August 23, 2024 • 8 mins
"Enrobed by chiselled cliff tops, wild beaches and the serene Grey Valley, the West Coast’s biggest town of Greymouth is so much more than just a gateway to the region. Explorer Thomas Brunner named the river in honour Governor George Edward Grey, which also gave rise to the town’s name. The town centre is built on the site of the former Māori pa called Māwhera, which translates as 'wide spread river mouth’. The latest attraction in town that is the worth the trip alone is Pounamu Pathway – Māwhera."
Read Mike's full article here.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at B and.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We're just about to connect with our travel correspondent Mike
Cowardly before we do, though, just see, you know, I
double checked it. I just double checked it. I googled
in the ad breaks. Yes, Bill English did study English literature.
He did an honors degree at Victoria University. So there
you go. Mike Goudly is with us this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Good morning set, Good morning Jack's. But speaking of politics,
is it true that Carmela is finally going to face
the press and she's booked in for Q and A tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Ah, as great as my production team is on Q
and A, as keen as they are in pursuing big
names for the show, Sadly, I have to report that
Carmela will not be appearing tomorrow. Although it's about times
she did an interview. There's no excuse now right, she's
done the down the convention. She is officially the nominee.
(00:58):
I think, I can you know, they can justify holding
it until now, but she's going to have to come
under a bit more scrutiny. I reckon so little eventually,
What did you make of the of the Convention of
what you saw of it night.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, full tilt, wasn't it absolute rais mataires. I'm always
intrigued how the Democrats seem to be so tethered to
the celebrity elite of the states. They seem to go
hand in hand, don't they.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So yeah, they do, although Beyonce did in front. There
was their whole rumor that Beyonce was going to be closing.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
It out, but she wasn't there, that's true.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Although well, yeah, one of my strange highlights, and this
might be lost on all, but the keenest of American
hip hop fans was when they were introducing the different
delegates from different states. You know, they have this thing
called the role call, and so they call up people
from yeah, Minnesota, and here's Nebraska and blah blah blah.
(01:50):
And when they called out Georgia, the state of Georgia,
they had Lil John, who is who's a Southern rapper,
and he just he came out and started rapping as
their answer to the role call, which I thought was
was your neque. I couldn't I couldn't picture that happening
at a national or Labor party conference here in New
Zealand a little bit different to say the least. Anyway, Hey,
(02:14):
we're focusing on Greymouth this morning. I was saying before
the west coast of South Island. I just think it
is one of the most beautiful, underrated parts of New Zealand.
And the latest attraction in town and Graymouth worth the
trip alone is the Ponamu Pathway.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Marfetta absolutely extraordinary, Jack, Yes, we're at workshop. They teamed
up with poteeny Nitahu to create four Ponamu Pathway experience centers,
so they strung along the west coast. The Greymouth Center
MARFAA opened about nine months ago and you've got the
stirring storytelling and all of that technological wizard tree. The
(02:51):
center on the old Revington's Hotel site in Greymouth, which
is such a great location because previously that was the
historic site of Marfetta par Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Yeah, it looks amazing from what I've seen, just gorgeous.
So talk us through some of the features. There's that
giant sculpture of two Hoodoo.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yes, so if you've been to the Gallipoli exhibition to
Papa and marveled over those enormous sculptures, you will be
equally awe struck by the Center's starring attraction in Graymouth,
this giant sculpture of Too Hoodoo. And I have to say, Jack,
my heart skipped a beach as I gazed up close
in the awe of just the hyperreality of this warrior chief.
(03:36):
And I mean he was actually seven feet tall in
real life apparently what this Wow? Yeah, great basketballer, but
this super sized sculpture spans about four meters, so we
are talking gigantic and he was a giant. He was
the warrior chief who led Nitahu's conquest of the West
(03:58):
coast in the Ponamu trade. And you kind of expect
him to spring into life as you're standing beneath them.
He's been magnificently adorned with all of these woven accessories
and the world's largest known ponamu hatiki that the pendant
around his neck weighs eight kilogram.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Oh my gosh, that's incredible. How did Nita who navigate
across the Alps to the Ponama on the west coast.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I just was blown away by the history that the
center showcases. So I wasn't aware of this, but Nati
white Ungi first settled on the west coast from Tartanaki
in the fifteen hundreds, Nita, who of course were over
on the other side of the mountains out east. They
were very eager to get their hands on the ponamu trade,
so they first destroyed Nati White One's part at Mafeta
(04:49):
before conquering the wide a west coast. But the amazing
thing jack all began with this young Wahini, a young
woman from Nati white Unge called Roreca, and she found
a route across the Southern Alps from the Arrahura Valley
just south of Arthur's Pass at the head of the
head of the Wilberforce River. So this was around seventeen fifty.
(05:11):
And as you learn at the Center and Graymouth, when
she crossed over what we know today is Browning's Pass, right,
she came across a Nahu hunting party who are up
in the hills from out east. She showed them the
way across the mountains from the east. And his history.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, oh, that's amazing, okay. And the thing about Ponamu
is that it isn't just that beautiful deep green color.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
That's right. As much as that is a beautiful color,
it was Captain Cook who called it Greenstone. I went
just out of Greymouth by Shantytown to Garth Wilson studio.
Now Garth is one of the coasts best known ponamu covers.
He started gathering stone from the rivers when he was
a really small boy with his father. And when you
(05:58):
go to the studio you will see there's a variety
of hues. So for example, Tutu Weka ponamu, there's this
distinct blood red coloring that's found in the Ardahura River
and also from the Ardahura Cocapoo ponamu which takes on
this similar gray spotted patterning of a speckled trout. Absolutely extraordinary.
(06:23):
So yeah, gufts pieces are magnificent, but you just get
a great insight into the variety of ponamu. Hughes at
his studio.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah, so just north of Greymouth tell us about breakers.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Well, if you've ever been on the Great Coast Road
and you've stopped at that Strongman Mine Memorial at that
lookout point, which is one of the great sprawling coastal
vistas from the highway, if you've been there, you may
have noticed there's this property sort of just tucked away,
set back from the beach on a terrace, wrapped in
(06:56):
native bosh, basking in the solitude. Well you can stay there,
so it's called Breakers Boutique Accommodation. It actually began life
as doctor Dallas's house and doctor Dallas was the mayor
and the story goes that this was actually harborboard lands
Jack and you shouldn't have actually built on it, but hey,
when you're the mayor, so it's now a fabulous spot
(07:20):
to stay and directly behind your accommodation. This absolutely blew
my mind. There are kiwi in the boss right next
to the highway.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, yeah, that's amazing, like meters away.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
A yeah, yeah totally.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
And what about nine Mile Beach? What makes it so special?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yes, well, if you wander down from Breakers, if I've
got a private track down to the beach, and a
lot of surfers out on the West coast they love
nine Mile Beach because it's got a beefy left break.
But the beach has so many curiosities. So at low
tide there's rock pools to devil and brimming with muscles
and staffish. There's a waterfall that actually cascades down to
the beach from that Strongman Mind memorial lookout. We've got
(08:01):
a penguin colony and you never know you luck ponamu
fragments often wash up on this beach. I just brought
up from the ocean swell further south and from breakers
best of all, the ocean panorama. You will just binge
on that, particularly when a fireball sunset tortures the Tesman
c and it really is a remarkable spot.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
It's a beautiful part of the world. Thank you so much, Mike.
All of Mike's advice and tips on tripping around Graymouth
on the West Coast there will be available at Newstalks
headb dot co dot nz.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks B from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at B and.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We're just about to connect with our travel correspondent Mike
Cowardly before we do, though, just see, you know, I
double checked it. I just double checked it. I googled
in the ad breaks. Yes, Bill English did study English literature.
He did an honors degree at Victoria University. So there
you go. Mike Goudly is with us this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Good morning set, Good morning Jack's. But speaking of politics,
is it true that Carmela is finally going to face
the press and she's booked in for Q and A tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Ah, as great as my production team is on Q
and A, as keen as they are in pursuing big
names for the show, Sadly, I have to report that
Carmela will not be appearing tomorrow. Although it's about times
she did an interview. There's no excuse now right, she's
done the down the convention. She is officially the nominee.
(00:58):
I think, I can you know, they can justify holding
it until now, but she's going to have to come
under a bit more scrutiny. I reckon so little eventually,
What did you make of the of the Convention of
what you saw of it night.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, full tilt, wasn't it absolute rais mataires. I'm always
intrigued how the Democrats seem to be so tethered to
the celebrity elite of the states. They seem to go
hand in hand, don't they.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So yeah, they do, although Beyonce did in front. There
was their whole rumor that Beyonce was going to be closing.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
It out, but she wasn't there, that's true.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Although well, yeah, one of my strange highlights, and this
might be lost on all, but the keenest of American
hip hop fans was when they were introducing the different
delegates from different states. You know, they have this thing
called the role call, and so they call up people
from yeah, Minnesota, and here's Nebraska and blah blah blah.
(01:50):
And when they called out Georgia, the state of Georgia,
they had Lil John, who is who's a Southern rapper,
and he just he came out and started rapping as
their answer to the role call, which I thought was
was your neque. I couldn't I couldn't picture that happening
at a national or Labor party conference here in New
Zealand a little bit different to say the least. Anyway, Hey,
(02:14):
we're focusing on Greymouth this morning. I was saying before
the west coast of South Island. I just think it
is one of the most beautiful, underrated parts of New Zealand.
