Greymouth
Greymouth is the largest town in the
West Coast region on the
South Island of
New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. Its population accounts for 20% of the West Coast's inhabitants.
The town is located at the mouth of the
Grey River. It stands on narrow coastal plains close to the foot of the
Southern Alps. In clear weather,
Aoraki/Mount Cook can be clearly seen to the south from near the town. The mouth of the river divides the town into three areas: Blaketown, close to the river's mouth on the south bank; Karoro, to the southeast, separated from Blaketown by a series of small lakes; and Cobden, formerly a separate town, on the river's north bank.
It is on
State Highway 6, which connects it with
Hokitika in the south and
Westport in the north. It also stands at the terminus of State Highway 7, which runs through
Dobson and
Reefton, eventually reaching north
Canterbury and
Christchurch via
Lewis Pass.
The town is also the western terminus of the
Midland line from Christchurch. Large coal trains often operate from Greymouth on this line to Christchurch. The famous
TranzAlpine train also terminates and begins in Greymouth.
The Grey District also includes the settlement of
Runanga.The town's major industries include
fishing,
forestry, and
ecotourism, the latter two of these industries holding an uneasy relationship with each other. The Pancake Rocks at
Punakaiki are a popular local tourist attraction.
Maori had lived in the area for considerable time before European settlement, and called it
Mawhera (still an alternative name for the Grey River). The first European to visit the site of what is now Greymouth was
Thomas Brunner in
1846. Brunner discovered coal in the Grey valley, and several places in the region (notably the town of
Brunner and
Lake Brunner) bear his name. Brunner himself named the Grey River after prominent 19th century New Zealand politician
Sir George Grey.
Greymouth has a history of
coal and
gold mining. When the gold industry started to decline, forestry became a new staple industry. Fishing has long been important to the town, despite the fact that the entrance to the Grey River has two notoriously dangerous
sandbars - an inner and outer bar.
*
List of regions in New Zealand*
Territorial Authorities of New Zealand.
*
The district council's website
