Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This section of track passes through old gold workings, with remnants to view along the
way including a pelton wheel, drill rods, a stamping battery and, most significantly, the
track itself.
It also crosses three suspension bridges spanning the infamous Suicide Slips. These slips
were formed by the 1968 Inangahua earthquake and have posed a physical challenge to any-
one wishing to travel up beyond the gorge.
About 45 minutes past the suspension bridges the track reaches the site of yet another
mining ghost town - Seatonville. The clearing here is an excellent lunch spot.
Another hour on is a striking lookout point to Rough and Tumble Creek. The old iron
bridge lying collapsed in the river shows that the track for the remainder of your journey
was once the only land route to the northern town of Karamea.
The final kilometre of track broadens into a 4WD road before reaching civilisation. There
are a series of small car parks along the way, although if you do have your car with you it is
wiser to park close to the Seddonville pub.
PAPAROA NATIONAL PARK
Like the first explorers 170-odd years before them, most tourists travelling along the isol-
ated West Coast between Westport and Greymouth are totally enthralled by the rugged sea-
scape. Most famous are the Pancake Rocks, the limestone stacks at Dolomite Point, battered
by huge ocean swells and punched through by blowholes. It is a truly awe-inspiring site, and
a deserved 'must-do' for any West Coast visitor.
Inland are the rugged granite peaks of the Paparoa Range, lined by tramps rich with nat-
ural wonders and gold-mining history. Not until the creation and development of Paparoa
National Park in 1987 did tracks such as the Inland Pack Track, and the Croesus Track that
lies just outside the southern boundary, catch the attention of trampers. Even today, though,
they remain somewhat underrated.
History
Middens (mounds of discarded shells and bone fragments) have been recorded at Barry-
town, suggesting that Maori must have made many seasonal excursions to the nearby bays
and rivers to gather food. The coastline, as rugged as it appears, was a trade route for Maori
carrying Arahura River greenstone north.
