View source for Greymouth

{{Short description|Town in West Coast, New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Greymouth
| native_name        = {{native name|mi|Māwhera}}
| image_skyline      = Greymouth town.jpg
| image_caption      = Greymouth, 2020
| population_as_of   = {{NZ population data 2018|||y}}
| population_footnotes = <ref name="NZ_population_data_2018"/>
| population_total   = {{NZ population data 2018||y}}
| area_total_km2     = 27.70
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="Area"/>
| population_density_km2 = auto
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = New Zealand
| subdivision_type1  = Region
| subdivision_name1  = [[West Coast, New Zealand|West Coast]]
| subdivision_type2  = District
| subdivision_name2  = [[Grey District]]
| subdivision_type3  = Ward
| subdivision_name3  = Central
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Member of parliament|MP]]
| leader_name        = [[Maureen Pugh]]
| leader_party       = [[New Zealand National Party|National]]
| leader_title1      = Mayor
| leader_title2      = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| established_title1 = 
| established_date1  = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| image_map          = {{infobox mapframe|coord={{coord|42|27|00|S|171|12|27|E}}|zoom=6}}
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|27|00|S|171|12|27|E|region:NZ|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[Postcodes in New Zealand|Postcode(s)]]
| postal_code        = 7805
| blank_name         = Local [[iwi]]
| blank_info         = [[Ngāi Tahu]]
| official_name      = 
| leader_name1       = Tania Gibson
| named_for          = Sir [[George Grey]], governor of New Zealand
| timezone           = [[Time in New Zealand|NZST]]
| utc_offset         = +12
| timezone_DST       = NZDT
| utc_offset_DST     = +13
}}
'''Greymouth''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|r|eɪ|m|aʊ|θ}}) ([[Māori language|Māori]]: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the [[West Coast, New Zealand|West Coast]] [[List of regions in New Zealand|region]] in the [[South Island]] of New Zealand, and the seat of the [[Grey District Council]]. The population of the whole Grey District is {{NZ population data 2018|Grey district|y}}, which accounts for {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Grey district|y}}|R}}/{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|West Coast region|y}}|R}}*100|0}}% of the West Coast's inhabitants. The Greymouth urban area had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018||y|y|y|(|).}} A large proportion of the District, 65%,<ref>{{Cite web |year=2020 |title=Te Tai o Poutini Plan Committee Meeting 30 July 2020 |url=https://ttpp.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/July-TTPP-Meeting-Agenda-v2.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2021 |page=29 |archive-date=23 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123172225/https://ttpp.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/July-TTPP-Meeting-Agenda-v2.pdf }}</ref> is part of the Conservation Estate owned and managed by the Department of Conservation making Greymouth a natural centre for walkers and [[Tramping in New Zealand|trampers]].

==Location==
[[File:Blaketown, Greymouth.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|[[Aoraki / Mount Cook]] and other mountains from Greymouth's beach]]
The town is located at the mouth of the [[Grey River (New Zealand)|Grey River]], on a narrow coastal plain 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, New Zealand|Karoro]], to the southeast, separated from [[Blaketown]] by a series of small estuarine lagoons; and [[Cobden, New Zealand|Cobden]], formerly a separate town, on the river's north bank.

Greymouth is on {{NZlSH|6}}, which connects it with [[Hokitika]] in the south and [[Westport, New Zealand|Westport]] in the north. It also stands at the terminus of {{NZlSH|7}}, which runs through [[Dobson, New Zealand|Dobson]] and [[Reefton]], eventually reaching North [[Canterbury, New Zealand|Canterbury]] and its junction with State Highway 1 at Waipara, {{cvt|55|km|mi}} north of Christchurch, via [[Lewis Pass]]. Highway 73 is accessed {{cvt|20|km|mi}} south of Greymouth, which is the most direct route to or from Christchurch.
The town is also the western terminus of the [[Midland Line, New Zealand|Midland line]] from Christchurch. Large coal trains often operate from Greymouth on this line to Christchurch. The famous [[TranzAlpine]] train also terminates at Greymouth. The [[Greymouth Airport]] is only {{cvt|1.9|km|mi}} south of the centre of the town.

