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Outwest Tours

Outwest Tours offers a wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on journeys into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails, as you relax in one of their fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Johnny’s journey with Outwest, the only company with access to the privately owned valley, will delight and captivate the visitor. Here visitors can meet local legend, and owner Johnny Currie and observe the wild red deer, the pancake rock formations, see the ancient Maori cave and much more.

The Mackley Tour travels up to the Denniston Plateau, through the wild country and then returns to Westport via the scenic Buller Gorge. Be prepared for rugged landscapes and river crossings all in the comfort of one of Outwest’s specially designed vehicles. This trip offers spectacular scenery and rugged terrain featuring fast-flowing rivers, deep gorges and waterfalls. It’s an exciting, full-day journey into genuine wilderness.

The Denniston Tour visits the coal plateau high above the coastal flats. Here underground miners toiled extracting high quality coal and there are many amazing relics from the mining era. Denniston is an area rich in history, unusual landforms and outstanding scenery.

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Outwest Tours

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Outwest Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

westport mine tours

  • Denniston , South Island , West Coast , Westport

Denniston-Westport

westport mine tours

A trip with Outwest Tours to the once thriving community of Denniston   perched on the Plateau 600m above Westport, is one of the highlights of our journey so far.

Mikey Ryan of OUTWEST TOURS was a terrific guide and very knowledgeable about this region and the Coal Industry that  supported the many mines and their villages on the Denniston Plateau.

Denniston town did not have a mine, but was the collection point for the coal from the surrounding mines. The coal was then transported down the incredibly steep rail  incline to the valley below to then be transported on trains to the waiting ships in the Westport Harbour.

westport mine tours

However, Mikey Ryan of Outwest Tours, has explored the whole region and took us down barely accessible tracks to point out the odd brick chimney still standing and only just visible above implementable bush.  He has studied old maps of these villages and plotted where buildings and workings used to stand.

westport mine tours

What strikes me the most, is the Engineering ingenuity to create the machinery and the rail tracks through bush and over streams from these Mines surrounding the Denniston town and Incline. Close to each mine was a village for the miners and their families. Evidence of these settlements is hard to see as they are overgrown with bush now.

westport mine tours

To move the coal from the mines there was an endless wire rope system on rail tracks. The empty bins come on one side and the coal full carriage on the other track. We got to walk part of this track from one of the mines.

The Photograph of Robyn and I at the mouth of a mine and lit by our hand held lights, is not open to the public yet for viewing, so we were very privileged to have been given the opportunity to witness this new heritage discovery.

The novel “ The Denniston Rose ”by Jenny Patrick gives one an understanding of the life in Denniston.

The mines supplying “Black Gold’ to the Denniston collection point were called, Banbury mine, Ironbridge mine, Coalbrookdale mine, Whareatea mine and Sullivan mine. 

The Stockton mine in this area is still working and extracts the “best coal in the world”. All this clean burning, efficient coal is in high demand and is exported to mainly India and some to the USA and other countries. We do not use this world best coal in New Zealand-why?

Picture of Peter Bonham

Peter Bonham

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Great read and pics Much appreciated I’ve been there but i didn’t see the incline and other stuff that’s in your pics ☹I’ll have to go back 👍😁

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In the seventies I visited this area an one of the mines was still on fire reaching back many years. Do you know where that is and is it still burning? Regards. Gerry

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James Bonham

Interesting, sounds like you and Robyn were really privileged to be in the mine shaft.

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westport mine tours

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  • Denniston Plateau & Millerton: abandoned coal mining towns

Art & Heritage

Denniston plateau, millerton: abandoned coal mining towns.

Otago, South Island West Coast, South Island

On your way to the well known Denniston historic coal mining site you will find towns with a coal mining legacy that are now largely forgotten. Granity, Ngakawau still a coal depot for the Stockton mine, Hector, Wainangaroa and Millerton, As part of the Denniston narrative Stockton Coal Mine is currently operating and, as part of the story of West Coast coal mining is worth a detour.

Follow in the footsteps of prospectors, a heritage gold and coal mining trail. Today you will be on the trail of a nineteenth century gold miner. You will be travelling north viewing Denniston Plateau to your right as you travel between the mountains and sea delving into the past in Hector, Granity foreshore and Granity Museum, Ngakawau, Millerton, and Stockton. Hector is the home to the Country Music Museum. Visit Granity and witness the action of climate change on a small settlement.

