Driving along Hotham Street in Murchison in the Tasman Region of New Zealand
Channel: ScenicDrive Productions
Date: 2023-04-06

Driving along Hotham Street in Murchison, in the Tasman Region of New Zealand's South Island.

Murchison offers plenty of rural charm, natural beauty and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The town is the definition of an outdoor lovers' paradise. With a natural look and feel, Murchison is home to unique and unforgettable activities, eateries, outdoor adventures and many fantastic accommodation options from backpacker & Holiday Park to 5-star luxury.

The town retains its gold mining history, and many buildings are still the original from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Originally a gold rush town, a big earthquake in 1929 almost completely destroyed Murchison. The district museum has more information on this.

Murchison is considered the whitewater capital of New Zealand because there are literally rivers all around the area. These include the Gowan, Mangles, Matiri, Glenroy, Matakitaki, Maruia and Buller rivers. The region offers some of the best all-grade options in New Zealand for anybody into canoeing or kayaking.

For mountain biking, there is the 85km trail called the "Old Ghost Road", The course goes from Lyell to Seddonville on the West Coast, reviving a long-forgotten gold miner's road.

The Murchison Natural Flames Experience offers a walk in a beautiful mossy beech forest. At the end of the walk are flames continually dancing on the forest floor, surrounded by mosses and ferns. There are few places where gas constantly burns from the ground. Murchison is the only place it occurs without burning the forest down.

Nearby are the Maruia Falls. These formed due to the Murchison earthquake in 1929. A landslide resulting from the earthquake in the Maruia Valley diverted the Maruia River over an old river bank. The 10-metre falls are accessible from SH65 and are only a 5-minute walk from the roadside car park.

Other activities in Murchison include zip lining over the Buller River, walking the Southern Hemisphere's longest swing bridge, jet boating the rivers or hiking to some of the most scenic viewpoints.

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