The Story

Sitting at 518 metres above the Tasman Sea, Denniston originally had one access: an incredibly steep 1670 metre long incline railway that was once described as the eighth wonder of the world. With gradients of 1 in 1.3, the Denniston incline was an engineering marvel that used gravity and West Coast grit to transport coal wagons between 1880 and 1967. The effort was worth it - the high-grade coal that came out of Denniston’s mines had unsurpassable clean qualities that were sought after even by the British fleets. 

Isolated and exposed to extreme weather conditions, the 1400 people who lived on the Denniston Plateau faced many hardships. This sometimes included weeks of fog. The rocky nature of the plateau, though spectacular to look at, meant that families couldn’t grow food, dig a long-drop or bury the dead. Working in the mines was dark, dusty and dangerous, and even the children were expected to do their part. Despite this, Denniston was a thriving social place of brass bands, bowling greens and unionism. 

Denniston Mine is proudly cared for by the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai.