef can make recommendations.
The Denniston Plateau, site of the
biggest coal extraction operation in
New Zealand at one time and hosting
a tram line with one of the steepest
inclines ever built is a favoured haunt
of backcountry riders. The trails in
that location total 50 kilometres,
offering rides from one and 12 hours
in duration. Grade 2 to 4 - easy to
advanced.
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