SQUIGGLY BRANCHES AND HARD DRIVE WOES
12 DECEMBER 2023
The Bird Poop Does The What Now?
Unfortunately, I can't give you all the amazingness of our visit to the Coal Creek waterfall as my external HD crashed and I didn't have a back up.... I know, I know, I have HARSHLY learnt my lesson! It was a VERY VERY VERY hard lesson to learn when I lost 6 months of videos and photos of all of our travels. I only have a few photos of a few images I had compressed or sent to people, so I managed to save just a few. This will be for a few west coast blogs, but I am hoping I can pay the ridiculously expensive cost of $1000 (yes, $1000) for forensics to pull it apart and hopefully get my data off. However, if I do manage to get the files off, I'll be sure to update this blog! I didn't just have my phone photos on there, but also videos (which are equally as important to me) and all of my DSLR files - eek! And amazing as my memory is, it is super helpful to have images for me to remember small things along the way but I shall do my best!
The Coal Creek Track is 10-minutes north of Greymouth on the West Coast region of New Zealand and is set in the incredible lush beech and podocarp forest, which is covered in vibrant green moss everywhere you look. This is one of the charms of the West Coast region and why we LOVE exploring all of the forests here, just take a look for yourself. It had such a magical feel to it and we especially loved all of the squiggly, swirly branches which were dancing high above the forest. We feel like Greymouth isn't talked about much when people talk about travelling through the West Coast... it has such beautiful forests and waterfalls!
The path was really easy to walk on - it was well worn in most places and some parts were gravel, plus we passed over lots of tiny bridges. The track was mostly covered by the forest overhead, which means it's perfect for exploring even on a rainy day (although you'll still need a coat!). We went in winter and it was freeeeezing as there was NO way the sun was ever making its way through that forest until summertime I imagine (just like the Brunner Mine Site we visited the day before in Greymouth) but I think this keeps the forest looking so beautiful and lush.
We met a guy who was in the forest who was in the process of forest regeneration and he was showing us this and that along the path, and one thing we found fascinating was that when he showed us a cluster of small green shoots growing up from the base of a tree trunk, he said they have grown from bird poop. Yip that's right, from bird poop! When the birds eat the seeds from certain plants and they poop it out from the branches above, it all ends up growing in a cluster at the base of the tree. You learn something new every day ;)
The Coal Creek Track is 10-minutes north of Greymouth on the West Coast region of New Zealand and is set in the incredible lush beech and podocarp forest, which is covered in vibrant green moss everywhere you look. This is one of the charms of the West Coast region and why we LOVE exploring all of the forests here, just take a look for yourself. It had such a magical feel to it and we especially loved all of the squiggly, swirly branches which were dancing high above the forest. We feel like Greymouth isn't talked about much when people talk about travelling through the West Coast... it has such beautiful forests and waterfalls!
The path was really easy to walk on - it was well worn in most places and some parts were gravel, plus we passed over lots of tiny bridges. The track was mostly covered by the forest overhead, which means it's perfect for exploring even on a rainy day (although you'll still need a coat!). We went in winter and it was freeeeezing as there was NO way the sun was ever making its way through that forest until summertime I imagine (just like the Brunner Mine Site we visited the day before in Greymouth) but I think this keeps the forest looking so beautiful and lush.
We met a guy who was in the forest who was in the process of forest regeneration and he was showing us this and that along the path, and one thing we found fascinating was that when he showed us a cluster of small green shoots growing up from the base of a tree trunk, he said they have grown from bird poop. Yip that's right, from bird poop! When the birds eat the seeds from certain plants and they poop it out from the branches above, it all ends up growing in a cluster at the base of the tree. You learn something new every day ;)
Success At Last
At the end of the track are the stunning Coal Creek Falls, which are short and wide. We walked down some steps to get to the waterfall, but there is a chair at the top of the track that you can sit and enjoy the views on.
Before our trip to the falls, I hadn't successfully taken a long exposure shot on my DSLR as usually when we hike to places it's in the middle of the day and the sun is completely ruining the shot and it all looks over exposed! So I was really excited when I put my camera on the tripod and I saw how good the photos came out. It was fun to experiment but the girls soon got bored and it was all "muuuuuuuuuum, can we gooooooo nooooooooow". It was a pretty cold day so I understood that waiting around for mum in the cold wasn't too fun ;)
In summer, the falls are a good place to cool off! I'm not sure how deep it is at the base but I can't imagine it would be very deep at all. We've been to so many falls in Autumn, Winter and Spring, but never in summer when it's actually hot enough to jump in - hopefully this summer we can experience a waterfall swim somewhere here in New Zealand!
Before our trip to the falls, I hadn't successfully taken a long exposure shot on my DSLR as usually when we hike to places it's in the middle of the day and the sun is completely ruining the shot and it all looks over exposed! So I was really excited when I put my camera on the tripod and I saw how good the photos came out. It was fun to experiment but the girls soon got bored and it was all "muuuuuuuuuum, can we gooooooo nooooooooow". It was a pretty cold day so I understood that waiting around for mum in the cold wasn't too fun ;)
In summer, the falls are a good place to cool off! I'm not sure how deep it is at the base but I can't imagine it would be very deep at all. We've been to so many falls in Autumn, Winter and Spring, but never in summer when it's actually hot enough to jump in - hopefully this summer we can experience a waterfall swim somewhere here in New Zealand!
Know Before You Go
- The track is 3.6kms return and takes an hour to complete
- This is a great track for kids as it's not steep and the track is well formed
- Most of the track is undercover
- No dogs are allowed on this walk
- There are no toilets here
- There are benches at the top of the track to sit at and look at the waterfall, or you can take some steps down to the base of the waterfall to get an even better view
- You can swim at the waterfall, so take a towel (I imagine it would be freezing cold any other month than summer!)
How To Get To The Coal Creek Track In Greymouth
The trailhead for the Coal Creek Track is 10-minutes north of Greymouth town. Follow State Highway 6 north until you reach Seddon St. Turn right down Seddon Street and then turn right into Ballance Street and park at the end of the street in the carpark. Click here for directions on Google Maps.
Conclusion
The Coal Creek Track is a beautiful track to do while in Greymouth and we love that it only takes 30 mins to get to such a stunning waterfall! Plus, it's an easy path to do with kids. If you're into photography, this is the ideal spot to set up your tripod and shoot some long exposure snaps. We didn't get the chance to swim by the waterfall as it was winter, but in summer it would be so nice to take a dip in.
More to do in New Zealand
TONGARIRO CROSSING
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND A 19.4km walk which will reward you with amazing views and sometimes you'll feel like you're on another planet!
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WAIPU CAVES
NORTHLAND Discover glow worms, stalactites and stalagmites in these Northland Caves. There's no cost to enter and they are easy to access.
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ROYS PEAK
OTAGO An iconic 16km hike with non-stop, breathtaking views. It's the best hike you can do in Wanaka (and one of the best in NZ!).
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