==Climate==
[[Köppen-Geiger climate classification system]] classifies its climate as [[oceanic climate|oceanic]] (Cfb).<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web |url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/19392/ |title=Climate: Greymouth – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table |publisher=Climate-Data.org |access-date=30 January 2014 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201182359/http://en.climate-data.org/location/19392/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The mean annual rainfall Greymouth receives is high by New Zealand standards and is distributed relatively evenly throughout the year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western South Island |url=https://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-training/schools/resources/climate/overview/map_w_south |website=www.niwa.co.nz |access-date=13 December 2015 |date=28 February 2007 |archive-date=13 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213125210/http://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-training/schools/resources/climate/overview/map_w_south |url-status=live }}</ref> This is due to its position receiving marine westerlies throughout the year that often do not rise above the [[Southern Alps]]. As a result, it creates a [[rain shadow]] effect that sees east coast locations having far sunnier and warmer summers. This extreme marine influence also shelters the Greymouth area from hot summer days and cold winter nights. Snow is uncommon, with the last reported event occurring on 4 August 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Dominic |title=Short-lived snow flurries will live long in the memory for Coasters |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/southland-top-stories/114737872/quite-horrendous-road-conditions-as-snow-falls-in-southland |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=4 August 2019 |access-date=5 August 2019 |archive-date=4 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804190627/https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/southland-top-stories/114737872/quite-horrendous-road-conditions-as-snow-falls-in-southland |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Weather box
| collapsed    =  
| metric first = yes
| single line  =  yes 
| location     =  Greymouth (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present)
| Jan record high C = 30.9
| Feb record high C = 29.8
| Mar record high C = 27.7
| Apr record high C = 25.0
| May record high C = 23.8
| Jun record high C = 18.8
| Jul record high C = 18.4
| Aug record high C = 19.3
| Sep record high C = 22.3
| Oct record high C = 23.2
| Nov record high C = 26.5
| Dec record high C = 28.8
| year record high C = 30.9
| Jan high C  =19.1
| Feb high C  =19.8
| Mar high C  =18.7
| Apr high C  =16.5
| May high C  =14.5
| Jun high C  =12.3
| Jul high C  =11.8
| Aug high C  =12.6
| Sep high C  =13.7
| Oct high C  =14.6
| Nov high C  =15.9
| Dec high C  =17.9
| year high C =
| Jan mean C  =15.8
| Feb mean C  =16.3
| Mar mean C  =15.0
| Apr mean C  =12.9
| May mean C  =11.0
| Jun mean C  =8.9
| Jul mean C  =8.0
| Aug mean C  =9.0
| Sep mean C  =10.2
| Oct mean C  =11.3
| Nov mean C  =12.6
| Dec mean C  =14.6
| year mean C =
| Jan low C  =12.5
| Feb low C  =12.7
| Mar low C  =11.4
| Apr low C  =9.4
| May low C  =7.5
| Jun low C  =5.5
| Jul low C  =4.3
| Aug low C  =5.4
| Sep low C  =6.7
| Oct low C  =7.9
| Nov low C  =9.3
| Dec low C  =11.4
| year low C =
|Jan record low C  = 3.8
|Feb record low C  = 1.5
|Mar record low C  = 0.1
|Apr record low C  = -0.1
|May record low C  =  -2.2
|Jun record low C  = -2.5
|Jul record low C  = -2.6
|Aug record low C  = -2.4
|Sep record low C  = -2.4
|Oct record low C  = -1.8
|Nov record low C  = 1.0
|Dec record low C  = 2.9
|year record low C = -2.6
| rain colour  =  green 
| Jan rain mm  =213.4
| Feb rain mm  =158.8
| Mar rain mm  =175.1
| Apr rain mm  =201.3
| May rain mm  =209.7
| Jun rain mm  =232.9
| Jul rain mm  =196.7
| Aug rain mm  =204.4
| Sep rain mm  =201.5
| Oct rain mm  =226.6
| Nov rain mm  =190.0
| Dec rain mm  =232.6
| year rain mm =
| Jan sun  =207.6
| Feb sun  =195.1
| Mar sun  =178.3
| Apr sun  =140.9
| May sun  =109.2
| Jun sun  =92.5
| Jul sun  =113.7
| Aug sun  =136.8
| Sep sun  =142.5
| Oct sun  =161.1
| Nov sun  =181.8
| Dec sun  =186.0
| year sun =
|source 1 = NIWA<ref name= NIWA>
{{cite web
|url = http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz
|title = CliFlo – National Climate Database : Greymouth Aero
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 19 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = https://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/
|title = CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent number: 3950, 23934)
|publisher = NIWA
|access-date = 20 Jun 2024}}</ref>
}}

