We discovered a new freedom camping spot in Greymouth and it was brilliant! It helped that the sun was shining and that there was an amazing coffee cart selling waitbait patties https://westcoast.co.nz/case-studies/the-patio-coffee-cart/ and it was definitely a place we’d stay at again.

After leaving Greymouth, we head out on SH7 to visit the Brunner Mine Historic Area. Coal mining was a huge industry in this area and Brunner has a terrible history. It was and still is, the site of New Zealand’s worst work place disaster. On Thursday 26th March 1896, miner’s were trying to get the pit ponies to go to work, three times the ponies began rearing up and refused to enter the mine. They were eventually taken in by putting a hood over their heads and being walked in backwards. Not long after, there was an explosion deep underground that killed all 65 miners and the horses. Most of the miners are buried in a mass grave at Stillwater.

After leaving the mine, we drove down to Lake Brunner and the town of Moana. What a gorgeous lake this is.

Our next stop was at Blackball, birth place of the Labour movement in New Zealand. They have created an outdoor museum that explains about the initial labour strike – miners fighting for a half hour lunch break, and the subsequent birth of the Labour Movement. These miners cabins show how their possessions changed through the years.

Our final stop on this part of the journey was at the Pike River Mine Memorial. On November 19th 2010, 31 miners entered the mine to go to work. Shortly after an explosion occurred within the mine, at this point, two miners were able to walk out. Whilst the rescue effort was ongoing, a second explosion occurred on November 24th. There were a further two explosions and the remaining 29 miners were declared dead. To this date, none of the 29 bodies have been recovered. The memorial to these miners has to be one of the most poignant memorials we have ever visited. There is an overwhelming feeling of anguish and grief there. It was fitting that the skies were so grey.