For over 500 years Māori used the Kawatiri area as a key stopping point on the pounamu (greenstone) trail along the West Coast from Mohua (Golden Bay). Recent research, particularly in 2003-05, has shown that Māori history in this area is much more significant than previously understood. The estuaries and wetlands provided abundant food supplies for residents and travellers and in the early days of European settlement a large number of artefacts were found, mostly at Tauranga Bay and Ōkari.
Carters Beach site
Archaeological excavations have revealed a small village existed as early as AD 1300. This is early in the settlement of New Zealand and demonstrates linkages to the East Polynesia region. With some highly significant artefacts found this location is a nationally important heritage site. Next to this site a large shelter has been built with interpretation panels (in both Te Reo and English) about the site.
“Excavations at the Kawatiri archaeological site, near the mouth of the Buller River, indicates that people were living close to Westport by the early 14th century. Excavations have revealed a number of adzes and flaked tools, which come from a variety of sources including obsidian from Mayor Island in the Bay of Plenty, baked argillite (adzite) from Nelson and pounamu (greenstone) from the Arahura valley. It is clear that there was considerable exchange of different stones suitable for making tools.” From Te Ara.
Included within shell and bone fragments found were two femur of bush moa.
“Most of New Zealand’s large Archaic sites have now been heavily modified or destroyed and the Buller River site must now rank as one of the largest and best preserved such sites remaining.” – Jacomb, Tucker and Walter, 2004.
A whare / shelter has been built next to the trail and this contains detailed interpretation panels about the site.
Significant Māori sites along the Proposed Trail Route
• Kawatiri river and estuary – Includes AD 1350 Māori site – this is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Aotearoa. Rich food sources – flounder, eels, whitebait, birds including moa.
• Kawatiri (Martins) Island – On this island and the nearby land, Māori had some small huts and a large whare and pātaka. In the 1840’s potato gardens were established. Abundant birds and eels in adjacent wetlands.
• Kawau point – At the western end of Carters Beach, the old trail led up on to the Cape Foulwind headland. Fires were lit to signal people at the Kawatiri of travellers heading north. At low tide the nearby reefs provided good sources of kai moana.
• Omau (Cape Foulwind) – The trail lead through bush and scrub over the headland. Weka were plentiful in this area.
• Tauranga Bay Evidence in caves of use by Māori. Abundant seals, penguins, weka, mussels, paua, kina. Large middens have been discovered here and there are reports of a urupa
• Ōkari lagoon – numerous large shell middens and artefacts found, Excellent food area – whitebait, flounder, pipis, eels, pigeons, weka. Also potato beds.
• Totara River – Whitebait, eels and bush birds.
• Rahui – at the southern end of the 9 Mile beach, pipi, swamp and bush birds, eels were abundant.
• Waitakere (Nile) river – Whitebait, eels. Bush birds. Evidence upstream in Awakari Valley that early Māori hunted moa. Also Waitakere River and tributaries were excellent source for upokororo fish.
• Tauhinu pakihis (Charleston) – generally sour, infertile land with few food sources. The pounamu trail led through these mostly pakihi terraces to avoid the steep coastal cliffs. The trail eventually reached the coast north of the Potikōhua (Fox) River.

Located on the banks of the Buller (or Kawatiri) River, Westport has a rich and fascinating history.
The first European to enter the river was the sealer Capt Joseph Thoms (The Three Brothers), who went about 5km up the river in 1844. The explorers Thomas Brunner and Charles Heaphy accompanied by Māori guides Kehu and Tau crossed the river on a journey up and down the West Coast and camped near the western bank in 1846. From their expedition journals, the outside world now became aware of the Buller.
In 1859 the surveyor John Rochfort and party arrived at the river mouth in the cutter Supply (Capt Walker) from Nelson. During his surveying work Rochfort discovered a coal seam in the Waimangaroa River and then found gold at a number of locations in the Buller River. Coal seams at Denniston were discovered in 1860 by the geologist Julius von Haast and the Nelson Provincial Government became very interested in the potential mineral wealth.

