the Stink Hole Traditional Cache

AA lists the Charming Creek Walkway as one of the 101 MUST-DO's for Kiwis.

The fame of Ngakawau goes well beyond being the place where the aerial ropeway carrying coal from Stockton finishes and the journey to Lyttleton and beyond begins. The name Ngakawau means Home (Nga) of the Shag (Kawau) after the large colonies that used to live on the river.
 

Charming Creek

Depending on your point of view the iconic Charming Creek Walkway starts or finishes here. The Watson Brothers, two early Scottish settlers, carved out the private railway the track is built on. Their coal and timber operations ran from 1914 to 1958.

The now corduroyed and benched track between Watson's and Mumm's Mill

Past the Watson's Mill the sulphur spring, known as the "Stink Hole", seepage is from a hole drilled during Government coal prospecting operations. It is not a hot spring and only small bright yellow sulphur deposits can be seen occasionally. Sulphuric gasses can be very noticable on the track though depending on the breeze.

the Stink Hole

The surrounding environment is only now very slowly recovering from the slash and burn resource recovery.

The walkway finishes past the Mumm's Saw Mill site and the (sealed) Charming Creek Mine entrance.