Leaving Nelson city
There is a choice of two routes out of Nelson, past the Port and round
Rocks Road through Tahunanui to Stoke, or along Waimea Road, past Nelson
College and the hospital and over Bishopdale Hill and down into Stoke. Whichever
way you choose follow State Highway 6, watch the motorway signposts and
continue to the pleasant fast-growing town of Richmond. Don't rely on a
map a few years old. There have been changes to the motorways in this
area.
Rutherford Birthplace
|
Approach to the Rutherford Birthplace site
|
Watch for the Rutherford Birthplace about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) from
Nelson on the right hand side of the road, and allow time to stop and study
the panels.
One notice reads "The Rutherford Origin" - a reserve of the Tasman District
Council, completed 6 December 1991 - a memorial to Ernest Lord Rutherford
sited at his birthplace.
Rutherford was born at this site on 30 August, 1871. He died on 19 October
1937.
|
Statue of a New Zealand schoolboy
|
Ernest Rutherford is New Zealand's most famous scientist - one of the
world's most illustrious scientists and the first New Zealander to have
been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Inscription at the site
This site is a tribute to one who rose from humble beginnings in rural
New Zealand to world eminence. It is also to show New Zealand children
that they too can aspire to great heights.
There is a small bronze statue of a New Zealand schoolboy, with a shanghai
hanging out of his pocket.
Steps give access to fourteen display panels and six sound stations
outlining Rutherford's life and career. There is also wheelchair access.
The area is sheltered from the south by an ivy-covered brick wall.
The gardens are attractively planted and three trees represent areas where
Rutherford worked during his lifetime - a New Zealand totara, a Canadian
maple and an English oak.
|
Two of the display panels
|
Through Wakefield to Kawatiri Junction
Continuing your journey pass through the country township of Wakefield and
at Foxhill note the Rutherford Memorial Hall - a building which was
originally the school Rutherford attended. Beyond Belgrove the road rises
on easy grades to the summit of Spooners Range - 465 metres (1525 feet).
It is worth stopping and looking at the view from the lookout on the right
- a vista of mountains and right through to the sea at Tahunanui.
The road then goes down through forestry plantations. Watch for remnants
of the Nelson to Glenhope railway line. Note the road to Motueka on the
right at Motupiko Junction, but keep straight ahead through the Korere
Valley till you come to the road on the left to Tophouse and Lake
Rotoiti.
At this point you have a choice of taking a detour which adds 35 km (22
miles) to the trip but takes you through wooded country to historic
Tophouse and St Arnaud village, the beautiful Late Rotoiti, and the
headquarters of the Nelson Lakes National Park. The trip back to the main
highway follows the Buller River from its source at Lake Rotoiti to
Kawatiri Junction.
The main highway passes through less scenic country. It runs through Clark
Valley which has a pleasant recreation area with English trees, and crosses
the Hope Saddle - metres (2082 ft) - where the lookout gives a 360ƒ view
of the surrounding countryside. The highway then drops down to pass
through the Glenhope district and through bush alongside the Hope River to
Kawatiri Junction.
One hour walk for railway and history enthusiasts
Railway history enthusiasts may like to take the railway walk from here,
exploring a tunnel and bridge constructed as part of the old Nelson railway
but never used. The walk includes a short bush walk to the site of a
former construction camp where three hundred people lived.
The road then follows the Buller giving easy driving to Murchison through
undulating country with high bush clad mountains not far away on either
side. 6.4 km (4 miles) from Kawatiri note the turnoff on the left at Gowan
Bridge to Lake Rotoroa - the second of the lakes in Nelson Lakes National
Park. There are inviting places to picnic beside the Buller, but if you
want to stop be sure you have put on insect repellent.
Murchison
Last time we drove from Nelson to Westport we stopped for a night in
Murchison where there are several motels and a camping ground near the
town.
We went for a walk in the evening and heard lively music coming from the
Hampden Hotel. The Beechwoods Restaurant seemed to be attracting a stream
of diners as did the Commercial Hotel featured as a historic hotel, cafe
and Bar. The camping ground had attracted a good number of campers.
