Day 29 - February 8, 2023

Day 29:  Rest day in Greymouth

A well earned rest day.  Explore the nearby historical mining settlements.  

I quite enjoyed my rest day in Greymouth.  I didn't get up to much, but wandered through town and did some sitting about.  My body really did need the day off the bike.  

The population on the West Coast has been in steady decline since the 1930's, but it looks like Greymouth itself has held its own since the mid-50s, although I don't think anyone would call it a particularly pretty town; nice setting though.  Here are some interesting tidbits from Wikipedia:  It is the largest town in the West Coast region.  The town is located at the mouth of the Grey River, on a narrow coastal plain close to the foot of the Southern Alps.  In clear weather Mount Cook (Aoraki) can be seen clearly to the south from near the town.  The first Europeans to visit the site of what is now Greymouth were Thomas Brunner and Charles Heaphy in 1846.  Most of the land in this area was sold by the natives to the Europeans in 1860.  Greymouth was founded during the West Coast gold rush of the 1860s, but for 150 years after this its economy was based on coal mining and native timber forestry.  These brought prosperity to the town which at one point had 47 hotels.  Most of the coal mines have closed now.  After the decline in coal mining and forestry the West Coast economy has become increasingly dependent on ecotourism.  During Greymouth's boom years, much of the centre of town was built up in brick Art Deco buildings.  After regulations were tightened following the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, many of Greymouth's heritage buildings were found to be unsafe and it has been uneconomic to restore and occupy them.  

I thought the town has done a good job, though, in bringing attention to its resource and port heritage by installing information boards along the walkway on the flood protection wall, which was completed in 1990 following many devastating floods.  There are also a surprising (to me) number of shops apparently thriving in the downtown core.  I suppose, though, that it is a regional centre and also a destination town for the TranzAlpine Express - a tourist train that comes over from Christchurch.  Here are some miscellaneous photos from my short wander.

And - best part of the day.......... finding the bakery that has been in Marilyn's ex's family since the 1800s and talking to the young man who is now running it.  It is definitely a very popular place with the locals!

And - another in our long line of dodging bullets - it looks like there is another Tropical Cyclone headed for the north end of the North Island in the next few days.  We should be too far south to feel any effects from that one..............