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WESTCOAST
Set Between the sometimes
stormy expanse of the Tasman
Sea and the unbroken chain
of the Southern Alps, the West
Coast is a breathtaking 600
kilometres of mountains and
glaciers, tranquil lakes and
unruly rivers, primeval forests
and magnificent coastline.
When the Dutch explorer Abel
Tasman first sighted the West
Coast of the South Island in
1642, he described it as `a large
land uplifted high'. In 1770
English navigator James Cook
called it `a rugged and barren
aspect'.
Long before European explorers
passed this way, this rugged
stretch of land had been
named by the Maori Te Wahi
Pounamu, or the place of
Pounamu (New Zealand jade).
Set between the sometimes
stormy expanse of the Tasman
Sea and the unbroken chain
of the Southern Alps, the West
Coast is a breathtaking 600
kilometres of mountains and
glaciers, tranquil lakes and
unruly rivers, primeval forests
and magnificent coastline.
West Coast
West Coast
GREYMOUTH
The largest town on the West
Coast, Greymouth has an
interesting gold-mining history
as well as offering a host of
activities to the adventurous:
rafting, sailing, fishing, scenic
flights and blackwater rafting to
name a few. Greymouth is the
main tourist centre of the West
Coast and the centre of a coal
and timber producing district.
Eight kilometres south of
Greymouth is a replica of a
pioneering town, Shantytown,
where you can pan for gold,
ride on a steam train and
generally immerse yourself in
the romance and the spirit of
pioneering days. Then there's
gold panning: no longer a
feasible way of making your
fortune, but a thoroughly
enjoyable way of reliving the
Coast's past.
fun-nz.com "Wild West Adventure Company"