On 10 March 2005, a major [[tornado]], which started as a [[waterspout]], made landfall in the suburb of Blaketown. It quickly moved through the town passing just south of the main town centre. The tornado was one of the largest reported in recent history in the West Coast region, caused millions of dollars in damage, and injured several people.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |date=10 March 2005 |title=Widespread damage after Greymouth tornado |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10114593 |access-date=9 September 2020 |archive-date=23 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623055845/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/widespread-damagenbspafter-greymouth-tornado/ETVGCLC7EMMVUXXMWWFAS6WETM/?c_id=1&objectid=10114593 |url-status=live }}</ref> Previous tornadoes which had struck Greymouth on 16 June 2003 and 28 March 2001 had destroyed several buildings.<ref name=":0" />

===The Barber===
[[File:Sewell Peak and Barber • Jase Blair • MRD.jpg|thumb|Fog being pushed down the Grey Valley by the Barber]]
A [[katabatic wind]] blows down the Grey Valley and is known locally as the Barber, which can be seen as well as felt because a mist accompanies the cold wind.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Barber |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21007/the-barber |url-status=live |access-date=4 December 2021 |website=Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |archive-date=3 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203231711/https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/21007/the-barber }}</ref> In the early twentieth century the Barber was also known as the "gorge wind".<ref name=":12" /> It was reported that there were changes to the direction, severity and coldness of the wind in that era and this change was attributed to the felling of trees on the Coast Road leading north towards the new settlements of Dunollie and Seven Mile.<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |date=23 July 1917 |title="Old residents of Greymouth aver" |work=Greymouth Evening Star}}</ref> Greymouth businesses would often advertise the benefits of their products, especially clothing to ward off the chill of the Barber.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 May 1913 |title="Pure underwear comfort" advertisement |work=Greymouth Evening Star |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19130523.2.16.3 |access-date=4 December 2021 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204010512/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19130523.2.16.3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Flooding===
{{Main|Floods in Greymouth}}
[[File:Hh-Greymouth-Floods-001 1905.jpg|thumb|1905 Greymouth Flood]]
A combination of high intensity rainfall, high topographic relief and short steep rivers often leads to rapid flooding of low-lying land across the West Coast.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Benn |first=J.L. |title=A chronology of flooding on the West Coast, South Island, New Zealand 1846–1990 |publisher=West Coast Regional Council |year=1990 |isbn=0-908885-00-8 |location=Greymouth |pages=1}}</ref> Since its founding Greymouth has experienced two dozen floods by the Grey River, with many of the most significant being assigned names: for example, the Great Flood (1872), the Jubilee Flood (1887), the Big Flood (1905), The Biggest Since 1887 (1936), The Biggest Since 1936 (1977), The Big One (May 1988) and The Biggest (September 1988).<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |title=Glimpses of Greymouth and District |publisher=The 125th Jubilee Committee of the Grey District Council |year=1993 |isbn=0-473-02367-9 |editor-last=Kerridge |editor-first=Peter |location=Greymouth |pages=81}}</ref> After the two floods in 1988 the [[mayor of Grey]]mouth, [[Barry Dallas]], organised the construction of a flood protection wall. Rising 2 m above the level of the railway embankment and riverside wharf, it was completed in September 1990 at a cost of NZ$4m. Since its completion Greymouth has not suffered a significant flood, although the river has come close to the top of the flood wall several times.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crean |first=Mike |date=2009-01-31 |title=A mayor with a big flood idea |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/travel-orig/south-island-travel/466248/A-mayor-with-a-big-flood-idea |url-status=live |access-date=2021-12-04 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en-NZ |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204025638/http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/travel-orig/south-island-travel/466248/A-mayor-with-a-big-flood-idea }}</ref>