There is an interesting museum with displays which focus on the Murchison
Earthquake which occurred on 17 June 1929. Seventeen people were killed
and the town was reduced to rubble in the quake.
Walks
There is an information centre on the main road. There you can find out
about local walks including a twenty minutes easy walk on the north side of
Riverview camping ground. The track is well formed and suitable for
disabled visitors. There are fine examples of native trees with their
names on them, and plenty of bird life.
There are other longer walks for those who are fit and can stay longer in
the town. The Skyline Walk takes 1.5 hours, is of moderate difficulty, and
takes you through native bush to the skyline where you have wonderful views
over the town and valley.
From Murchison the road continues to follow the Buller River and passes
through dairying country until at O'Sullivans Bridge 11 km (7 miles) from
Murchison you turn right to enter the Upper Buller Gorge.
A short distance along the road a sign indicates the fault-line Upthrust
where the earth's surface cracked during the Murchison earthquake. One
side of the crack rose over 13 feet.
|
A view of the Buller River
in the Upper Buller Gorge
|
The road is winding and there are some steep grades for the next 24 km (15
miles), but it passes through beautiful scenery - steep bush clad hills,
ferns by the road, glimpses of the river below, and mountain peaks. Just
past Carters Creek Bridge is an excellent spot for viewing the river.
Note the Brunner memorial honouring the journey of Thomas Brunner, Kehu and
three other Maori who passed this way in March 1847 and April 1848 on their
550-day exploration which took them from Nelson as far as Paringa and
back.
Lyell
When you see the signpost indicating Lyell it is difficult to believe that
this isolated area once was the site of a goldrush. The township built in
1862 had five hotels and numerous miners' tents and huts. There is now a
picnic ground and a walkway into this historic area.
The Iron Bridge
|
The Iron Bridge
|
Just past Lyell the road crosses the Buller River on the Iron Bridge.
Geoffrey Thornton in his book, Bridging the Gap: Early bridges in New
Zealand 1830-1939 comments that special care was needed in designing
this bridge because it is built over a rocky gorge where floods reach over
12 metres (40 feet). He includes some details about its structure. The
height from the riverbed to the deck of the bridge is 30 metres (98 feet).
The masonry piers are founded on concrete-filled cast iron cylinders. The
ironwork was fabricated by Andersons in Christchurch, shipped from
Lyttelton to Westport and carted to the site. It was opened in 1890. It
suffered some damage in the Murchison earthquake when some bolts were
sheared during the quake.
Inangahua Junction
This small town is where the road through the Buller Gorge meets the road
from Reefton.
It seems that in pre-European times there was plenty of whitebait in the
river, as the Maori name, Inangahua, means whitebait (inanga) - plenty
(hua).
Before the road through the Buller Gorge was built goods from Westport had
to be transported by the river as far as Inangahua which was known as
The Landing.
Inangahua came into the news headlines in 1968 when it was the worst
affected area in a major earthquake which caused damage in other areas from
Hokitika to Karamea. The buildings in Inangahua were so severely damaged
that everyone had to be evacuated. It was felt as far away as
Christchurch.
Inangahua to Westport through the Lower Buller Gorge
|
Hawks Crag
|
Most of the way the route follows the Buller River and in some places the
road is narrow and winding. About 19.7 km (12.3 miles) from Inangahua you
come to Hawks Crag. Here the road has been hewn out of solid rock, so the
cliff face overhangs the narrow roadway.
Drive with care and allow time to appreciate the impressive beauty of this
bush-clad gorge. The abundant tree ferns always remind me that I am now
close to the West Coast.
Greymouth Highway Junction
At the end of the gorge the route passes into more open country, and at 40
km (24 miles) from Inangahua you reach the junction with the coast road
from
Greymouth.
Watch the road signs further on for a right turn which takes you to the
Buller River traffic bridge and into Westport.
