West Coast mine tram attraction could become 'fantastic' new walkway
By Brendon McMahon, local democracy reporter
The fate of the underground Denniston Experience-tram ride into the historic Banbury Mine has been sealed, seven years after its shock closure when new mining regulations kicked in.
It could instead be redeveloped as part of a “fantastic” new walkway once a new master plan for Denniston was finalised, the West Coast Conservation Board was told on Friday.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is moving the historic Banbury site – the earliest coal mine on the Denniston Plateau – from 'care and maintenance' status to 'rehabilitation'.
The Pike River disaster in 2011, the year the underground train ride opened, signalled the end for the Denniston tram attraction just five years later. It closed in 2016 when new mining regulations required the operator to have a first-class mine manager's certificate.
DOC Western South Island director Mark Davies told the board it was important to note the vision for the Banbury Mine site into the future would be considered in a broader master plan now being developed for the plateau.
The Denniston master plan would help order priorities by DOC for any further work to enhance the visitor experience, along with protecting the heritage and biodiversity values of the plateau, Davies said.
He had asked for the master plan after a previous “reactive” approach to fixing problems at Denniston, such as the two-time collapse and repair of a stone wall at the brakehead at the top of the incline.
Davies said decisions now for parts of Denniston were essentially about “when is enough, enough?”
“What we've got there is changing priorities.”
After 2017, when the previous Denniston Experience operator surrendered the concession, the department could not find another operator prepared to meet the new regulatory limits to operate. “We had a number of attempts to get a commercial operator in to run the operation, but the costs... The number of visitors were very low -- it wasn't sustainable as a visitor operation.”
A move towards rehabilitation at the former experience site form part of the master plan.
“It's pretty clear to me that a walking track or experience has potential.”
The public has been barred from the Banbury site for now, but under a rehabilitation approach the site could be reconfigured to give visitors “quite a spectacular experience”.
Board member John Taylor said a big problem had been the decision pre-2011 to resurrect a rail-based operation into the old tunnel.
Davies said he was not able to address that, but “walking through is a fantastic experience”.
The Banbury venture began in 2007 and cost $3 million to set up. DOC collaborated in a joint venture with the Buller District Council, Development West Coast, Solid Energy and Friends of the Hill to create a new visitor attraction under a previous enhancement project for the Denniston Plateau.
It was spearheaded by a sudden burst in interest in Denniston in the preceding years after the publication of the novel The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick and subsequent screen adaptation.
“It received very positive reviews and won several awards. It included a short train ride and an audiovisual experience inside the mine, bringing to life the experience of an underground mine for visitors.”
The Banbury site is currently stewardship land recommended for reclassification as historic reserve.
A DOC staff report to the board said there were numerous options available in a “rehabilitation pathway” for Banbury Mine. “This will be one that balances visitor safety, heritage values, finance, and visitor experience.”
*Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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Kalle
"Sports and travelling run in the family, and that's kind of what's led me to come to New Zealand."
"I grew up in a small town in Finland. My dad was involved with sports all his life, he was a shot putter, discus thrower, powerlifter, we traveled quite a bit when I was a kid. He never mentioned much of the rugby days. He just said he broke both of his shin bones playing rugby, so he said, ‘never play the sport, It's crazy.’
I started playing when I was 18. I played my first cap for the Finnish national team in 2014, we won the Finnish championship with my club. Rugby is not a big thing in Finland.
I moved here to play rugby in 2017. The club that wanted me to come over was Methven Rugby Club. They got me here and they were like, ‘what do you do for work? I’d just finished chef school in Finland. ‘We'll get you a job at Mount Hutt as a chef, you can do that while you play rugby with us.’ I said, ‘Perfect. Yeah, I'm in’.
I've always loved food. My mum was an amazing cook, and still is. When I was studying tourism I worked in some hotels in Finland, and I saw how the chef's worked. I just loved the kitchen vibe and I was like, Yeah, that’d be something I'd love to do.
I've had more of a culinary journey In New Zealand than in Finland. I started at Mount Hutt, after that I worked at The Dubliner in Methven. I worked as a senior pizza chef at Sal’s for maybe six months then worked as chef de partie at Cellar Door. At Eliza's Manor, I worked myself up to a junior sous chef. Then the opportunity came to work my first head chef job at Moon Under Water.
We're privileged to have a busy atmosphere, we can try new things and get a bit creative. There are no TV’s, just come here with your family or with your mates, play board games, to socialise.
I really want to drive the local food and ingredients through the menu. We don't mind spending more for quality ingredients as long as it's supporting New Zealand businesses. We just love to use local. And it's pub food, but I feel like it's elevated.
I play club rugby here for the Christchurch Football Club, the oldest club in New Zealand and I still play regularly for the Finnish national team, whenever they can fly me over to play."
- Kalle
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