==Local walks==
With 65% of the Grey District forming part of the Conservation Estate, there are many local walks to enjoy.

===Coal Creek Track===
[[File:Coal Creek Falls 27.jpg|thumb|Coal Creek Falls]]
The path gently descends down to the Coal Creek valley though a mixed beech-podocarp forest. The walk is approximately 3.6&nbsp;km return and is accessed 8&nbsp;km northeast of Greymouth at Runanga.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coal Creek Track Greymouth area |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/west-coast/places/greymouth-area/things-to-do/tracks/coal-creek-track/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2021 |website=Department of Conservation |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214033018/https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/west-coast/places/greymouth-area/things-to-do/tracks/coal-creek-track/ }}</ref>

===King Domain Walk===
This is a zigzag uphill track taking in four lookouts across Greymouth and the Grey Valley. The first lookout shows the Greymouth town centre and the Grey River. The second lookout provides a view of central Greymouth from a greater elevation. The third lookout at a rock outcrop gives a view of Cobden and the final lookout provides a panorama of the lower Grey Valley.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Walks |url=https://www.greydc.govt.nz/03your-community/walks-trails/walks |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2021 |website=Grey District Council |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214035715/https://www.greydc.govt.nz/03your-community/walks-trails/walks }}</ref>

===Kōwhai Bush Walk===
Located off Turumaha Street next to Anzac Park, this short loop walk takes you through the Kōwhai Forrest, half of which is bounded by the mudflats of Blaketown Lagoon. There are some boardwalks which follow through estuarine vegetation.<ref name=":8" />

===Omotomotu Bush Walk===
This walk is located in the only substantial forest area close to Greymouth. It is located on Marsden Road and is a 25 minute loop track. Halfway along the track is a deviation to a lookout point with views of regenerating forest.<ref name=":8"/>

===Point Elizabeth Walkway===
[[File:View from Point Elizabeth - panoramio.jpg|thumb|View from Point Elizabeth Walkway]]
This walk is accessed via North Beach Road, Cobden or Seven Mile Road, Rapahoe and is 5.5&nbsp;km one way. It is a well-formed walk through coastal bush with stunning cliff top views.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greymouth walks |url=https://westcoast.co.nz/visit/plan-your-trip/greymouth-walks/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2021 |website=West Coast New Zealand |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214033019/https://westcoast.co.nz/visit/plan-your-trip/greymouth-walks/ }}</ref>

===Woods Creek Walk===
This forest track passes by tailraces and dams and through tunnels built by gold miners in the 19th century and is a 1.1&nbsp;km loop track. It is approximately 30&nbsp;km southeast of Greymouth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Woods Creek Track Greymouth area |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/west-coast/places/greymouth-area/things-to-do/tracks/woods-creek-track/ |url-status=live |access-date=14 December 2021 |website=Department of Conservation |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214035707/https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/west-coast/places/greymouth-area/things-to-do/tracks/woods-creek-track/ }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Greymouth at sunset.jpg|thumb|Grey River / Māwheranui]]

