Gorged
Trip Start
Nov 05, 2002
1
51
69
Trip End
Aug 13, 2003
Buller Gorge,
New Zealand
Friday, June 13, 2003
We left Westport and headed inland, following the Buller river through the Buller Gorge.
From its source at Lake Rotoiti the Buller river cuts a westward course to reach the Tasman Sea at Westport. Scene of earthquakes, floods, and home to hundreds of transient workers during gold mining times, the gorge has been a challenge to horsemen, coach drivers, road makers and bridge builders. Maori travellers used the river as a highway and helped early European explorers and gold miners to negotiate the treacherous rapids.
Today's road travellers can take time to enjoy the scenery and features between Murchison and Inangahua Junction in a split fraction of the seven weeks it took Thomas Brunner to make the journey in 1847. Crossing the Buller river on the Buller Gorge swing bridge, New Zealand's longest Swing bridge, you can (and we did) wander around the historical site of the swing-bridge and learn about its fascinating past as a major gold mining area and the centre of the 1929 Murchison earthquake. Other options available include, in typical adrenalin pumping fashion, a flight across the river on the high speed Comet Line or simply try your luck at gold panning.
After our quick stop off we continued on through the gorge. Destination Motueka.
