Murchison day walks Introduction Scenic walks The well-known early New Zealand explorers Heaphy, Brunner and Fox, with their Māori guide Kehu were, Kahikatea Walk, 20 min in 1846, the first Europeans to see the area where An easy loop track abutting the Murchison camping Murchison now stands. After gold was struck in ground at the eastern end of the town. The Kahikatea the Upper Buller in the 1860s the Nelson Provincial Reserve is a small remnant of the lowland podocarp Government lost no time in planning for a future forest which would have once dominated the plains settlement. Murchison was taken from the name given around Murchison. The reserve features many fine by renowned geologist Julius von Haast to a nearby specimens of kahikatea and mataī trees and a lush mountain in honour of a famous Scottish geologist. ferny understorey. Many forest-dwelling birds can be Dairy farming became the mainstay of the area when observed and heard, including bellbirds, tuī, kererū, the gold rushes had finished and the forest around robins, fantails, silvereyes and kingfishers. Murchison had been milled. Today Murchison provides services for the surrounding farming community as Skyline Walk, 1 h 30 min return well as the travelling public. With a population of This three-kilometre well-formed track is located one approximately 750 people, Murchison has a museum, kilometre west of Murchison, at the junction of State information centre, petrol station, and a wide variety of Highway 6 and Matakitaki West Bank Road. The track accommodation, several shops, hotels and cafés. zigzags uphill through an attractive remnant of mixed Murchison is the gateway to the southern entrance beech/podocarp forest. Native ferns grow on the damp to Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand’s second shady slopes of this area. The track emerges from the biggest park at 452,002 ha. The multitude of rivers in forest on to open bracken and broom covered slope. the area makes Murchison a white water playground Continue the zigzag climb to the skyline. The main and an angler’s paradise. rivers that can be seen from here are the Matakitaki Walks in the area range from 20 minutes to several which flows from Nelson Lakes National Park to join days in duration. This brochure covers the short and the Buller River west of Murchison; the Matiri which day walks accessible from Murchison. can be seen flowing from the mountains of Kahurangi National Park in the north. The biggest river seen is the Buller which eventually flows into a gorge — perhaps How to get there the most scenic gorge in New Zealand. The road to Westport follows the Buller River to the sea. Private transport Johnson Creek Track, 2 h return Murchison is centrally located in Motueka the upper South Island on State Access to this track is up the Matakitaki West Bank Highway 6, being 2 hours south of Nelson Road, located one kilometre west of Murchison. After Murchison Nelson, 2 hours 30 minutes west Westport a short stretch of tar sealed road continue along the of Blenheim, 1 hour 30 minutes St Arnaud gravel road for six kilometres. A sign and a small east of Westport and 4 hours northwest of Christchurch. parking area are on your left with the start of the track to the right. Public transport The track initially follows parallel to the creek within A number of companies offer bus services to pine forest. On entering the native forest the track Murchison from Nelson, Blenheim, the West Coast and continues beside the creek until turning right to cross Christchurch. For up to date information contact the the left branch of Johnson Creek. The track then Murchison Visitor Information Centre. gradually climbs and emerges from the forest at the Published by: Publishing Team, Department of Conservation, PO Box 10420, Wellington 6143 | February 2013 toe of the big slip. This slip was formed To Lake Matiri in the 1929 Murchison earthquake and 6 State highway Short walk Mt Newton D is the feature piece of the walk with the Sealed road Walking• track A 1359 m O R r e track winding its way through the old Unsealed road K v E N i A G R B D slip jumble giving excellent views of the i I T r S i R t 0 5 E mud stone cliffs that were formed. The a W S I M F R track terminates in the middle of the old I F I kilometres T A L slip amongst the struggling vegetation, M D C A O This map is a guide only. For more information consult R E leaving the visitor with a good idea of the U Topo50 maps BR22 Lyell, BR23 Murchison, Y E L L B magnitude of the shake. Return to the car BS22 Shenandoah and BS23 Matakitaki. L A V I park the way you came. R I T To Lyell and uller Rive A To Kawatiri B r M Robins, tuī, tomtits, grey warblers and West Coast and Nelson bellbirds are commonly heard and seen, 6 with kākā, kākāriki, shining cuckoo and 6 long-tailed cuckoo heard at times. 