The scenery is and adventure beckons at every turn in Murchison
The scenery is spectacular and adventure beckons at every turn as Mike Yardley encounters some shaky territory at Murchison
MURCHISON CERTAINLY SITS pretty in the Four Rivers plain, dishing up nature and adventure at every turn. To the right of town, Nelson Lakes National Park unfurls its bejewelled splendour, while the tapestried alpine grandeur of Kahurangi National Park rises up on its left.
It’s the hiking trails, thickly enrobed in native forest, that commanded my attention, offering a spoil of short and sweet walks to enrich your daily sightseeing.
Close to town, the Skyline Walk, which starts from the west bank of the Matakitaki River, zig-zagging up the hillside through beech and podocarp forest.
As the name would suggest, it’s all about the view once you ascend the bushline. A stunningly rangy view of two national parks and the rivers that flow around Murchison, snaking across the landscape likes twisting silvered ribbons in the bright sunshine.
Further afield, the super-short track to Maruia Falls provides a divine perspective on the waterworks. These falls were created as a result of the 1929 Murchison earthquake.
My favourite Murch experience is the Upper Buller Gorge, which is adorned with New Zealand’s longest swingbridge — and the longest south of the equator. What better way is there to soak up the grandeur of the grumbling Buller Gorge and its stroppy splendour than to walk across that bridge’s ridiculously long span? It’s longer than a rugby field and as high as a six-storey building and, from it, you can gaze down at those gigantic boulders and that deep green churning water.
Gephyrophobia is the fear of crossing bridges. I felt a twinge of gephyrophobia as I stepped out on this long swaying bridge, but the majesty of the views soon slayed my anxiety.
The locals say the river is like a drunk and violent neighbour. Its mesmerising beauty belies its unpredictable turbulence, which is not to be trifled with. After you’ve traversed the swingbridge, there’s a fantastic loop walk that includes markers of how high the river can rise in a raging torrent. In flood it has surged as high as 12 metres.
Another powerful totem to nature’s might is the White Creek fault line, epicentre of the 1929 Murchison earthquake. You’ll walk right across the faultline on this loop track and readily see first-hand how the ground was thrust up by 4.5m, in an instant, when that 7.8-magnitude quake ruptured — the third deadliest in New Zealand’s history, after Napier and Christchurch.
If you’re up for a four-hour guided tour of the backcountry with a difference, the Natural Flames Experience is a bit quirky. Tucked away deep in the bush on private land close to Murchison is a seepage of natural gas that has been burning non-stop for nearly a century, after a couple of curious framers set light to it, while out hunting. It’s been flickering beneath the fern leaves ever since, and is now used to cook pancakes and boil billy tea, as you do.
And, if you want to get up close with all that whitewater in the Buller Gorge, there’s a stack of excursions, whether you want to raft or kayak it, or take a spin in a Buller Canyon Jet boat ride. It’s a breathtaking body of water.
Murchison boasts some quirky
mercantile delights and salivating pub fare at the Hampden Hotel. Check out the poignant displays showcasing the horror of the 1929 quake at the Murchison Museum.
Tatuku Bakery is right next door, operating out of a caravan loaded with home-made goods and artisan pies.
Hodgson's general store is so old and authentic, it still has a ladder on wheels for reaching the upper shelves. This retail institution was decimated by the earthquake, but was swiftly rebuilt, remaining a cherished mainstay in Murch.
Finally, Lyell marks the southern trailhead of the storied Old Ghost Road walking and cycling trail.
This long-forgotten gold miners’ road has been revived as a mountain biking and tramping trail — connecting the old dray road in the Lyell (Upper Buller Gorge) to the mighty Mokihinui River in the north, spilling out at Seddonville.
The 85km trail traverses majestic native forest, open tussock tops, river flats and forgotten valleys. Remote and challenging, this is an epic wilderness adventure for fit, intrepid mountain bikers, navigating narrow trails with seriously steep drop-offs. Alternatively, you can walk it, which on average takes four to five days.