6 Punakaiki Road, Punakaiki River-Greymouth, Grey
Following the coast for most of the way, this road offers awesome views of Paparoa National Park’s limestone bluffs and sub-tropical forests.
It’s also a route steeped in history.
A short time after crossing the Pororari River and north of the Truman Track signpost, you come to an observation lay-by. From here you can see the Te Miko cliff at Perpendicular Point. This was one of the worst obstacles for people moving along the coast. Maori using the route in their search for pounamu (greenstone) built a ladder of rata vine to scale the cliff.
Charles Heaphy, who explored this coast in 1846 with Thomas Brunner and two Maori guides, described the experience of climbing the face on a “shaky and rotten” rata ladder as ‘far from pleasant’.
During the goldrushes, diggers had a more up-market version of a ladder, made with chains and wooden crossbars. When the Inland Pack Track was carved out of the bush between the Punakaiki and Fox Rivers in 1867, the miners could avoid the dangerous coastal route.
The Fox River, was named after Bill Fox, one of the earliest European gold prospectors in the area. He made a strike here in 1866. As you cross the river, imagine a bustling goldrush town beside it. Brighton, as the township was called, had 160 buildings - including 53 hotels and a casino. Nothing remains today of its nine streets. Even its name has gone: the site is now called Tiromoana.
About 30 km further north a goldrush township has survived. In the same month as Fox made his strike, Tim Lineham hit payable gold at Candlelight. As a result of his claim, the township of Charleston boomed. It’s hard to believe as you drive through Charleston today that it once had three breweries, three banks, three churches and 20 stores - including the first Hannah’s boot store.
Opinion is divided about the number of hotels, but as many as 90 seems to be a common claim. Legend also has it that, at the peak of the rush, the Wellington postmaster was transferred to Charleston!
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