First Settlement – Westport established.
Prospectors obtained gold from the Waimangaroa River and Lyell (Buller River) in early 1861 and when they returned to Collingwood, local storekeeper Rueben Waite and others saw a major opportunity. Waite hired Capt Jacobsen and his ketch Jane to take him and a party with stores to the mouth of the Buller. Arriving in July 1861 a camp was established on the eastern bank and then small jetties built. Over the next 4 years Westport grew to a village of about 200 people which included an adjacent Māori pa with about 50 residents. Waite and John Martin maintained stores from where provisions were taken upriver to the Lyell gold diggings.
Gold Rush
It was the discovery of gold at Charleston in 1866 that really got Westport going. Thousands of miners flocked to the Buller and with further rushes to Addisons Flat and the Northern Terraces in 1867, the town of Westport rapidly grew. Hotels, stores, and numerous other businesses were quickly established and did a thriving trade. A number of wharves were built to handle all the cargo coming in and with ships from Melbourne a regular occurrence.
From Westport, miners and cargo were ferried across the river to South Spit and thence the beach route to Charleston or across to Packers Point and the inland route to Addisons Flat.
The gold mining boom was over by 1871, but in just 5 years over 1 million oz of gold was exported through the port.
Westport Moves South
With its location on a shingle spit, the town was subject to sea and river encroachment and after a number of floods, in 1873 it was decided to move the town further upriver to its current position. The old town location is today mostly covered by the river and the floating basin.
King Coal
Just as the gold rush was subsiding, surveys of the Denniston Plateau in 1872 confirmed the existence of a large resource of high quality bituminous coal. This was the age of steam and with New Zealand importing some coal from Australia for rapidly developing industry, the significance of the Buller Coalfield was very apparent to Government.
Port Development
Following the construction of the Denniston Incline and the rail north from Westport, coal production was underway with 75,000 tonnes exported in 1880. The coal was in great demand and it was recognised that to maintain good bar and harbour depths, a properly constructed river harbour was required. Eminent British engineer Sir John Coode was engaged and his harbour design included two long rock breakwaters to control river flow. Following the construction of a 12 km long railway to granite rock quarries at Cape Foulwind, harbour works commenced in 1886. By 1892 the works were completed and over 1.2 million tonnes of rock had been used. Much improved wharves with purpose-built coal loading facilities were also built.
With first class harbour facilities now available, coal mining and coal shipping expanded greatly. Annual coal exports reached 500,000 tonnes in 1900 and peaked at 810,000 tonnes in 1910. While most coal went to New Zealand markets, a significant amount was obtained by the British navy. After 1960 the market for Buller coal declined markedly as diesel fuel and hydro- electricity became more available. The last collier left Westport in 1980 and in 100 years Westport harbour shipped out over 30 million tonnes of coal.
Timber
Substantial quantities of high quality timber, mostly rimu, from the district’s native forests were also shipped out of the harbour.
Cement
From 1958 until 2016 cement from the Cape Foulwind plant was sent out to a number of ports around New Zealand. Initially bagged cement was shipped but the building of large silos on the wharf allowed bulk cement shipments.
Fishing
While not a major fishing port, fishing along the coastline has been a significant local industry from the early days. During the whitebait season large amounts are caught in the Buller River.

From the Buller Bridge the trail follows along near the Buller River, across Martins Creek and then along the side of the western estuary before meeting the old beach route to Charleston. Near the main highway are remnants of the Cape Foulwind railway formation.

MARTINS ISLAND
This island in the Buller River was used by Māori for many years. In 1862 John Martin established Buller’s first farm here and had a herd of dairy cows. The Martin family still live in the Westport area.

PACKERS POINT
Following the discovery of gold at Addisons Flat in 1867, a pack track to the goldfield was established. Gold miners and supplies were ferried across the river from Westport and Packers Point was born. A hotel, livery stables, farm, and vegetable gardens were located here.
Within a few years of the opening of the new road to Addison’s Flat and Charleston in 1873, Packers Point ceased to exist although farming of the surrounding area has continued on. Some very large macrocarpa trees dating from the gold rush times are located here.

With the discovery of gold at Charleston in August 1866, the old Māori trail south from the Kawatiri River became the principal land route for miners heading from Westport to the Charleston goldfield. The beach route was 45 km long.

CARTERS BEACH
From South Spit the gold miners used the beach to get to Cape Foulwind. At its western end near Kawau Point, Gibsons had accommodation and refreshment rooms. The adjacent beach became known as Gibson’s Beach.

CAPE FOULWIND RAILWAY
The Cape Foulwind railway was built in 1885-87 to transport rock from the Cape Foulwind quarries to the Westport harbour development and from the eastern tiphead on the Buller River, the railway was 18km long. Over 1.2 million tonnes of rock were carried. In addition to rock, the railway transported timber and flax while there was also a daily passenger and goods service. The line operated almost continuously up to 1930 and then only intermittently until closure in 1940.

CAPE FOULWIND – OMAU
Cape Foulwind was the first part of New Zealand seen by Europeans when in 1642 the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman anchored offshore. Capt. James Cook visited in 1769 and because of the bad weather he experienced, gave the name Cape Foulwind to the rocky headland. Sealers were regular visitors to the Steeples in the 1840’s but the numbers of seals quickly declined and the sealers moved elsewhere.
Prior to the gold rush there was the ancient Māori trail from Kawau Point to Tauranga Bay and this was widened to form a road for stage coaches in 1867. After the gold rush there was little interest in this area but that all changed when quarrying for granite rock for Westport harbour started and the railway was built.
During the 1890’s with the quarry in full production, the population at Cape Foulwind grew to over 600 with at its peak 6 hotels, two stores, two bakeries, a butchery, school and a church. In addition to quarrying, timber and flax industries established and there was also some farming. In summer, nearby Gibson’s Beach was popular and there often picnic excursions by train from Westport.
Granite quarry
Large blocks of hard, durable granite very suitable for Westport harbour were obtained from a quarry on the coastline below the lighthouse. Explosives were needed to break up the granite into blocks prior to being loaded by steam crane onto wagons. In 1918 the rail line was extended to Tauranga Bay and this extension included the excavation of a 170 metre long tunnel.
Limestone
The abundant high quality limestone at Cape Foulwind was deemed very suitable for cement and in 1958 a cement works began operation. The cement works closed in 2016 after using millions of tonnes of limestone extracted from the quarry.

