The Truman Track is a short, easy walking track located north of

Punakaiki Punakaiki is a small village on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located between Westport and Greymouth on , the only through-road on the West Coast. Punakaiki is immediately adjacent to Paparoa National Park, and is a ...

, in the coastal

Paparoa National Park Paparoa National Park is on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The park was established in 1987 and encompasses 430 km2 (166 sq mi). The park ranges from on or near the coastline to the peaks of the Paparoa Range. A separ ...

in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. Although only long, it has been described as "one of the most delightful and interesting short walks on the West Coast". The track passes through lowland coastal forest of podocarps, rātā trees and nīkau palms, with dense understorey vegetation. It finishes at the coastline, where there is a viewing platform providing views along the coast, with surrounding cliffs, rock overhangs, and a waterfall that cascades directly onto the beach.

Toponymy

The track is named after Jim Truman, of Truman's Department Store in Greymouth. He had a holiday cottage adjacent to the track.

Geography

The Truman Track begins at Te Miko, north of the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

visitor centre in

and 45 km north of Greymouth. The track entrance is on State Highway 6, with a small car park on the other side of the highway. The easy, level pathway passes through lush temperate rain forest typical of the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

and emerges in coastal

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

vegetation, finishing at a clifftop viewing platform with views of Dolomite Point to the south and Perpendicular Point to the north. The track is only long and takes just 15 minutes to complete. A stairway leads from the platform to the beach, which has scenic mudstone overhangs and a rocky platform at low tide, but is not safe for swimming; rogue waves have swept away at least two tourists.

Natural history

The Truman track begins in West Coast coastal

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

, and ends in salt meadows. The forest at its beginning is dominated by rātā (''

Metrosideros ''Metrosideros'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees, shrubs, and vines mostly found in the Pacific region in the family Myrtaceae. Most of the tree forms are small, but some are exceptionally large, the New Zealand species in particular. The n ...

'') and rimu ('' Dacrydium cupressinum''), with an understory of kāmahi ('' Weinmannia racemosa''), toro (''

Myrsine salicina ''Myrsine salicina'', synonym ''Rapanea salicina'', commonly known as toro, is a species of shrub or small tree native to New Zealand. Description Toro grows to 10 metres in height, with a trunk to 60 cm in diameter. It has long oblong shaped l ...

''), miro ('' Prumnopitys ferruginea''), mahoe ( ''Melicytus ramiflorus''), and pigeonwood (''

Hedycarya arborea ''Hedycarya arborea'', commonly known as pigeonwood, porokaiwhiri, and poporokaiwhiri is an endemic tree of New Zealand. Found on both the North and South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The d ...

''). The tree ferns wheki (''

Dicksonia squarrosa ''Dicksonia squarrosa'', the New Zealand tree fern, whekī or rough tree fern, is a common tree fern endemic to New Zealand. It has a slender black trunk that is usually surrounded by many dead brown fronds. Description This species has a fast ...

'') and mamaku ('' Sphaeropteris medullaris'') are also present. A short way along the track an information board highlights a mature mataī ( ''Prumnopitys taxifolia'') tree, the host of a northern rātā ('' Metrosideros robusta''), which has grown in the crown and sent down roots to surround and strangle the mataī trunk. File:Truman Track MRD 2022 07.jpg, alt=, Forest File:Truman Track MRD 2022 16.jpg, alt=, Harakeke File:Truman Track MRD 2022 19.jpg, alt=, Coastal turf File:Truman Track MRD 2019 12.jpg, alt=, Kāmahi File:Truman Track MRD 2019 04.jpg, alt=, Miro File:Truman Track MRD 2022 04.jpg, alt=,

Nīkau ''Rhopalostylis sapida'', commonly known as nīkau ( mi, nīkau), is a palm tree endemic to New Zealand, and the only palm native to mainland New Zealand. Etymology is a Māori word; in the closely related Eastern Polynesian languages of the ...

File:Truman Track MRD 2022 06.jpg, alt=, ''

Asplenium flaccidum ''Asplenium flaccidum'' is a species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae. The plant common name is drooping spleenwort or weeping spleenwort, and the species name ''flaccidum'' derives from the Latin root meaning ''drooping''. An example occurrenc ...

'' File:Truman Track MRD 2022 10.jpg, alt=,

Northern rātā ''Metrosideros robusta'', the northern rātā, is a forest tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to or taller, and usually begins its life as a hemiepiphyte high in the branches of a mature forest tree; over centuries the young tree sends d ...

embracing mataī Towards the coast the forest canopy, now exposed to salt and sea wind, lowers and the dominant trees become toro, kāmahi, and tree ferns. The open clifftops are dominated by harakeke ('' Phormium tenax''), but where the cliffs are most exposed to salt spray they are covered in a coastal turf, comprising mostly sea primrose ('' Samolus repens'') and ''

Selliera radicans ''Selliera radicans'', commonly known as remuremu, swampweed or bonking grass, is a creeping, herbaceous plant species found in New Zealand, Australia and Chile. ''S. radicans'' can grow to a height of 20 cm and spread to 2 metres wide. The ...

''.

Tourism

The Truman Track is a popular tourist stop for visitors to the Buller region and the

Pancake Rocks A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying wit ...

, with 37,000 visitors a year (even attracting 19,000 visitors in summer 2020–2021, when New Zealand's international borders were closed).

Beach access controversy

In July 2019, a four-tonne block of Eocene sandstone sheared off an overhang and landed near the visitor stairway, and the track leading to the beach was closed for geotechnical assessment. The assessment determined that while the rest of the sandstone overhang was not about to fall, the cliff had natural weaknesses and could well gradually collapse over time. "Risk-taking" visitors had been observed crossing the safety fence to take selfies under the remains of the overhang. Although it was a significant geological feature and a registered site, the consultant's report recommended that the overhang be removed, ideally by hand in small blocks rather than by explosives which could cause further damage. The

(DOC) decided hand removal was unrealistic. After an independent assessment found water seepage and cracks in the cliff, DOC determined that the overhang was a significant public safety risk. In August 2019 a geotechnical firm used explosives in drilled holes to bring down around 70 tonnes of rock. A subsequent geotechnical report found that the explosives had fractured the remaining cliff, which was revealed to be weaker than when first examined and still posed a danger to the public. Subsequent criticism of DOC's actions by conservation groups such as the

Federated Mountain Clubs The Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand (Inc) (commonly referred to by its acronym, FMC), is a New Zealand environment and conservation NGO. It is the only national association of over 110 tramping, mountain climbing clubs and schools. Membe ...

prompted an internal review, and an admission that there was insufficient consultation, and signage and barriers should have been used instead of removing the overhang completely. No geotechnical assessment of the overhang's safety had been done before building stairs and a small viewing platform underneath it. Truman Track MRD 2022 20

On 28 June 2021 two further sandstone blocks fell off the "remediated" overhang, so stairway access to the beach was closed off indefinitely and warning signs were installed. A geotechnical assement after the rockfall found there was an unsupported one-tonne boulder poised above the track, and an increased chance of rockfall. Having been accused of a 'blast now, think later' mentality, DOC was then accused of being overly cautious for not removing the rock and restoring beach access. Others argued that the beach was intrinsically dangerous, with rogue waves and other dangerous cliffs and overhangs, and visitor infrastructure should be removed.

References

External links

Truman Track, Department of Conservation
{{Buller District Buller District Hiking and tramping tracks in the West Coast, New Zealand Paparoa National Park