===Polynesian settlement===
Archaeological evidence shows [[Māori people|Māori]] settlements on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island dating back to 1300–1400 AD. Located at [[Karamea]], Westport (Kawatiri), [[Bruce Bay]] (Mahitahi) and [[Jackson Bay]] (Okahu), excavations have identified [[Hāngī|in-ground cooking ovens]] (hāngī) and [[midden]]s (rubbish tips). They show that these early Māori ate [[moa]] and seals as well as fish from the river and sea. These earliest West Coast people were from east Polynesia. Their stone knives and adzes were made by using the Polynesian flaking method and personal ornaments found on the sites were based on traditional Polynesian shark-tooth designs. These early people were subsumed by later Māori tribes (iwi) who came to the West Coast as population grew and settlement spread.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Rosanowski |first=John |title=A history of the West Coast of the Southern Alps |publisher=Cornwall Publications |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-473-21887-4 |publication-place=Christchurch |pages=2}}</ref>

===Ngāi Tahu on Te Tai Poutini===
[[Ngāi Tahu]] came to Te Tai Poutini (the West Coast) about the start of the nineteenth century. Under [[Tūhuru Kōkare]], a great warrior, they defeated the [[Ngāti Wairangi (South Island iwi)|Ngāti Wairangi]] in a series of battles for the greenstone (pounamu) coast. The West Coast was one of the principal sources of the highly-prized greenstone which is almost as hard as steel. The Poutini Ngāi Tahu built fortified pā at Māwhera (Greymouth), Ōkārito and Mahitahi (Bruce Bay) and had villages or gardens at other places including [[Inangahua]], Taramakau, [[Lake Mahinapua|Mahinapua]], [[Poerua River (Westland District)|Pouerua]], [[Okuru]] and Arawhata (Jackson Bay).<ref name=":11" /> The name Māwhera (meaning 'wide spread river mouth',<ref name="GREY">[http://www.newzealand.com/travel/destinations/regions/west-coast/towns.cfm/nodeid/60.html Greymouth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060423044226/http://www.newzealand.com:80/travel/destinations/regions/west-coast//towns.cfm/nodeid/60.html |date=23 April 2006 }} (from [[Tourism New Zealand]], the official New Zealand tourism agency)</ref> is still an alternative name for the Grey River.

===European settlement===
The first Europeans to visit the site of what is now Greymouth were [[Thomas Brunner]] and [[Charles Heaphy]] in 1846. Brunner and Heaphy were detailed by the Nelson Land Company to investigate the country south of the Buller and to report on its resources and potential as a field for further settlement. They set out from Nelson on 17 March 1846 accompanied by a Māori named Kehu, who had previously visited the West Coast and who had agreed to act as their guide.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lord |first=E.I. |title=Greymouth District Diamond Jubilee 1868–1928 |publisher=Andrews Baty & Company |year=1928 |pages=17}}</ref> Brunner discovered coal in the [[Grey valley|Grey Valley]], and several places in the region (notably the town of [[Brunner, New Zealand|Brunner]] and [[Lake Brunner]]) bear his name. Brunner himself named the [[Grey River (New Zealand)|Grey River]] after [[George Grey|Sir George Grey]], Governor of New Zealand.<ref name="GREYBLACK">[http://www.west-coast.co.nz/Tourism_West_Coast/Greymouth___Blackball_IDL=6_IDT=1452_ID=8457_.html Greymouth / Blackball] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014030356/http://www.west-coast.co.nz/Tourism_West_Coast/Greymouth___Blackball_IDL=6_IDT=1452_ID=8457_.html |date=14 October 2008}} (from the Tourism West Coast website)</ref>

As numbers of colonists continued to increase in [[Nelson Province|Nelson]] and [[Canterbury Province|Canterbury]], interest grew in settling the West Coast, but the land was still owned by Māori – [[Ngāi Tahu|Poutini Ngāi Tahu]]. In 1857 Poutini Ngāi Tahu chiefs wrote to Donald McLean, the New Zealand government land purchase officer, offering to sell the land for £2500, as long as some land was reserved for their use and they kept their rights to the [[pounamu]] (greenstone) of the [[Arahura River]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nathan |first=Simon |date=1 September 2016 |title=Letter from Poutini Chiefs |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/21088/letter-from-poutini-chiefs |access-date=9 September 2020 |website=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |archive-date=21 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921171119/https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/21088/letter-from-poutini-chiefs |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1859, [[James Mackay (New Zealand politician, born 1831)|James Mackay]] was sent to broker a purchase deal, known as the [[Arahura Deed]]. This was signed in Māwhera by leading chiefs on 21 May 1860: it sold the entire West Coast to the Crown for just £300 ({{Inflation|NZ|36000|2019|fmt=eq|cursign=NZ$}}), apart from a scattering of reserves totalling {{cvt|4000|ha|sqkm}}.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Nathan |first=Simon |date=2016 |title=West Coast region – European arrival and settlement |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/west-coast-region/page-5 |access-date=9 September 2020 |website=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025030614/https://teara.govt.nz/en/west-coast-region/page-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> (Just after the signing, Mackay capsized his canoe in the Grey River, and some of the writing in the document is smudged to this day.)<ref name=":2" /> The reserves included Māwhera, now the centre of Greymouth.