Ngakawau coal terminus for Stockton mine, New Zealand

The terminus for the Stockton aerial ropeway which transports the coal in buckets from the current operational mine on the Stockton plateau to be loaded onto rail for export through the Port of Westport and the Port of Lyttelton on the east coast. Ngakawau is located on the southern side of the Ngakawau River which flows out to sea at Hector.

The ropeway has eliminated the dangerous inclines of Denniston and Millerton to transport coal to rail hubs. The coal is largely exported via ship to steel makers in Japan, India, China, South Africa and Brazil. Parcels of coal are barged from Westport to Port Kembla, New South Wales in Australia. It is a massive industrial operation with coal dust, coal debris in large slag heaps and is a visible reminder of the historic and current importance of coal economically for the West Coast.

Viewing areas : walk around public access to coal loading facilities.

Ngakawau aerial track for coal bins, New Zealand

Granity is a must do visit stop for everyone interested in climate change. You stand on the contructed stoney embankments and watch the sea relentlessly working away at the foundations. And the nearest houses are very close. There is a notice and plaque showing where the community hall once stood. It is sobering watching the rising sea rewrite land boundaries. Granity is a historic gold & coal mining town.

Granity is home to the Granity Museum. Located in the centre of Granity (sign posted off the main Road) on a historical site, being coke ovens built 1909-1910. Buildings and sites belong to the Northern Buller Museum Trust. It also owns the Millerton Incline behind the Museum. Work is underway to get the Incline reinstated as a Walking Track. At Ngakawau and Granity you can do short walks to the coal bins, Watson and Mumms Mill to view coal mining abandoned relics. You cannot miss the museum as it is very large

  • Open: 1 pm – 3pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 1pm – 3pm Saturday & Sunday. Other hours call 782 8653 and, if home someone will come down to open up.
  • Admission: Donations welcome, the museum is managed by volunteers.

Call in at the local pub in Ngakawau for local colour. Perhaps have a bite to eat. At Ngakawau take a walk through the local campgrounds to the beach to view the rugged coast and Tasman Sea pounding the beach. You will have already visited Granity and observed the impact of climate change

Granity Museum exhibit, New Zealand

WAIMANGAROA AND BRITANNIA GOLD MINE

You can try your hand at gold panning. See what your fortunes bring for the day. Be prepared to be disappointed. North of Waimangaroa is O’Connor Road leading to a car park, The walking track is the original bullock track and is wide and easy to navigate. Entrance is located in the carpark. Follow signs to the gold fossicking area. Hand tools are allowed and no permit is required. The designated area is from the abandoned gold mine to the beginning of the farmland downstream. The second signposted track leads to the Republic battery site. Continuing up the valley, several tracks lead off. The first drops down to the Republic Battery site. A few scattered remnants remain here. The second side track leads quickly to an old adit, full of cave weta. The main track becomes rougher and crosses a few hillside streams before turning off the bullock track (which runs out soon anyway) and dropping to the Britannia Battery site.

Dropping through native bush is the Britannia battery. The quartz crusher battery reduces the rocks to small pebbles to assist with the dissolving of the gold in a cyanide water solution. The battery dates from 1925 built by Price of Thames whose buildings are still used for steel manufacturing. It is very impressive, an industrial piece of machinery in the middle of what is now quiet forest. The Britannia Mining Company 1896 and ceased in 1910. The area was restarted in 1925 and the 5-head stamper battery was brought to site then. There were various mines dating back to 1875 to 1937 in the area. The site has plaques describing the site’s relics which include pelton wheel and cyanide tanks.

Millerton visitor centre, now semi-abandoned, West Coast, NZ

  • Length: 9 km (return)
  • Duration: 3 hours
  • Grade: easy

Take the high road and explore the coal mining, now largely abandoned Millerton settlement. It has the air of a ghost town with a number of empty buildings and infrastructure. Despite its elevation of 300 m being considerably lower than that of Denniston (494 m), the grade between the coastline and Millerton still meant that the coal was difficult to get down to the railway. The Westport Coal Company built the Millerton Incline in 1891 and the Millerton Mine began production in 1896. Mining at Millerton ended in the late 1960s, similar again to Denniston.

