Murchison – More Than a One Night Stand

You would be forgiven if you thought that Murchison was just a great place to stopover on your way from point A to B.  What else is there to do in Murchison you may well ask?

Where is Murchison?

Murchison is located in the top half of the South Island in the Tasman Region.  It only has a population of around 500 permanent residents living there.

A Checkered History

Hampden

Murchison did not come into being until gold was discovered in the area.  The town was originally surveyed in 1865, under the name of Hampden.

The grand old ‘The Hampden Hotel’ still holds the original name of the old town (1865-1882).  The name was changed so as not to be confused with another South Island town with a similar name.

The hotel has had numerous name changes including Downie’s Hotel, Ross’ Hotel and Mocketts Hotel.  This information was kindly supplied by a local resident.  Not all research can be sourced by Google search.

 

Suicide Attack

Another interesting fact that I didn’t know is that it is believed that Murchison was the first place in the world to witness a non-military suicide attack.  Back in 1905, a very long neighbourly dispute between two farmers resulted in a court case.  One of the farmers had sticks of dynamite strapped to his body.  He obviously took exception to the outcome of the proceedings.  Once ushered out of the courtroom, he detonated the charge when police tried to arrest him.  His body was blown to pieces and two policemen were seriously injured.

Murchison Earthquake

In 1929, Murchison was the epicentre of a massive earthquake.  With an estimated magnitude of 7.8, it was felt throughout NZ.  Apparently, the rumble was loud enough to be heard in New Plymouth.  The noise must have been horrendous along with the violent movement.  Seventeen people lost their lives.  Most of the deaths were as a result of landslides.

There are displays and information on the earthquake in the quirky little museum in the main township.

Pakawau to Murchison

We packed up, hitched up, checked off the departure list and hit the road in Pakawau, Farewell Spit (see the previous blog).  It was a 218km roadie to get to our next destination of Murchison.  We had our eyes set on the NZMCA Park (#6317) located in the town centre.

It is a large flat, hard stand park which can hold a maximum of 50 vehicles at any one time. There is rubbish facilities on site as well as a very convenient Dump Station and potable water.  At only $3 per person, per night, it is a wonderful place to stop.

The icing on the cake (so to speak) is its close proximity to a couple of wonderful pubs, tearooms, convenience stores and a couple of very interesting 2nd hand shops.

I also have it known that we heard from an excellent source, that they do a really mean steak at the Commercial Hotel (even takeaway version!).

Fossicking in Murchison

Now I don’t know about you, but we love fossicking around Secondhand Shops!  Not that we can hoard anything in our ‘home on wheels’ but it is just the pleasure one gets from seeing things that take you back to your upbringing.  Those quirky little things that still bring a smile to your face.  You never know, you just might see that one little thing that you know that you ‘absolutely just can’t live without’.

Dust and Rust

Now, this treasure trove is right next door to the NZMCA Park.

Dust and Rust will capture your interest as soon as you set eyes on it.  Although it has only been opened since 2014, the Commercial Stables building is the oldest remaining wooden stables in NZ.  Built in the 1890s, it was in a time when horse transportation was the only form of getting from A to B, it is where the horses would be tethered whilst thirsty and tired travellers stopped over to recover at the Commercial Hotel before continuing on their arduous journey.

It is the perfect setting for a vintage store.  As soon as you walk through the doors, you are transported back in time with numerous vintage items for sale.  From toys, music, instruments and machinery and much more.  It is a retro and antique hunters heaven.

It is worth a look even if you aren’t in the market for vintage items.

Get Lost

Aside from Dust and Rust, you can easily spend more time, wandering around two or three more small odds and sods type shops, secondhand book shops and Op Shops.  When this all gets too tiring, you have the opportunity to quench your thirst at either the Commercial or Hampden Hotels or grab an ice cream at the local tea rooms.

The Greater Area of Murchison

We were keen to explore the greater area of Murchison to see what was on offer.

Lyell and the Old Ghost Road

If you travel 34km from Murchison, you will come across the site of the historic gold-rush town of Lyell.  There is an easily accessible grassed campsite.

When gold mining faltered around 1900, Lyell died too.

This is where the Old Ghost Road starts (or finishes).  This follows a long-forgotten gold miners’ road which has now been revived as a mountain biking and tramping trail.  Starting from Lyell to the Mokihinui river (Seddonville).  It covers 85km in total and four ghost towns populate the route.

Needless to say, we didn’t have time or inclination to set out on an 85km hike, so we opted for two of the shorter walks which also start at the camp car park.

Lyell Cemetery

From the campsite, you immediately walk over a suspension bridge and pass the former Catholic Church site, entering the native forest, following a steep hillside.  This leads to one of the picturesque goldfield cemeteries.  

Set on a steep hillside, must have meant a hazardous task for pallbearers taking the deceased to their final resting place!

Mother nature is trying her darndest to claim back this plot of land. There were large trees growing out of the iron-fenced plots.  As with most historical cemeteries, the headstones tell the stories of lives cut short and tragic deaths.  Between 30-40 people were buried here from 1880 to 1900.  For every grave identified by a crumbling headstone, there would be another one lost to oblivion and back into the clutches of nature.

Just another 10 minutes further along the track, we came to Maori Bar (aptly named seem Maori were the first to discover gold in this area).  This was the site of the first gold strike in 1862.  There is a tunnel which miners drove through solid rock to divert the creek to make the mining a little easier.

