Denniston - home to one of the richest, high quality coal seams in NZ. It's 15km SE of Westport, 600m above sea level and sits on an exposed rocky plateau. It is a 10km climb to get to Denniston and I think the toughest out of all the roads on the West Coast!
An underground coal mine from 1879-1967 - considered to be 'the eighth wonder of the world'. Read more about the Denniston experience here.
A highlight here was meeting a retired farming couple from Hamurana Springs, (near Rotorua) who offered me a bed for the night when I got up there!
What a random place. I've never heard of it, or the fact that we had a great coal mine. Though in thinking about coal, I'm not sure it is a great thing to be proud off. Solar, wind and hydro power all the way!! Was it tough because it was so steep?
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of it eithere - there is a book, The Denniston Rose, I want to read it! Sounds fascinating their early lives there - they literally plucked people from the UK and put them there!
ReplyDeleteYes - super steep and hot! My free choc chip cookie the cafe lady gave me a few hours before was amazing at the top!!