On 22 July 1864 the ''Nelson'' became the first steamer to cross the Grey bar and steam up the Grey River.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |title=The Diggers' Story: Accounts of the West Coast gold rushes |publisher=Canterbury University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-927145-60-9 |editor-last=Bradshaw |editor-first=Julia |location=Christchurch |pages=22}}</ref> Aboard the 'Nelson' were Matthew Batty and Reuben Waite plus approximately 70 prospectors.<ref name=":4" /> Reuben Waite would open the first store in Greymouth on the banks of the Grey River at the corner of which is now Waite Street and Mawhera Quay.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=West Coast History – Grey District Council |url=https://www.greydc.govt.nz:443/facilities/history-house-museum/wc_history/Pages/default.aspx |access-date=12 September 2020 |website=www.greydc.govt.nz |language=en-NZ |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806012537/https://www.greydc.govt.nz/facilities/history-house-museum/wc_history/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Matthew Batty would become the first European coal miner on the Grey River overseeing a group of Māori digging up the Brunner Seam on the Grey River bank.<ref name=":5" />

[[John Rochfort (surveyor)|John Rochfort]] undertook the original survey of the site of the township in 1865.<ref name="Te Ara">{{cite book |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |date=22 April 2009 |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage|Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga]] |editor-last=McLintock |editor-first=A. H. |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |chapter=Greymouth |access-date=14 September 2015 |orig-year=First published in 1966 |chapter-url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/greymouth |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130305/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/greymouth |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{DNZB|last=Pollard|first=John|id=2r27|title=Rochfort, John |access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> Greymouth was proclaimed a borough on 16 July 1868, and on 26 August 1868 an election was held. On 16 September 1868, the new borough council held its first meeting and unanimously elected [[Edward Masters]] as the first [[mayor of Grey]]mouth.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Kerridge |first=Peter |title=Glimpses of Greymouth and district : a 1993 record of the development of Greymouth and district over the past one hundred and twenty-five years and some of the activities and achievements of its citizens, councils and community organisations, 1868–1993 |date=1993 |publisher=125th Jubilee Committee of the Grey District Council |others=Grey District (N.Z.). District Council. |isbn=0-473-02367-9 |location=Greymouth, N.Z. |pages=65 |oclc=154645099 }}</ref>

[[File:Greymouth panorama 1924.jpg|thumb|300px|Greymouth in 1924|alt=]]From 1853 until the abolition of provinces in 1876, Greymouth was first part of [[Canterbury Province]] (the West Coast part of the Province was known as West Canterbury) and then part of an independent [[Westland Province]]. However Cobden, on the north (or right) bank of the Grey River was a part of [[Nelson Province]] from 1853 to 1876. The boundary between the Canterbury and Nelson provinces had been set as a straight line from the head of the [[Hurunui River]] to [[Lake Brunner]] at a time when the area was virtually uninhabited, but the [[West Coast gold rush]] straddled that boundary, with a population boom also straddling the boundary.<ref name="Te Ara Westland Province">{{cite book |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |orig-year=First published in 1966 |publisher=[[Ministry for Culture and Heritage|Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga]] |chapter-url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/westland-province-and-provincial-district |editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |access-date=5 December 2013 |chapter=Westland Province and Provincial District |date=22 April 2009 |title-link=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |archive-date=9 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309042839/http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/westland-province-and-provincial-district |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1866, there had been a proposal for portions of Canterbury Province, including the urban area of Greymouth and the rural area south, to be [[annexed]] and solely administered by Nelson Province.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC18660403.2.30 |title=Proposal to Join the Grey District to Nelson Province |work=[[Grey River Argus]] |date=21 March 1866 |access-date=5 November 2018 |archive-date=6 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106132221/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC18660403.2.30 |url-status=live }}</ref> The situation for the citizens of the area was partially alleviated with the creation of the [[Westland County|County of Westland]] – which had all the administrative powers of a provincial council, but saw the legislative powers remain with [[New Zealand Parliament|Parliament]] in [[Wellington]]. Members of Parliament were not happy with having to spend their time on local legislation, and in 1873 the government elevated the county to full provincial status as Westland Province.