Millerton Incline

The Millerton Incline, 1891 was a narrow gaug bush tram econsisting of two parallel tracks on which the coal tubs ran, being hauled by rope.  The incline dropped 260 metres to the coast.  Remnants of tracks, trucks, bath houses and other installations are still visible. The Millerton Incline was in its day quite a feat of engineering and the remains of this incline and its infrastructure are more accessible then those of the more famous Denniston incline. The Millerton Incline was used to convey tubs of coal from the mines around the Millerton area to the Bins at Granity, which in their day were the largest coal loading bins of wooden construction in NZ. The Bins are long gone, but the incline remains and is well worth a look.

The informal information centre is in what is effectively an abandoned house, there are dusty maps and photographs, furniture thta is showing the effects of weather and time. The settlement is a snapshot of archeological ruins in the making. Nature is busy making a comeback and reclaiming houses and public areas. It is fascinating to think while there about two hotels, shops, churches, sports grounds and library now dissolving back into the bush.

Getting there

It is a narrow, steep winding road setting the scene for a visit to a part of New Zealand that has very few visitors. The road to Millerton has spectacular views across the coast and the rain forest.

Millerton abandoned town, abandoned bus stop, New Zealand

Mining legacy Cascade Stockton open cast mine tour.

Perhaps you would like a tour of Stockton’s current mining operations at the nearby Cascade mine, New Zealand’s largest opencast mining operation in Stockton.

Tours of Cascade are only through an authorised tour operator.

  • Departs: Westport Vistor Information Centre
  • Duration: 6 hours for the tour.
  • Booking: Online or Vistor Information Centre, 24 hours notice necessary minimum numbers required. The tour operator can arrange private tours. Contact directly to discuss details.

DENNISTON PLATEAU

The plateau is a must do visit where you will discover the narrative of what it was like to be a miner on the Denniston Plateau. The extraordinary uplifted plateau is a drive into another world where coal was king. The Denniston Plateau is home to one of the richest, high quality coal seams in New Zealand. For decades it was the country’s largest producing coal mine, with an estimated 12 million ton carried down the incline during its operation from October 1879 to August 1967. Denniston was created by coal and existed only to produce coal. With the mine’s closure, Denniston closed.

The town has disappeared into the efficient recycling world of the west coast with very little evidence of the residences and homes of over 2,000 people. Only two houses remain. Yet steps to nowhere, abandoned mining equipment is everywhere and extensive industrial foundations, house piles remind visitors of the disappeared people and town. Spectacular mist swirls around the landscape adding to the sense of closure and history where people once stood. Coal is still mined in the area today at the nearby Cascade mine and New Zealand’s largest opencast mining operation in Stockton.

Denniston incline with coal bucket and misty conditions, West Coast, NZ

How to find Denniston

Denniston is approximately 30 minutes from Westport. Travel along State Highway 67 and turn right at Waimangaroa. From here the Denniston Hill road twists and turns for 8 km, taking around 15 minutes to arrive at The Denniston Experience. All roads are sealed. You are climbing 1.7 km over 600 metres in elevation. It is a great start to the Denniston journey.

Denniston historic remains (coal mine), Westport, South Island

Denniston Experience Underground Mine Tours is a must do part of the exploration of the coal mine. Over 179 metres of the Banbury Mine is a replica 1880’s mining site. There are hologram displays and interactive exhibits as well as working equipment. The atmosphere and sense of what it is like to work underground is faithfully portrayed.

Displays and lighting were installed in the walk around areas and cross cuts.

  • Tours: CLOSED
  • Open: Check availability
  • Admission: Fees apply
  • Book: Phone  0800 881 880

Weather on Denniston is sub-alpine

The weather at Denniston is sub-alpine and can change quickly, so please bring:

  • Sturdy closed in footwear (walking/running shoes are adequate)
  • An extra layer of warm clothes

GETTING THERE – DENNISTON PLATEAU

  • 40 minutes on State Highway 67
  • The panoramic coastal view from this plateau is not to be missed.
  • The story of the early miners’ lives on this wild plateau are an unique part of New Zealand history.
  • Turn off at Waimangaroa (15 minutes).