TAURANGA BAY
Leaving the rugged Cape Foulwind headland, the gold miners and other travellers would have enjoyed reaching Tauranga Bay. Located near the northern end of the bay, the Half-way House Hotel provided welcome rest and refreshments.
Picturesque Tauranga Bay has for over 100 years been a well visited location with the recreational opportunities, fascinating history, ecology, and superb scenery being key drawcards for locals and tourists.

NINE MILE BEACH
From Tauranga Bay the old beach route used the flat, sandy Nine Mile beach to head south towards Charleston. The beach could only be used at low tide, so timing for coaches and pack horses was important.

ŌKARI
The extensive Ōkari lagoon into which the Ōkari and Totara rivers discharged had at that time only one outlet to the sea. Crossing this could be quite dangerous and in early 1867 a ferry was established to safely transport travellers across to continue their journey along Nine Mile Beach. The Ferry House, a store and refreshment room, provided some comfort for travellers.
The ferry operated until 1874 when the Westport to Charleston road via Addisons Flat was completed. This road meant the demise of the beach route to Charleston.

TOTARA
In 1869 William Bird established a track from Virgin Flat to the Big Totara River and at the river he kept a ferry boat. Crossing the river, travellers from Addison’s Flat could then join the beach route to Charleston.

RAHUI
From the Ōkari the beach route continued south to Rahui at the southern end of Nine Mile Beach.
Rahui became well known because of the settlement of Shetland Islanders who mined gold from the black sand beach deposits. The Shetlanders arrived in 1870 and remained for about 30 years. Thereafter the Powell family continued to mine black sand for nearly 50 years using some innovative mining methods.

LITTLE BEACH
From Rahui the beach route led over a small hill (Parson’s Hill) to Little Beach. At the northern end of the beach was the Welcome Inn, a favourite stop along the route.

NILE (WAITAKERE) RIVER
From Little Beach the route to Charleston went over a small hill and then roughly followed the north bank of the Nile River to a bridge over the river. This bridge was washed away in 1874 by a huge flood and was replaced by a suspension bridge which was in use until 1940. After crossing the bridge and then progressing uphill for about 400 metres was Charleston and the end of the beach route. Timber was shipped out of the Nile River and the SS Karamea was a frequent caller.

Prior to 1866 the area to become known as Charleston had no inhabitants. Then in July of that year payable gold was discovered – word quickly got out and within a few months thousands of diggers had flocked to the goldfield. The bustling town of Charleston soon emerged on the terrace behind Constant Bay. A wide range of businesses were quickly established to cater for the miners needs and there were over 80 hotels!
At its peak, the Charleston area had a population of about 12,000 and many of the diggers were experienced gold miners who had followed the gold rushes to Australia, Otago, and Hokitika. Only about 15% of the population was female. The population declined markedly in late 1870 as the more easily won gold was worked out. Mining continued, but by 1875 the population was down to 900 – the boom times were definitely over.

Charleston’s black sands were unique in that over large parts of the goldfield, the sands were cemented. Water wheel driven stamping batteries were required to crush the cement and liberate the black sand and fine gold particles.
Charleston is a nationally significant gold mining heritage area with extensive sluice faces and mounds of stone tailings, many kilometres of water races, numerous reservoirs and tunnels that are the legacy of the miners in the gold rush days.

CONSTANT BAY
Constant Bay was established as a port in October 1866 and soon this little bay was a hive of activity. The bay is named after the ketch Constant which under Capt Charles Bonner was the first ship to enter the bay. The port was very important to the development of the Charleston Goldfield and the town.
Despite the narrow and dangerous entrance, small ships up to 40 tonnes were able to enter when sea conditions were favourable. However, there were numerous mishaps with a number of ships damaged and some totally wrecked with lives lost. The different coloured flags hoisted on Flagstaff Hill showed when it was safe or not safe to enter the bay.
According to the Charleston Herald of 24th May 1867 “Over 200 vessels had used the port in its first seven months”. Up to 6 ships were in port at any one time. Ships too large to enter the bay were serviced by surf boats who transported both passengers and supplies.
After 1870 as the gold rush subsided, the number of vessels coming markedly decreased and in 1879 the port was closed.