Greymouth City Guide
New Zealand>Greymouth City
Greymouth is the largest town on the West Coast. It is
built on an old gold mining site at the mouth of the Grey
River. A notable manmade feature is the "great wall of Greymouth"
which is both a good walkway and flood protection for the
town.
A must visit place in Greymouth is the Jade Boulder Gallery,
a showcase for greenstone, which plays a significant role
in the history of the West Coast. The gallery is owned by
Ian Boustridge, one of the finest NZ jade carvers.
Grab a piece of gold in Shantytown, a replica of an 1860's
gold rush town, that was a finalist in the 1996 New Zealand
Tourism Awards and is perhaps the Greymouth main tourists'
attraction, a working sawmill and a gold claim where you
can pan for gold (guaranteed to strike gold). You can also
have a Horse and buggy rides too.
The King Domain is one of the key reserves in Greymouth
that is worth a visit. Take a bush walk up the hill (near
The Gap) through King Domain for panoramic views, or Greymouth
Flood Wall; for views of the river, Fisherman's Wharf, and
tidal estuary. Also, the Point Elizabeth Walk from Rapahoe
around the headland to the Cobden Beach road end for more
spectacular views.
Getting There and Moving Around
By air
The Air New Zealand Center is on Mackay St. (House of Travel),
Air New Zealand Link handles outbound flight of Hokitika
and Westport airports.
By rail
There are also train services provided to the east to Christchurch
(the TranzAlpine Day Excursion) through superb scenery departing
from Greymouth Railway Station on Mackay St. near Cobden
Bridge.
By road
InterCity provides buses in all directions from Greymouth.
West Coast Express runs a bus service from Greymouth to
Queenstown, stopping at all the highlights along the West
Coast en route, from Greymouth to Nelson with free transportation
to the start of the Abel Tasman Track or Picton.
Super Shuttle provides minicoach transportation between
Greymouth and Christchurch three times a week; Coast to
Coast Shuttle also offers daily minibus service between
Greymouth and Christchurch.
Greymouth Taxis on Herbert Station is also available and
it is 24 hours in service.
Moving Around
The availability of various transport mode in Greymouth
is a convenience of the visitors to move around the captivating
city.
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