DescriptionDenniston either loved or hated but always with a passion.
Damn Denniston
Damn the track
Damn the way both there and back
Damn the wind and damn the weather
God damn Denniston altogether.
From JT Ward, 21/9/1894.
Denniston is an old goldmining settlement on the Mt. Rochfort plateau, 600 metres above sea level and 18 kilometres north-east of Westport.
During the early years of the 20th Century Denniston's population was close to 2,000. Now it is little more than a Ghost town.
In it's heyday Denniston's population was large enough to justify having its own lodges, churches, sports clubs, brass band. It also had its own RSA club and five lodges(Masonic, Druids, Oddfellows, Orange, and Buffaloes). It also boasted a school which now serves as the museum. It also had its own medical society and three hotels. It did not have a cemetery as the ground was too hard so bodies were transported from Denniston down the incline(and later by road) to Waimangaroa.
Before the road was built the only means to access Denniston or leave it was by the Incline. Many woman were too terrified to use the incline so the only time they left was in a coffin.
West Coast New Zealand History (30th Apr 2015). Denniston. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th Apr 2026 23:12, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/759
