Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
Reefton i-SITE
( 03-732 8391;
www.reefton.co.nz
;
67 Broadway; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat &
Sun)
has helpful staff, and a compact re-creation of the Quartzopolis Mine (gold coin
entry). There's internet at the library, which doubles as the postal agency.
Getting There & Away
East West Coaches
( 03-789 6251;
www.eastwestcoaches.co.nz
)
stops in Reefton every day except
Saturday on the run between Westport (1¼ hours) and Christchurch (3¾ hours).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Westport & Around
POP 5600
The port of Westport made its fortune in coal mining, and coal still makes a considerable
contribution to keeping the town stoked up. Beyond some respectable hospitality, the
town contains little of prolonged interest, but makes a good base for exploring the fascin-
ating coast north to Karamea, Oparara and the Heaphy Track.
Sights & Activities
Westport is good for a stroll - the i-SITE can direct you to the
Millenium Walkway
and
North
Beach Reserve
. The most thrilling adventure in the area is cave rafting with Norwest Adven-
tures (
Click here
)
, although mountain biking is gaining momentum as a popular pastime
among local and visiting backcountry adventurers. The folk at Habitat Sports (
Click here
)
offer bike hire, maps and advice.
Coaltown Museum
(
www.coaltown.co.nz
;
123 Palmerston St; adult/child $15/7; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun)
Re-
opened in 2013, the new-look Coaltown Museum retells the same old yarns of hard times,
but this time with well-scripted display panels alongside an excellent selection of photo-
graphs, surrounding relics of local industries and general pioneer ephemera. The Dennis-
ton displays are a highlight.
MUSEUM
Denniston Plateau
(
www.doc.govt.nz
)
Nine kilometres inland and 600m above sea level, Denniston was once
NZ's largest coal producer, with 1500 residents in 1911. By 1981 there were eight. Its
HISTORIC SITE
