The Denniston Experience

Welcome to New Zealand’s newest visitor experience, based on one of the country’s oldest sources of energy and industry.

Phone: +64 0800 881 880

The new interactive visitor attraction at Denniston offers visitors a unique set of experiences of one of New Zealand’s most remote and challenging environments incorporating a narrow gauge rail journey into a historic and long lasting coal mine that operated from the 1880’s.

Inside the mine, visitors will be able to explore the underground workings and try their hand at work activities undertaken by miners of the period. Various multimedia displays will assist in bringing the sights and sounds of a working mine to life and convey the stories of the lifestyle and hardships of early NZ coal miners.

This new experience will literally offer visitors a chance to discover what life was like at the coalface.

For many decades Denniston was New Zealand’s largest producing coal mine, yielding a premium quality coal from underground mines. The coal was loaded into railway wagons and lowered by cable down an extremely

steep incline railway (the famous “Denniston Incline,” often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world): a remarkable feat of engineering and industrial innovation.

The miners and their families endured a life ‘living on the edge’, exposed to the elements on a barren windswept plateau. The isolation and difficult living conditions forged a proud and close-knit community. Once home to over 1500 people, today Denniston is a ghost town. The rocky plateau offers visitors a true sense of New Zealand’s pioneering spirit, whether enjoying the magnificent views of coastal plains and ocean or experiencing Denniston shrouded in mist, visitors find the Denniston Plateau breathtaking. A journey to Denniston allows visitors to appreciate the tough working and living conditions endured by miners and their families in this desolate 19th century industrial environment.

Underground Union Experience

• Tagging in and out of the coal mine

• Train ride along the spectacular Waimangaroa Gorge

• Interactive activities playing the role of a miner

• A fully guided trip including the sights and sounds of underground life

• Learn of the myths and legends of the early coal mining culture

Duration: 2 hours

Twilight Descent

Includes the Underground Union Experience plus:

• Transport to and from Westport

• Guided tour of the Brake Head

• Enjoy cooking your BBQ overlooking the spectacular Waimangaroa Gorge (bring your own food to cook or purchase a food package, at extra cost)

• Watch the sunset from the high Denniston plateau

Duration: 4.5 hours

Tours must be booked in advance

The Gorge Express

Includes:

• A rail journey along the spectacular Waimangaroa gorge

Duration: 30 minutes

(This trip is suitable for under 5 year olds)