Heading southwest from Nelson, SH6 grazes the southern end of the Kahurangi National Park leading to Murchison, in the Tasman District. This quintessential New Zealand small town was hit by a severe earthquake over 90 years ago and is popular with visitors seeking water-based activities on the Buller River. Less well known, it is also a base for excursions to see—and cook over—natural flames that burn in the bush.
Coordinates
Murchison
Murchison (re-named after a Scottish geologist) sits at the junction of the Buller and Mātakitaki rivers. It has a resident population of fewer than 500; in 1929 it was the epicentre of an estimated M7.3 earthquake that killed 17. The town was rebuilt, although a number of the present buildings are not considered earthquake safe by today’s standards. The wide streets, low buildings and presence of sheep in the town centre are pretty archetypal of small town NZ:
Fairfax Street affords access to the Buller River on the edge of town:
The Skyline Walk up the hill behind Murchison is definitely worthwhile (albeit steep). At the first bench you may encounter flightless weka (see box further down), who will peck at everything you’re not guarding carefully. Keep going and at the T-junction go right a short way for views to the north, from the second bench. When rested continue on the lefthand fork to a lookout over Murchison town (where you’ll find the third bench):
We suggest walking from/ back to town across the bridge on the Mātakitaki River (alternatively, the car park for the walk is at the base of the hill):
Maruia Falls
Maruia Falls (on the Maruia River, naturally) are reached by taking the Shenandoah Highway south from SH6. The falls were created by the 1929 Murchison earthquake; the third photo below shows the view immediately downstream. Nobody told the sandflies it was now autumn and as DOC note in their description “the presence of biting sandflies can detract from your experience”.
Buller Gorge
Buller Gorge Swingbridge Adventure & Heritage Park claims NZ’s longest swing bridge. A $10 entry fee lets you access the bridge and explore several walks on the property (various adrenaline rushes/ rides cost extra). The Loop Walk includes river access (with the help of a rope); the Forest Gold track ends at a 300 year-old giant kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides or white pine—NZ’s tallest tree species); while the Bushline Walk gets you teased by fantails/ pīwakawaka:
Finally, the Ariki Falls Walk leads to… Ariki Falls (closer access is probably easier on the other side of the river, from the lay-by on SH6):
At the Buller Gorge car park (and multiple times before/ since) we encountered the flightless and anything-but-timid weka. They seem to have a thing for shoelaces—pecking at our footwear and even dragging an unattended boot halfway across the road on a separate occasion! The DOC description as having a “famously feisty and curious personality” is accurate.
Why did the weka cross the road?
Probably because you might have food—or practically any other object of dubious nutritional value! DOC note “They will take the objects to the nearest cover to investigate them. For this reason it is best not to chase weka but to simply watch where the weka goes and retrieve the objects a little later.” These flightless brown birds were called woodhens by early European settlers; they do resemble chickens in size and character. Some subspecies are threatened; all are protected due to declining mainland populations.
🌲 Rewilding
The flaming bush
The Natural Flames Experience is an “easy plus” one hour guided hike through DOC land reached via public road into the Mangles Valley and subsequently a private farm track along the Blackwater River (this didn’t need the advertised 4WD ride; we were in a 2WD van). The isolated farm here has its own small-scale hydroelectric scheme, with a diesel generator back-up. A walking path continues through predominantly mixed red and silver beech forest, which was alive with bellbirds (korimako) and carpeted with mosses, including sphagnum. Part way into the walk a grass clearing affords good views of the surrounding forest, and of toetoe growing alongside the riverbank (a native not to be confused with invasive pampas grass):
Our guide explained that silver beech have a small leaf (left in the photo) relative to the larger/ rounder leaf of red beech (right in the photo):
A second feature differentiating red and silver beech is the bark. Red beech have reddish-brown rough bark sometimes blackened by the presence of a fungal “sooty mold” coating, whereas silver beech have smoother bands of silver-grey bark:
Beeches of red and silver
Red and silver beech are common evergreen trees in New Zealand, but quite different from the beech trees of Europe. Appearances aside, red beech (Nothofagus fusca) are distributed more in North Island and at lower altitudes in warmer/ drier conditions; silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii) predominate in the more mountainous/ cooler/ wetter South. The black fungus commonly found on NZ beech trees (sooty mold) feeds on the sugary excretions (honeydew) of sap-sucking insects, growing as a black, powdery coating with a sweet smell. Although perhaps unsightly, it doesn’t harm the trees—unless it also covers the leaves, thus blocking photosynthesis. Here and elsewhere we were conscious of small yellow plastic “letterboxes”, containing a poison to manage problematic wasp populations that also care for the honeydew.
🧭 Exploring
The “main event” was, of course, the flames—naturally occurring gas venting through the soil, deep in the bush. Several historic gas/ oil extraction efforts in the area proved not to be commercially viable. Our guide indicated local lads used to light a flare from the 1968 well to frighten sheep as cheap Friday night entertainment—until the authorities spoiled their fun by caging it off. After a few minutes of admiration at the flames, it was down to the serious business of making gas-cooked pancakes (with cream and home-harvested honey or jam) and billy tea!
Up next, the West Coast…
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