From Snow to Blowholes: On the Road in the Wild West Coast

A trip down memory lane

We pass signs on the road for the Charming Creek Walkway, which reminds us of the wild weather times we had just on that railway walk. Then we take a pit stop down memory lane back at Westport. Yes, we stayed here for three days before Karamea, surfing with Bazil’s Surf School, spotting seals at Cape Foulwind, and mountain biking at the Kawatiri Beach Reserve, but, we missed going to the Coaltown Museum!

The Coaltown Museum

We won’t make the same mistake twice! Since visiting Charming Creek and all its mining remains and learning more about the history of the West Coast from locals, we realised there were some brave but perhaps slightly crazy people who mined in the mountains along the West Coast who lived a dangerous lifestyle. The Coaltown Museum in Westport is a good place to elaborate on that.

Leaning coal wagons

First of all, we have never seen such an extensive collection of artefacts on just one subject. Obviously, the huge machines used to transport coal onto ships and lift loads out of the mines take our eyes first. Then there’s a huge coal wagon in mid-lean in the middle of the room looking like it is about to dump coal all over the place.

From what coal is exactly to how the pioneers risked their lives to extract it from the most dangerous environments, there is everything we could possibly think of to do with coal mining here told with artefacts, information boards and videos.

Surrounded by coaltown relics

Going into a coal mine

Right through the middle of the room is a railway line with a few coal bins that lead into a doorway covered up by coal bags. We lift up the coal bags to reveal a makeshift coal mine – dimly lit and covered in coal! Weird! It’s an interesting room with coal mining tools and a video explaining the evolution of machinery used in the mines, as well as the workers who relied on each other to not do something stupid and stop the mines from falling on their heads!

Our time in the Coaltown Museum is short-lived, as we have to hit the road to Punakaiki, but we are glad we took the time to see it before we leave Westport.

Constant & Joyce Bays

The coastal road between Westport and Punakaiki is famous for its scenery (which is a given in New Zealand) and its wild waves! Something we are about to discover further when we make a stop at Constant & Joyce Bays. A 15-minute loop walk turns into an hour when we are captured by the sight of the magnificent force of the sea!

Huge waves roll in relentlessly crashing and engulfing any rocks in their way. We can barely hear each other talking over the noise. Robin clambers over rocks to get the best views, just asking for the expected to happen…

Waves 1, Robin 0

Laura turns a corner to look for him and, he is stripping his clothes off!

“I got absolutely soaked!”

Yep, the waves got him, as they have got countless others out at sea (Arghhh *insert appropriate pirate noise here*).

We have a whole lot of fun doing a bunch of nothing but watch the sea. But eventually, we break the spell and hit the road once again.