Greymouth Heart of New Zealand's West Coast

The town of Greymouth may not be at the top of every tourist's list of places to see but it does have a uniqueness of its own and has activities for tourists and even if you are on a backpacking budget you can still see a lot here without making much of a dent on your finances.

Greymouth has all of the public amenities you would expect in a similar sized town (population 11,000) and these are available to everyone. The Public Library in Albert Street has free internet access + free wifi as well as an excellent range of books.

Then there is the leisure centre on High Street if you like to go for a swim or participate in other keep fit activities in the gym at the centre.

History House is well worth visiting if you are interested in West Coast history. Here you will find various photos and items of historic value. History House is Greymouth's museum.The West Coast was developed on the back of the 1860s gold rush and you can learn more about this at History House. If you would like to get a feel for what life must have been like in a typical West Coast town in the olden days then Shanty Town is the place to see. Shantytown is just south of Greymouth. You turn off the main road at Paroa. Shantytown was established in 1970 as a remake of an old West Coast. You can visit the various buildings and even go on a train journey. For me, Shantytown is the best tourist attraction on the West Coast. It will give you an insight into what a typical West Coast town looked like all those years ago.

There are several nice walks around Greymouth with my favourite one being the Coal Creek Falls near Runanga. This takes around an hour return from the start of the track. The falls makes a great photograph as does much of the Grey District. The Point Elizabeth track which runs from Rapahoe to Cobden is another walk but it takes around 4 hours.

There are cycle ways you can go on if you are on your bike. Ask at your local isite centre.

The Tranz Alpine Express train journey just has to be on your bucket list of things to do. It runs between Christchurch and Greymouth. If you are from Christchurch then you can make a day trip of it returning to Christchurch around 6 pm.

Greymouth is the commercial centre of the West Coast of the South Island. It has so much to offer that many of the other areas of the Coast cannot match. Greymouth makes an ideal base for those wishing to see and experience as much of the West Coast as they can because of its easy access to bus and train services. Unlike the tourist hotspots which employ a large number of foreigners you will meet mostly locals in Greymouth and that really is part of the experience.

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