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Bike the Pike 29 Memorial Track
Day 1- Drive to Blackball
Drive to Blackball and arrive at your accommodation, we have the lovely ‘Blackball Connection’ here. A lovely 2 bedroom house built for the purpose of hosting hikers and bikers on the Pike 29 and Paparoa Tracks. Have a meal at either one of Blackball’s great eateries, the Blackball Inn or Hilton. Then settle in for the night, do some final packing for tomorrow begins the great adventure.
Note: Blackball connection due to be finished Mid February 2024 in time for Pike 29 Memorial Track Opening Feb 17th 2024.
Day 2- Smoke-ho carpark to Pike 29 Memorial Track Carpark.
Time: 8-10 Hours
Distance: 36.9km
Leave your car at the Blackball Connection, we will pick you up at 9am in the shuttle to take you to track start. (You can also leave car at track start if wanting to start earlier and we can take you all the way there on return).
The track begins at its southern end at Smoke-ho Carpark near Blackball, about a 45-minute drive from Greymouth. Beginning on the existing Croesus Track, with remnants of the area’s goldmining history, the track ascends through beech and podocarp forest before crossing alpine scrub and tussock. You will be rewarded with expansive views of the Grey River/Māwheranui to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west. Moonlight Tops Hut provides spectacular views across the Punakaiki River headwaters to the Pike Stream escarpment and north to the Paparoa National Park.
Open tops give way to alpine forest stunted by the harsh environment. Along this section of the track, you meet the junction of the Pike Ridge with the main Paparoa Range. Here the Pike 29 Memorial Track to the Pike River Mine site begins. This 12km of track was built by the Nelmac crew from Nelson, you can read more about the mission they endured here. From the turn-off the first 2km of the Pike 29 Memorial Track will take you east along Pike ridge gradually inclining through Goblin forest till you get to the highest point. Once you pass the highest point the fun really begins, it
is all downhill from here, gradually descending through constant changing forest. 8.5km of no peddaling needed, yes you heard right! The track builders call this one huge pump track!
Following the 8.5km of Downhill you will arrive at the Pike 29 Memorial Interpretation Centre (Still in construction). Explore the centre and pay your respects and the mine portal. The shuttle will be on its way to take you back to your car in Blackball.
Congratulations! You made it! Stay another night in Blackball, enjoy a well earned beer and feed at the Blackball pub you didn’t get to experience on your first night and put your feet up!