6 Maruia Falls Track, 10 min return Skyline Walk Kahikatea Walk Alert: Do not climb over the barrier M A Murchison T A M township above the falls — it is for your K M I T a A A t T Tutaki a safety. Lives have been lost. K M A • k I K W i 953 m a I r t T a A u ES Accessed from State Highway 65, k i K a i I T 65 B R R 23 kilometres south of Murchison, the O A i A v N D e Maruia Falls track starts from the car K r R O park and descends to the Maruia River A D bank. From here there is an excellent Johnson R i Creek Track v e viewpoint of the falls, which were created r following the 1929 earthquake. Return to the car park the way you came. Maruia Falls Track Lake Matiri Track Mt Allman • 1061 m This full day walk takes you on a Six Mile Walk tramping track to tranquil Lake Matiri, To Springs Junction Base data supplied by Geographx Ltd in Kahurangi National Park. Access is copyright reserved and Christchurch via the Matiri Valley Road approximately six kilometres north of Murchison. There is a separate publication for this walk. This height provided the necessary head (or fall) for the water to drive the station’s turbine. From here the Historical walks track initially follows the water race before continuing in the forest on a higher terrace. The track then leads Six Mile Walk, 1 h 30 min return to a viewing platform above the old weir which diverts some of the Six Mile Creek down the water race. Below This walkway is situated ten kilometres south of the weir in the narrow granite gorge are waterfalls and Murchison on the Matakitaki Road. It starts and rapids that produce spectacularly turbulent water. finishes at the old Six Mile hydro power station by the Six Mile Creek Bridge. The power station and hydro On the return there is the option of a loop track which scheme were officially opened on 25 January 1922; descends from the upper terrace to follow along the the occasion being marked by a public picnic, water race, before rejoining the main track. performances by the town band, speeches and a banquet at the Commercial Hotel. The hydro scheme Kawatiri Historic Railway Walk, 20 min return provided power to Murchison and the scattered Located at Kawatiri Junction at the intersection of State homesteads in the Six Mile valley and Four Rivers Highway 6 and 63, some 35 kilometres northeast of Plain. It operated for 54 years before being deemed Murchison, this easy walk follows a short section of the uneconomic and closed in November 1975. line of the former railway track that ran from Nelson The track zigzags 50 metres uphill beside the old towards Murchison. The walk commences from a car penstock to the intake and water storage reservoir. park with information panels detailing the rich history Murchison day walks | 2 www.doc.govt.nz of the area. After some 200 metres the track crosses an • Protect plants and animals old rail bridge before passing through an eerie train • Remove rubbish tunnel built in 1923. The track returns via beech forest • Bury toilet waste • Keep waterways clean above the Hope River closing the loop at the entrance • Take care with fires to the tunnel. A torch is recommended for the tunnel • Camp carefully but not essential. • Keep to the track • Consider others • Respect our cultural heritage Lyell, 1 h 30 min • Enjoy your visit • Toitū te whenua (leave the land undisturbed) This three-kilometre walkway leads you past the remaining features of the once booming township of Lyell — the cemetery, stamping battery and gold mining sites. There are information panels on site and a campground nearby. There is a separate and more Please remember detailed brochure available for this walk. Safety: The walks outlined in this brochure are of short duration and are suitable for any reasonably fit person wearing sturdy footwear. Warm clothing, Short walk a raincoat, a small first aid kit and something to • Easy walking for up to an hour. eat and drink are recommended. • Track is well formed, with an even surface. There may be steps Remember your safety is or slopes. your responsibility. To • Suitable for people of most abilities and fitness. report any safety hazards in • Streams and river crossings are bridged.