Croesus Battery

Continuing on for another couple of kilometres, we crossed the creek at the junction to the Old Ghost Road and continued on to the Croesus Battery.

We came to the lookout point, overlooking the old battery.  You can reach the battery via a steep track and steps.

It was at this time that I had to pause and wonder, how did they get all those solid metal pieces of machinery down there!  The pounding would have echoed down the valley as the battery continued its relentless task of smashing and crushing quartz using heavy steel balls, hour after hour, day after day.

Reading the signboard, it appeared that all this work was in vain.  The gold haul had not been successful and the investment in getting the site set up was not offset by the amount of gold exhumed.  

We concluded our walk by returning to the camp via the Old Ghost Road.

Maruia Falls

A drive of 22km along SH65  from Murchison and you will find the powerful Maruia Falls.  

It’s not unusual for waterfalls to be created in NZ by the upthrust of rock along a fault line during an earthquake.  However, after the 1929 Murchison Earthquake, the Maruia Falls was formed by a massive landslide further up the Maruia Valley.  This diverted the river, forcing it to cut a new path over an old river bank.

Easy Access

An easy 5-minute walk from the carpark, you will soon hear the roar of the cascading water, as it plummets down the rock face to continue its journey.  You will first arrive at the upper lookout platform, then you have the option to wander down further to the waterfall’s base.

We noticed that there were warning signs placed strategically along the path, advising visitors not to climb over the barriers.  Wouldn’t you think common sense would prevail, but apparently not.  There have been a number of deaths over the years by either jumping off the falls or swimming at the base.  The most recent drowning as late as 2017.

Six Mile Walk​

Just a short 10km from Murchison is the Six Mile Walk.  This is the site of the first hydro-electric power station built in NZ.

The return track takes around 1.5hrs and starts/finishes at the old Six Mile Hydro-Power Station by Six Mile Creek Bridge.

The hydro scheme opened in 1922 and provided power to Murchison and homesteads in the Six Mile Valley.  It operated for 54 years before it was deemed uneconomical and closed in 1975.  The power station has been well maintained and we were freely able to wander around inside and out.  All the workings are still very much intact and it looks like it could be started up at a moments notice to continue its mission of generating power.

Tracks Less Travelled

At the start of the track, we zigzagged uphill beside the old intake and water storage reservoir.  This of course provided enough gravity for the water to drive the station’s turbine.  We continued to follow the water race to an old dam which diverted some of the water down to the race.

We eventually made it to some low falls which made for an ideal photo stop.  It was a very pretty trail and not one that is used very often by visitors to the area.

We wandered the track for around 1.5hrs.  A neighbouring house at the start at the track was the home of a rather friendly black labrador.  There was no way she was going to stay at home so she accompanied us the entire way to the falls.  She was adorable and kept an eye on us to make sure we were still following her.  It was obvious that she walked this track often and knew where to go.

Braeburn Walk, Lake Rotoroa

Approximately 32km from Murchison is Lake Rotoroa. Situated within the borders of the Nelson Lakes National Park, it is surrounded by beech forests and is a whopping 145 metres deep.

There are a number of hikes you can take depending on how much time you have to spend in the area.  As we had a lot of ground to cover in the Murchison area, we choose to check out the Braeburn Walk.

 

A 1.5 hour loop track leads along a wide and well-formed track through some amazing beech forests, draped in moss.  This rich green growth wrapped itself around every tree and stump making it look like a carpet layer had come in and fitted it out.

Moss Layden

We followed the track as it climbed up the hill as it zigzags up to a picturesque mossy waterfall.

The track initially followed the remains of a road constructed in the 1950s which was dug out while they investigated the area for a location for a hydro-electric installation.   

This walk leads along a wide and well-graded track through a diverse remnant of beech and tall podocarp forest rich in bird life.

Kawatiri Railway and Pikomanu Tunnel

We had been reading about the views at the top of the Skyline Walkway.  Located on the outskirts of Murchison (2 km out of town) at the Matakitaki Bridge Scenic Reserve, it is a 1.5hr return hike to the top of the lookout.

Don’t be fooled by the mention of the track grade of ‘easy’.  Yes, it is a well-formed track but believe me – it is ALL uphill!  I’m sure I nearly puffed up a lung on the way up!  In saying that though, it is well worth the exertion once you get to the top.  There are a couple of peaks so don’t think you’ve finished when you make it to the first.  Carry along the track a bit further and you will get to the actual summit.

You are rewarded with views across Murchison township, the Matakitaki, Buller and Matiri rivers.  The biggest river is the Buller which eventually flows into the Buller Gorge.

Summary

Give Murchison a chance to wow you as much as it wowed us.  If you have the time, stay and play for a while.  After all, it is known as the ‘whitewater capital’ of the country – if you are into that kinda thing (especially in summer!).  There are literally rivers everywhere (the Gowan, Mangles, Matiri, Glenroy, Matakitaki, Maruia and the mighty Buller).  If rafting isn’t quite your ‘thing’ then there’s jet boating, gold panning and fishing.

You can also walk the longest swing bridge in the country.  We passed on this as we didn’t want to pay the $20 for the privilege and we’ve walked quite a few large and long swing bridges.

Click on the link below to view the video on some of our highlights in Murchison.