Denniston self-guided tour walking highlights:

  • Historic coal mine site.
  • Famous Denniston Incline.
  • Denniston Museum.
  • Panoramic coastal views.
  • Denniston Excursion tour operator OutWest Tours.
  • Take a journey inward at the place all but forgotten – Denniston Mine Experience

Denniston Plateau plaques, New Zealand

The journey is worth it.

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The Denniston Experience

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THE DENNISTON EXPERIENCE - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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Westport Historical Society

Westport history tours, welcome to our new smartphone app, head of westport walking tour, “where the past meets the present”.

westport mine tours

The Westport Historical Society offers a new “dynamic” walking tour of the historic Head of Westport. A new mobile app “Westport History Tours” enables users to explore the architectural, social, cultural, and industrial past of the Head of Westport. The app is free and accessible anytime and anywhere with a smartphone or on your desktop computer.

The Head of Westport provides a unique physical space in which to explore history. The tour offers context for some commonly asked questions: Where did shipbuilding take place? How were ships launched? Who lived at the Head? What’s the story of the iconic stone house?

Special features of the tour include a GPS enabled map with more than 20 tours stops, narrated by Greg Morton and a curated selection of historic images, allowing users to compare “then” images with the present day.

Sample the tour here

Introduction

The iconic stone house at the Head of Westport

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Westport Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Helen Ellis Charitable Trust administered by Bank of America.

Click here to view the tour from your desktop computer.

Download is available for iphones and android. The tour is free.

westport mine tours

Archaeology Tour

westport mine tours

We are excited to introduce our first mobile tour designed for use on your smartphone. You can consider this to be your personal audio guide! Our first smartphone tour focuses on the theme of archaeology. Visitors can walk the Handy House Heritage Trail in the virtual company of Holly Herbster, a professional archaeologist who has worked in southern New England for more than 30 years. As you walk along the trail, she will guide you through the more than 10,000-year human history of Westport. From the era of woolly mammoths to the current future advances in archaeological techniques, her tour enables you to see the landscape from a new perspective.

The easy-grade 0.7-mile trail can be accessed from the parking lot at 202 Hix Bridge Road. This land is part of the historic Handy House property. Today, the property is owned by the Westport Historical Society. The tour is free.

Download is available for iphones and android.

westport mine tours

Outwest Tours is based in Westport and is owned and operated by Mickey and Doreen Ryan assisted by five staff. They have operated specialist visitor tours in the Buller region since 2001 using three, purpose built, all-weather 4WD vehicles.

westport mine tours

Meet your guides (left to right): Mickey and Doreen Ryan, Rebecca and Cheryl – the epitome of West Coast hospitality and down-to-earth charm. With years of travel and driving experience, and local knowledge, they’ll give you an authentic sense of local history and culture.

Their extensive knowledge of the region and off-road driving skills means that you can be sure of an adventure you’ll love. You’ll travel in comfort in their custom-built 4WD Mercedes Unimogs through swift mountain streams, along beaches and into pristine rainforest.

The strength of the Outwest team lies in their knowledge of local history, including natural history.

Their West Coast charm comes across in their storytelling and the high vantage points of the seating in the vehicles ensures no view is missed.

All vehicles are interconnected for the informative commentaries with each journey taking a minimum of six travellers and a maximum of 50. Toilet facilities are accessed on route and visitors are advised to bring refreshments such as sandwiches and also wear sturdy footwear.

Outwest’s vehicles are all certified to NZLTA five star levels.

Mercedes Unimogs

An ex-army vehicle, these Unimogs are built to handle the toughest driving conditions. They have been professionally converted into luxury all-terrain passenger vehicles, and feature clear sides for the best views. Seats are comfortable and all vehicles are air-conditioned.

Toyota Landcruiser

The Landcruiser is a high-powered, comfortable vehicle, perfect for smaller touring groups. Seating up to eight passengers, it is available for private charter.

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A bluffer’s guide to climbing Croagh Patrick Read More >

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Explore Six Stunning Drives from Westport Read More >

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Five Ways to Get a Taste of Westport Read More >

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7 things to do with the kids in Westport Read More >

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You can check out any time you like. But you can never leave!

Welcome to our colourful, friendly community of Westport. Visitors have been flocking here for generations and with good reason!

