Back roads in and around Greymouth

[Moriarty]

Greetings all especially Kiwibacon....

During February, Siwsan and I toured a central South Island, we had a great time, met Leithfield, Hosehustler. good blokes!!
We also thought that we would drive right around lake Brunner. So off we set, Up the road towards Otira, shuddered at the price of Diesel at Kumara Junction... UGHHHH and over the bridge just short of jacksons hotel.
Tarsealed all the way to Greymouth.
Pretty little village called Moana, On past THERE is a wide spot in the road called Aratika, and from there, is a link road around the western side of the lake to Mitchells, another wide spot in the road.
We had been to Mitchells on a previous tour, and wanted to complete the round trip.
Alas, it was not possible.
All that area between Brunner, Dunganville, Greymouth and Kumara is laced with roads.
Are they county roads?
WERE they county roads?
We tried all ways to make the link, from ...
Kokiri, up Maori Creek road. Dead end, Pole gate blocking access
Dunganville, up Maori creek road, (Other end) NOPE some more, ANOTHER pole gate. We could SEE Brunner and the road into Mitchells GRRR

The whole area has been clearfelled and put into Pines. Why? Is it crown land? Leasehold? by whom and from whom? many many OLD roads, obviously once WERE county roads, too old to be logging roads.
Is this another case where the kiwi is being ripped off by monied interests? Is the Greymouth county in collusion with the logging companies to close roads by stealth? We were many many miles into the bush before we met that last pole gate. At the beginning, there is a sign, stating that YES this IS a county road, but that the county is no longer maintaining it and it is now an "enter at your own risk" road. Fair enough, just what we wanted, but WHO authorised the pole gate? and is it legal?
so many questions, so few answers.

[KiwiBacon]

I have come across similar, basically someone had dragged an old dead pine-tree and a large empty concrete water tank onto the road with the clear intention of blocking access.
This was somewhere up past marsden. I've only been in this area 18 months or so, place and road names still elude me. I haven't done any recreational 4wding here yet, mainly driving in to places to mountainbike from.

Officially I have heard of gates being locked to prevent dumping of rubbish (old cars etc). But I don't even know which council is in charge (West Coast Regional Council vs Grey District Council).