===Shipwrecks on the Greymouth Bar===
[[File:Abel Tasman shipwreck.jpg|thumb|Shipwreck of the ''Abel Tasman'', Cobden Beach, Greymouth]]
The Greymouth Bar is a sandbar at the mouth of the [[Grey River (New Zealand)|Grey River]]. It is notorious in New Zealand and more than 44 ships have been wrecked there while entering, leaving or mooring in the harbour.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Kokshoorn |first=Tony |title=The Golden Grey West Coasters 1860 – 2010 |publisher=Tony Kokshoorn |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-473-19842-8 |location=Greymouth |pages=243–355 |language=English}}</ref> The first shipwreck happened on 13 September 1863 when the schooner ''Gipsy'' carrying mostly gold diggers from Sydney, was caught in a northeasterly gale.<ref name=":13" /> Sixteen lives have been lost since 1865, when the ''Nugget'' drifted out of the river and across the bar at night.<ref name=":13" /> The cutter was half full of water when the crew came on deck and only one of the two crewmen made it safely to shore.<ref name=":13" />

The year 1866 was the most dangerous year for shipping in Greymouth, with five schooners and screw steamers being wrecked due to a number of reasons, including getting stranded on the spit, sheered in current, insufficient tug power and the engine stopped.<ref name=":13" />

On 23 June 1910 the ''Lauderdale'' was heading to Greymouth from Nydia Bay and on 27 June struck the north tiphead, ending up stranded on the Blaketown beach after, at one point, being grounded against another shipwreck from 1908, the ''Hawea''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 June 1910 |title=The Lauderdale Stranded on the South Beach |work=Greymouth Evening Star |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19100627.2.32?end_date=31-12-1920&items_per_page=10&query=Lauderdale&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1901&title=GEST |access-date=4 December 2021 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204010511/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19100627.2.32?end_date=31-12-1920&items_per_page=10&query=Lauderdale&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1901&title=GEST |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=28 June 1910 |title=The Wrecked Lauderdale |work=Greymouth Evening Star |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19100628.2.31?end_date=31-12-1920&items_per_page=10&query=Lauderdale&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1901&title=GEST |access-date=4 December 2021 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204010514/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GEST19100628.2.31?end_date=31-12-1920&items_per_page=10&query=Lauderdale&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1901&title=GEST |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Lauderdale'' is one of three wrecks which remain on the Greymouth coastline in the twenty-first century and in April 2016 a local Blaketown family unveiled a commemorative plaque on the West Coast Cycle Trail, telling its story. This plaque is within sight of the wreck remains which appear and disappear on the shoreline with the tides.<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |date=20 April 2016 |title=Family remembers the Lauderdale |url=https://issuu.com/westcoastmessenger/docs/west_coast_messenger_20_april_2016 |url-status=live |access-date=4 December 2021 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012329/https://issuu.com/westcoastmessenger/docs/west_coast_messenger_20_april_2016 }}</ref> The ''Abel Tasman'' and the ''Hawea'' are the other two remaining wrecks.<ref name=":14" />

==Demographics==
Greymouth covers {{Convert|27.70|km2||abbr=on}}<ref name="Area">{{Cite web|title=ArcGIS Web Application|url=https://statsnz.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6f49867abe464f86ac7526552fe19787| access-date=11 March 2024|website=statsnz.maps.arcgis.com}}</ref> and had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2018|Greymouth|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2018|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2018|Greymouth|y}}|R}}/27.70|0}} people per km<sup>2</sup>.

