Greymouth

Greymouth is the largest town on the West Coast, situated at the point where the Grey River meets the West Coast of the South Island. It was founded by the Maoris as a trading post for greenstone, and later the population temporarily boomed as a result of the gold rush in the 1800’s. Nowadays the town is the commercial centre of the region, and the starting point for passengers who have travelled from Christchurch on the spectacular TranzAlpine railway.

If you have some spare time in Greymouth, there is a wide range of activities to do. Firstly, visit one of the West Coast’s most important icons – the Monteith’s Brewery, which is one of the oldest brewing companies in New Zealand. The tour is fantastic, and gives you a chance to taste the ‘family’ of beers that are produced here.

Another entertaining activity to do whilst in Greymouth is to visit On Yer Bike – which is a specially built course designed for quad bikes. After putting on special clothing to keep you dry, the intention is to complete the course, getting incredibly muddy on the way!

Something different to do when visiting the area is to visit Shantytown, which is an entertaining overview of the area’s gold mining history, which was one of the major events in the colonial New Zealand. You can take a train ride, or mirror the early fortune hunters by trying your hand at gold panning in a working gold claim.