Our gorgeous town, with its wide streets, cheery shopfronts, beautiful planting, stone bridges and Mall River, is renowned for its warm welcome and sense of fun. Big enough to spend a day wandering, small enough to get to know fast, it really is the ideal West-of-Ireland retreat.

Be warned, you might fall in love. We have a healthy population of ‘blow ins’ – people who came to visit but couldn’t bear to leave!

A Gastro Heaven

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Westport is fast becoming a food lover's destination. Artisan produce, boutique cafés and top-class restaurants of all kinds combine to make a tempting menu of must-dos for foodies.

Acclaimed local artisan produce, from award-winning Kelly’s black pudding to our ever-popular Mescan ales, appear on menus, while our local chefs win national industry titles each year. You can even do brewery and distillery tours, sample Connacht’s best boxty, or enjoy Ireland’s Best 99!

If the food's your thing, check out our 5 Ways To Get A Taste Of Westport.

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Is your trip all about family fun ? Check out Westport House Estate with its Pirate Adventure Park, restaurant and campsite, as well as fantastic gardens and forest walks. (There’s also historic Westport House itself to explore – including the spooky dungeons!)

Or gaze out to Clare Island as you go pony trekking on the beach at the foothills of Croagh Patrick. Or dodge some paint ‘bullets’ at Kids’ Splatball. Or try FootGolf (yes, you read that right). Children love the water and the seaside, so why not spend a morning learning how to do stand-up paddle boarding, or how to surf or to sail? For families whose grown-ups like some time out, check out the myriad of brilliant kids’ clubs offered by most of the local hotels.

Culture and history

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Culture vultures flock to Westport knowing it is the artistic hub of Mayo, boasting a host of galleries and a thriving local art scene, as well as its own annual arts festival, Westival .

Other festivals to watch out for include the Westport Food Festival, the Westport Festival of Chamber Music, Mac Luí – Westport Children’s Arts Festival, the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival and the Gráinne Ale beer festival. Venues range from the state-of-the-art Westport Town Hall Theatre to Westport’s amazing pubs, parks and streets.

Westport is steeped in cultural heritage. One of Ireland’s few architect-planned towns, it was commissioned in the late 18th century by the first Earl of Altamont, of Westport House, as a place for his workers and tenants to live. Elegant Georgian buildings frame the charming banks of the Carrowbeg River, and the generous streets are treelined.

Eco tourism

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Westport recently made headlines for becoming the first town in Ireland to ditch plastic straws in favour of biodegradable ones – but the town’s sustainability credentials don’t stop there. The town’s Edible Landscape Project has seen fruit trees and edible plants spring up along the Greenway, while Westport’s Biodiversity Plan focuses on ecologically sound vegetation management, habitat creation, ecological corridors and connectivity, and increasing biodiversity.

Schools, businesses and families all throughout the town take pride in keeping the town and its beaches litter-free, and regular clean-ups are embraced by all. Members of the town’s religious communities have even banded together to form Westport Eco-Congregation , which promotes awareness of the need to protect our natural environment.

The great outdoors

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Kissed by the Atlantic and hugged by a stunning landscape, Westport has so much to offer for anyone who loves to be in nature and the great outdoors.

Conquer Croagh Patrick , stroll along our sandy beaches, surf our waves, forage in our forests, fish our seas, ramble along our boreens and over our hills, be amazed by our wildlife and enchanted by our wildflowers. Discover the road less travelled and delve into ‘hidden Westport’, from scenic drives through jaw-dropping landscapes to out-of-the-way picnic spots and lesser-known beaches .

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We don’t have the major high-street stores here in Westport. Nope, we’re all about cherishing the small, the local, the boutique and unique. Behind our colourful shopfronts, you’ll find local shopkeepers, bakers, artists, producers and craftspeople offering everything from stunning fabrics, stylish clothes and beautiful jewellery to hand-picked antiques, traditional crafts and contemporary art.

If you’re here on a Thursday morning, be sure to get a real slice of local community life and pick up a few treats at the Westport Country Market in the old Railway Hotel. Here, locals sell a variety of wares, including handmade soaps, local cheeses, hand-cut flowers, home-baked cakes, organic veg, fresh bread, tempting sauces and lots more!

