THE SEA AND OTHER PERILS

Many of the couples we have encountered are limited to just 3 or 4 weeks away from their work.  So they have to travel long and hard to get around as many of the key locations in the time available.  We are fortunate that we can go at a more relaxed pace and include additional stops to break up the longer hauls.

One such additional stop for us was Greymouth on the West Coast whereas those with less time and more stamina are likely to link directly between Glacier Country to the South with Abel Tasman Park to the far North;  a very long day’s drive.

With no headline sights at Greymouth, we decided to take a look at the historic Brunner Mine site a few kilometres up the Grey River.  The Brunner mine once worked rich seams of high quality coking coal to feed the insatiable demand for smelting silver and other ores.  With its rail link to the nearby port of Greymouth, the whole area developed rapidly.

Historic Brunner Mine

The excellent and engaging information available as we freely and exclusively wandered the site showed a very industrial landscape more typical of the UK’s Black Country in the industrial revolution.  With mining spoil dumped into the river, an array of bottle kilns for coking the coal and a brick works, it was all rather different to the tranquillity and beauty of the of the site and river today.

Grey River at Brunner Mine

The historic site is also a memorial to the 65 men who, in 1896, lost their lives in New Zealand’s greatest workplace disaster.  Many who had been enticed to leave the UK’s coalfields with the promise of a better life here but had found conditions in the valley extremely harsh.

New Zealand's Greatest Work Place Disaster

Later on we walked from our beachside site along the pebbles to Greymouth’s South Breakwater; a great viewpoint to watch the skilled surfers and also a popular spot for local anglers.  But the only fish we saw being caught were by the diving Cormorants; they seemed to manage a 100% success rate!

Surfing at Greymouth Beach

Another immaculate memorial here; this time for the men lost at sea on the Greymouth Bar, an offshore sand bar.  Most seemed to be for a local crew of two and their small fishing vessel.  Our walk continued around the harbour where there were a number of remarkably small fishing vessels being tended by their skippers; a poignant connection.

Shipwreck Memorial on South Breakwater

Fishing Boats Greymouth Harbour

We are glad we had the opportunity to explore Greymouth and learn of its history rather than just hurry past on State Highway 6.  It reminded us that beyond the gold rushes, New Zealand has a harsh industrial history that is more familiar to us.