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West Coast more ...

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The coast is full of both European history and Maori heritage. The first explorers were the Maori searching for greenstone – pounamu or nephrite jade. The West Coast is the only place where this rock is to be found.

Travelling around the West Coast you will find an amazing number of villages and towns that have an amazing amount of history. Take time to visit the town of Greymouth, have a lemonade at the Blackball hotel or get your camera's out and marvel at the Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki.

Accommodation

Looking for family-friendly accommodation? Check out accommodation in Westport here

Beaches and walks

At Greymouth there is Grand Jeans Creek Walk is a short walk, about 10 minutes, overlooking the creek. For a sea view, try the Lions Walk. It is a gentle climb to the top and takes about 10 minutes, or take a walk beside the lagoon and through the kowhai forest on the Kowhai Bush Walk. This is another short walk. For the older children, there is the Greymouth skateboarding park.

Blackball Twenty-five minutes inland from Greymouth is the small village of Blackball. Like most of the towns on the West Coast, Blackball was, at first, a base for those seeking gold. However, in 1893, the community became established with the opening of the coal mine, although coal mining in this region proved to be anything but easy sailing.  Although now famous more for its salami and hotel than its militant coal miners’ union, a visit to this town is an interesting outing.  And what about that coal miners’ union? It was best known for its 1903 Crib Time strike, which lasted three months. If you think we have it bad in our work places today, imagine striking  —  against the law in 1903  —  to increase your lunch hour from 15 minutes to 30 minutes! By the way, the workers were awarded 80 minutes by the judge! Mining ceased in the area in 1964, as it was no longer financially viable.  Punakaiki Punakaiki is 45km north of Greymouth and is the home of the famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes and Paparoa National Park which covers about 30,000 hectares of land from native rainforest to mountain tops and rugged coastline. Take a walk out to Dolomite Point and watch the blowholes. Remember to take special care with children while visiting the rocks.     Make sure you have a full tank of petrol, as Punakaiki does not have a refuelling station. The Pancake Rocks were formed from limestone some 30 million years ago. These were then overlaid with layers of mud and clay. Finally, over time, due to earthquakes and the pounding of the sea, the rocks have emerged in their present-day form. Accommodation in Punakaiki Looking for family-friendly accommodation in Punakaiki? Click here to find accommodation for your family.   Back to Top

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