Hotels and spas

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Westport is renowned the world over for its amazing hotels , each one offering its own unique atmosphere and welcoming accommodation. Of course, hotels mean spas, and we are blessed with a fabulous choice of pampering palaces – sure no wonder we all look so relaxed and happy! If a trip to a hotel always means a massage, you’re in luck. Many of the spas also have thermal suites with steam rooms, saunas and more where you can spend a serene morning or afternoon after enjoying a spa treatment.

Check out the treatment packages at the Westport Woods Hotel’s Beech Spa ; Westport Plaza’s Spa Sula ; Knockranny House Hotel’s Spa Salveo ; Hotel Westport’s Senses Spa ; or Spa Veda at the Westport Coast Hotel.

Those who like to stretch and chill should check out the new dedicated yoga studio, Yoga Root , located in in a beautifully restored 18th-century mill at on Westport's waterfront.

Pubs and nightlife

Whether your ideal night out is a quiet pint by a crackling fire, a hot whiskey and a trad session, a nice merlot in a wine bar, or a multicoloured cocktail and a spirited dance-floor, we have it all. Everywhere is within walking distance, so it’s easy to stroll around the town at your leisure, drifting from one place to the next or just soaking up the friendly atmosphere.

If you’d like to catch a show, don’t forget to check out what’s on in Westport Town Hall Theatre, while pubs like Matt Molloy’s , McGing’s and Cobbler's often have live acts.

Guided tours

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Love a good tour? So do we! Westport Walking Tours are great craic as well as a mine of information, with lots of stories, facts and anecdotes. Or take a tour around the town on a horse-drawn carriage with the Paddy Joe Foy (AKA the Clew Bay Jarvey) and his trusty cob, Podge.

Westport House and Estate offer a whole range of fun and insightful tours, both inside the house and through its gardens. It also runs a fun and informative miniature-train tour through the town.

Or take a tour of Westport’s very own microbrewery, Mescan , named after St Patrick's right-hand man. Find out how their hugely popular range of delicious Belgian-style bottle-conditioned beers are made using spring water from Mescan’s own well.

What better way to jump in the slow lane than swapping four wheels for two?

Hop on a bike (bring your own or hire one locally) and take a spin on the famous Great Western Greenway, which runs from Westport to Achill – 42k of farmland, rolling hills, picturesque villages, dramatic mountains and wonderful views of the bay.

If you fancy a quick walk, the Westport Greenway is just perfect. Also known as The Old Railway Line Walk, the beautiful tree-lined Westport Greenway is 2.5km long, running between Westport’s two urban areas, the town centre and The Quay.

westport mine tours

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westport mine tours

A Guide To Westport After Dark

westport mine tours

Seven things to do with the kids in Westport

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westport mine tours

Located in the Buller Coalfield on the West Coast, Stockton is the largest opencast mine in New Zealand.

The mine delivers high-quality steelmaking coal for export.

We play a small part in the overall global seaborne coal trade, with exports of New Zealand coking coal  expected to represent approximately 0.38 percent of the total 263 million tonnes estimated by S&P Global Platts to trade on the seaborne market in 2021.

The onboarding of a new customer is also a lengthy process. Because our coal does not run to standard coking coal specifications, we work alongside our customers over an extended timeframe as they re-design their own coking coal blend to work around our product.

So why is there a demand for our coal?

The answer comes down to two unique aspects of our export coking coal – high vitrinite and low ash.

Vitrinite (from the woody parts of plants) acts as a binding agent in the coking coal blend, balancing infusible inertinites to optimise strength. An analogy is the way in which cement (vitrinite) and aggregate (inert components) are required in the right proportions to make strong concrete.

Low ash means less heat is wasted on melting impurities, less flux (to assist melting the ash) is required, and the slag rate is lower. Reduced ash also generally improves coking coal strength by reducing impurities.

As a result of the high vitrinite and low ash, quality is improved and the amount of fuel (coking coal and pulverised coal injection) required to produce a tonne of steel is reduced. Reducing the amount of fuel required gives our customers an immediate commercial benefit by reducing their coal purchases. Crucially it also reduces the CO 2 emissions incurred to produce the same amount of pig iron.

