Directions

From Westport, take State Highway 67 north to Waimangaroa – turn right from the main road, on to the road to Denniston.

There are three options for doing this walk: From the bottom to the top; from part way up from One Mile Log carpark; or from the top down (see the times above).

To do the walk from the bottom up:
Turn left at the bottom of the Denniston Hill road on to Conns Creek Road. The Bridle Path walkway is clearly signposted off this road.

To do the shorter walk:
Follow the Denniston Hill Road up to the One Mile Log carpark – then do the walk to the top and return.

To do the walk from the top:
Drive up the Denniston Road almost to the top, watching for a sign on the left to the Incline and Brakehead. Park in the carpark provided. The Bridle Path walk begins off this carpark.

Denniston - Bridle Path

Our early settlers did it with all their belongings – we dare you! It’s a grunt but it’s worth it!

A challenging but rewarding uphill climb, from the bottom to the top.  Before the Incline coal cableway was built in 1878, our early settlers, had to carry all their belongings in suitcases etc, up this path.  This was the only way up to Denniston 610 metres (2,000 ft) above them.  You are following their footsteps.

The walk goes through regenerating bush, past an old brickworks, and climbs 2kms up to One Mile Log.  At this level the forest becomes taller and thicker and you will see more rimu and red beech. 

At this stage you may well be breathing hard, as did our early settlers who had to do it in all weathers.  Here’s how they felt about it!

Damn Denniston
Damn the track
Damn the way both there and back
Damn the wind and damn the weather
God damn Denniston altogether.

Further on there is a short side track to Middle Brake which was the only possible place on the Incline a coal wagon could be slowed and stopped, before plunging down the rest of the steep cableway.  Do NOT venture on to the old viaduct or the incline itself – neither are safe or stable underfoot.

Beyond Middle Brake the track zig zags its way to the top car park and Brakehead.

Other Interesting Journeys:

Read the wonderful best-selling Jenny Pattrick novels based on life on top of Denniston:  Denniston Rose, and Heart of Coal.  At its peak, more than 1,000 miners and their families lived and worked in Denniston.  Many of the women remained on The Hill, as it was called, for years without ever coming down to town or the valley floor….the books portray how resilient people are despite hardship and the things they gather around them to make life better, even in the most impossible environments.