And the latest attraction in town and Graymouth worth the
trip alone is the Ponamu Pathway.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Marfetta absolutely extraordinary, Jack, Yes, we're at workshop. They teamed
up with poteeny Nitahu to create four Ponamu Pathway experience centers,
so they strung along the west coast. The Greymouth Center
MARFAA opened about nine months ago and you've got the
stirring storytelling and all of that technological wizard tree. The
(02:51):
center on the old Revington's Hotel site in Greymouth, which
is such a great location because previously that was the
historic site of Marfetta par Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Yeah, it looks amazing from what I've seen, just gorgeous.
So talk us through some of the features. There's that
giant sculpture of two Hoodoo.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Yes, so if you've been to the Gallipoli exhibition to
Papa and marveled over those enormous sculptures, you will be
equally awe struck by the Center's starring attraction in Graymouth,
this giant sculpture of Too Hoodoo. And I have to say, Jack,
my heart skipped a beach as I gazed up close
in the awe of just the hyperreality of this warrior chief.
(03:36):
And I mean he was actually seven feet tall in
real life apparently what this Wow? Yeah, great basketballer, but
this super sized sculpture spans about four meters, so we
are talking gigantic and he was a giant. He was
the warrior chief who led Nitahu's conquest of the West
(03:58):
coast in the Ponamu trade. And you kind of expect
him to spring into life as you're standing beneath them.
He's been magnificently adorned with all of these woven accessories
and the world's largest known ponamu hatiki that the pendant
around his neck weighs eight kilogram.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Oh my gosh, that's incredible. How did Nita who navigate
across the Alps to the Ponama on the west coast.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
I just was blown away by the history that the
center showcases. So I wasn't aware of this, but Nati
white Ungi first settled on the west coast from Tartanaki
in the fifteen hundreds, Nita, who of course were over
on the other side of the mountains out east. They
were very eager to get their hands on the ponamu trade,
so they first destroyed Nati White One's part at Mafeta
(04:49):
before conquering the wide a west coast. But the amazing
thing jack all began with this young Wahini, a young
woman from Nati white Unge called Roreca, and she found
a route across the Southern Alps from the Arrahura Valley
just south of Arthur's Pass at the head of the
head of the Wilberforce River. So this was around seventeen fifty.
(05:11):
And as you learn at the Center and Graymouth, when
she crossed over what we know today is Browning's Pass, right,
she came across a Nahu hunting party who are up
in the hills from out east. She showed them the
way across the mountains from the east. And his history.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah, oh, that's amazing, okay. And the thing about Ponamu
is that it isn't just that beautiful deep green color.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
That's right. As much as that is a beautiful color,
it was Captain Cook who called it Greenstone. I went
just out of Greymouth by Shantytown to Garth Wilson studio.
Now Garth is one of the coasts best known ponamu covers.
He started gathering stone from the rivers when he was
a really small boy with his father. And when you
(05:58):
go to the studio you will see there's a variety
of hues. So for example, Tutu Weka ponamu, there's this
distinct blood red coloring that's found in the Ardahura River
and also from the Ardahura Cocapoo ponamu which takes on
this similar gray spotted patterning of a speckled trout. Absolutely extraordinary.
(06:23):
So yeah, gufts pieces are magnificent, but you just get
a great insight into the variety of ponamu. Hughes at
his studio.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah, so just north of Greymouth tell us about breakers.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Well, if you've ever been on the Great Coast Road
and you've stopped at that Strongman Mine Memorial at that
lookout point, which is one of the great sprawling coastal
vistas from the highway, if you've been there, you may
have noticed there's this property sort of just tucked away,
set back from the beach on a terrace, wrapped in
(06:56):
native bosh, basking in the solitude. Well you can stay there,
so it's called Breakers Boutique Accommodation. It actually began life
as doctor Dallas's house and doctor Dallas was the mayor
and the story goes that this was actually harborboard lands
Jack and you shouldn't have actually built on it, but hey,
when you're the mayor, so it's now a fabulous spot
(07:20):
to stay and directly behind your accommodation. This absolutely blew
my mind. There are kiwi in the boss right next
to the highway.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Yeah, yeah, that's amazing, like meters away.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
A yeah, yeah totally.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
And what about nine Mile Beach? What makes it so special?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Yes, well, if you wander down from Breakers, if I've
got a private track down to the beach, and a
lot of surfers out on the West coast they love
nine Mile Beach because it's got a beefy left break.
But the beach has so many curiosities. So at low
tide there's rock pools to devil and brimming with muscles
and staffish. There's a waterfall that actually cascades down to
the beach from that Strongman Mind memorial lookout. We've got
(08:01):
a penguin colony and you never know you luck ponamu
fragments often wash up on this beach. I just brought
up from the ocean swell further south and from breakers
best of all, the ocean panorama. You will just binge
on that, particularly when a fireball sunset tortures the Tesman
c and it really is a remarkable spot.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
It's a beautiful part of the world. Thank you so much, Mike.
All of Mike's advice and tips on tripping around Graymouth
on the West Coast there will be available at Newstalks
headb dot co dot nz.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks B from nine am Saturday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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