Miners beside truck

Okay, grab your hard hat… and let’s go underground

Now it’s time to experience first-hand the working conditions of those who spent so much of their time labouring under these mountains. You’ll be in the company of an ex-miner, someone who knows their way around these mines – so don’t worry, you won’t get lost!

Inside the mine, you’ll hear the constant dripping of water, feel the intensity of the darkness, see the cramped areas where miners lay on their sides, chipping away at the rock for hours on end. It’s an experience that’ll leave a lasting impression.

Remember to bring a warm jacket, as the temperature underground is always a cool 10˚.

Safety first

Everyone taking the underground tour is accompanied by a tour guide and is required to wear a hygiene cap and a helmet and need to follow the safety protocols in place’.

westport mine tours

Our tour guides have over 150 years of mining experience between them! All our tour guides at Arigna are ex-miners which gives our tours complete authenticity. Living and working at the coal face allows each guide to recount their life stories of working underground, giving the visitor a totally unique experience.

westport mine tours

A wealth of experience! some current and former guides at Arigna, Left to Right: Peter McNiff, Maurice Cullen, Michael Flynn, Seamus Lehany, Leo Wynne (Deceased) and Jimmy Nugent

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  1. Stockton Mine Tours

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    westport mine tours

  5. Westport things to do, attractions, places to go

    westport mine tours

  6. A party of tourists visit the Stockton Mine near Westport.

    westport mine tours

COMMENTS

  1. Stockton Mine Tours

    Outwest Tours is currently the exclusive operator of tours through the Bathurst Resources Stockton Opencast Mine site on the Stockton Plateau. Departing from Westport, this 5-6 hour tour passes through several small towns and climbs to the Plateau, delivering an off-road adventure along the way. At Stockton Mine, the largest coal-producing ...

  2. Outwest Tours

    Outwest Tours offers an excellent wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on a journey into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails, or visit New Zealand's largest opencast coal mine, as you relax in one of our fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles. Outwest ...

  3. Denniston Plateau

    Duration: 5 hours. Departure time: 9.30am. Departs from: Westport i-SITE Visitor Centre ( see map) Trip is weather dependant and requires a minimum of 6 people. For smaller groups contact us on 0800 688 937. After a 20 minute drive north from Westport we arrive at Conns Creek located in the spectacular Waimangaroa River gorge.

  4. Outwest Tours

    Out West Tours offers an excellent wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on a journey into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails as you relax in one of our fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles. Westport, New Zealand. Contact.

  5. Outwest Tours

    Westport. Outwest Tours offers a wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on journeys into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails, as you relax in one of their fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive vehicles. Johnny's journey with Outwest, the only company with access to ...

  6. OUTWEST TOURS (Westport)

    About. Out West Tours offers an excellent wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on a journey into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails as you relax in one of our fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles. Westport, New Zealand. Contact.

  7. Best value day in westport

    If you are in the Westport area take a trip up to the Stockton opencast coal mine with Mickey Ryan in the Outwest Tours Unimog "bus". You will get up close and personal with some huge mining equipment, Cat 777 trucks, Hitachi 1900 diggers, and the ENORMOUS Komatsu D575 dozer.

  8. Johnny's Journey

    Excellent value for money on the mine tour,fantastic views looking back to cape Foulwind,great for all ages and for everyone to see how they are looking after the enviroment,and replanting.The unimogs are a great way to travell and the drivers give great commentry's.There is so much history in the Buller area and this is one of they ways to see it.

  9. West Coast, South Island day trip Westport to Denniston Plateau

    Stockton Mine Tours - Outwest Tours - Guided scenic off-road 4wd Tours, Westport, West Coast, Departs: Westport Vistor Information Centre. Duration: 6 hours for the tour. Booking: Online or Vistor Information Centre, 24 hours notice necessary minimum numbers required. The tour operator can arrange private tours.

  10. Westport things to do, attractions, places to go

    Perhaps you would like a tour of Stockton's current mining operations at the nearby Cascade mine, New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton. Tours of Cascade are only through an authorised tour operator, Stockton Mine Tours - Outwest Tours. Departs: Westport Visitor Information Centre; Duration: 6 hours for the tour.

  11. The Denniston Experience

    The Denniston Experience, Westport, New Zealand. 658 likes. A unique interactive tour into an 1880's underground coal mine. Includes a train ride, glow worms, a

  12. Outwest Tours

    About. Out West Tours offers an excellent wild West Coast experience, taking you off the beaten track on a journey into the wild heart of the land. Enjoy spectacular landscapes and travel historic mining trails as you relax in one of our fully air-conditioned four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles. Westport, New Zealand. Contact.

  13. Contact Outwest Tours, Westport, West Coast, New Zealand

    Stockton Mine Tours; Denniston Plateau; Photos; About us; Contact us; Contact us. Bookings: 8am-5pm only Freephone: 0800 OUTWEST (0800 688 937) Mobile: 027 641 8267 ... Tours depart from: - Westport i-SITE Visitor Centre, 123-125 Palmerston Street, Westport 7825. Westport departure point: Westport i-SITE Visitor Centre.

  14. Denniston-Westport

    A trip with Outwest Tours to the once thriving community of Denniston perched on the Plateau 600m above Westport, is one of the highlights of our journey so far.. Mikey Ryan of OUTWEST TOURS was a terrific guide and very knowledgeable about this region and the Coal Industry that supported the many mines and their villages on the Denniston Plateau. ...

  15. Denniston Plateau, Millerton: abandoned coal mining towns

    Tours of Cascade are only through an authorised tour operator. Departs: Westport Vistor Information Centre; Duration: 6 hours for the tour. ... Denniston Experience Underground Mine Tours is a must do part of the exploration of the coal mine. Over 179 metres of the Banbury Mine is a replica 1880's mining site.

  16. Hidee Gold Mine Tours and Panning

    You Hand-Mine a real gold ore specimen in the mountain with the tools provided, yours to keep with Souvenir Sample Bag! We Teach Gold Panning as well, keep what you find! ... Hidee Gold Mine Tours and Panning. 1950 Hidee Mine Road, Central City, CO, 80427 (720) 548-0343; Business: [email protected] Website;

  17. THE DENNISTON EXPERIENCE

    About. New Zealand's only underground coal mining experience! Enjoy a fully guided tour into an original 1880's underground coal mine. Kitted out with a hard hat, lamp and raincoat your journey begins with a short guided walk from the carpark to the railway station. A narrow gauge train takes you along a section of the old coal haulage route ...

  18. Westport History Tours

    The Westport Historical Society offers a new "dynamic" walking tour of the historic Head of Westport. A new mobile app "Westport History Tours" enables users to explore the architectural, social, cultural, and industrial past of the Head of Westport. The app is free and accessible anytime and anywhere with a smartphone or on your ...

  19. Tours and Experiences Westport

    Westport Walking, Pub and Food Tours. The yellow-clad guides of Westport Walking Tours offer visitors a casual, hour-long guided walk around the heart of Westport town. The tours take place everyday weekday, at 10am and again at 12 noon. The operation was setup by Stephen and Alan Clarke, whose family have been part of the fabric of Westport ...

  20. About Outwest Tours, Westport, West Coast, New Zealand

    About us. Outwest Tours is based in Westport and is owned and operated by Mickey and Doreen Ryan assisted by five staff. They have operated specialist visitor tours in the Buller region since 2001 using three, purpose built, all-weather 4WD vehicles. Meet your guides (left to right): Mickey and Doreen Ryan, Rebecca and Cheryl - the epitome of ...

  21. Westport Day Trip

    Westport Walking Tours are great craic as well as a mine of information, with lots of stories, facts and anecdotes. Or take a tour around the town on a horse-drawn carriage with the Paddy Joe Foy (AKA the Clew Bay Jarvey) and his trusty cob, Podge. ... Or take a tour of Westport's very own microbrewery, Mescan, named after St Patrick's right ...

  22. Stockton » Bathurst Resources Ltd

    Located in the Buller Coalfield on the West Coast, Stockton is the largest opencast mine in New Zealand. The mine delivers high-quality steelmaking coal for export. We play a small part in the overall global seaborne coal trade, with exports of New Zealand coking coal expected to represent approximately 0.38 percent of the total 263 million ...

  23. Tour

    Meet Our Guides. Our tour guides have over 150 years of mining experience between them! All our tour guides at Arigna are ex-miners which gives our tours complete authenticity. Living and working at the coal face allows each guide to recount their life stories of working underground, giving the visitor a totally unique experience.