{{Historical populations|1991|10,059|1996|10,254|2001|9,528|2006|8,229|2013|8,118|2018|7,962|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Greymouth town|source=<ref>{{cite book |last1=Statistics New Zealand |title=2001 Census Regional Summary – Volume 1 |date=2002 |publisher=Information and Publishing Services Division of Statistics New Zealand |location=Wellington |isbn=0-478-26906-4 |page=25 |url=https://cdm20045.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p20045coll19/id/335/rec/55 |author1-link=Statistics New Zealand |access-date=30 May 2021 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602213638/https://cdm20045.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p20045coll19/id/335/rec/55 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Census 2018"/>}}
Before the 2023 census, Greymouth had a smaller boundary, covering {{Convert|27.45|km2||abbr=on}}.<ref name="Area"/> Using that boundary, Greymouth had a population of 7,962 at the [[2018 New Zealand census]], a decrease of 156 people (−1.9%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]], and a decrease of 267 people (−3.2%) since the [[2006 New Zealand census|2006 census]]. There were 3,345 households, comprising 3,933 males and 4,038 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.97 males per female, with 1,398 people (17.6%) aged under 15 years, 1,356 (17.0%) aged 15 to 29, 3,573 (44.9%) aged 30 to 64, and 1,641 (20.6%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 90.9% European/[[Pākehā]], 10.6% [[Māori people|Māori]], 1.5% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]], 3.8% [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]], and 2.1% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 11.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 51.3% had no religion, 37.5% were [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 0.3% had [[Religion of Māori people|Māori religious beliefs]], 0.7% were [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 0.4% were [[Islam in New Zealand|Muslim]], 0.2% were [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]] and 1.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 765 (11.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 1,839 (28.0%) people had no formal qualifications. 876 people (13.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 3,144 (47.9%) people were employed full-time, 1,023 (15.6%) were part-time, and 198 (3.0%) were unemployed.<ref name="Census 2018">{{NZ census 2018|Cobden (310100), Blaketown (310200), Greymouth Central (310300), King Park (310400), Marsden (310500), Karoro (310600) and Rutherglen-Camerons (310700)}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Individual statistical areas in 2018
|-
!Name !! Area<br/>(km<sup>2</sup>) !! Population !! Density<br/>(per km<sup>2</sup>) || Households !! Median age !! Median<br/>income
|-
| [[Cobden, New Zealand|Cobden]] || style="text-align:right;"|3.68 || style="text-align:right;"|1,551 || style="text-align:right;"|421 || style="text-align:right;"|666 || 40.5 years || $21,900<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|cobden|Cobden}}</ref>
|-
| [[Blaketown]] || style="text-align:right;"|0.74 || style="text-align:right;"|810 || style="text-align:right;"|1,095 || style="text-align:right;"|375 || 42.2 years || $27,000<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|blaketown|Blaketown}}</ref>
|-
| [[Greymouth Central]] || style="text-align:right;"|2.73 || style="text-align:right;"|978 || style="text-align:right;"|358 || style="text-align:right;"|402 || 52.7 years || $23,900<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|greymouth-central|Greymouth Central}}</ref>
|-
| King Park || style="text-align:right;"|0.84 || style="text-align:right;"|1,053 || style="text-align:right;"|1,254 || style="text-align:right;"|486 || 45.1 years || $24,800<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|king-park|King Park}}</ref>
|-
| [[Wharemoa|Marsden]] || style="text-align:right;"|1.24 || style="text-align:right;"|1,221 || style="text-align:right;"|985 || style="text-align:right;"|495 || 38.6 years || $34,400<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|marsden|Marsden}}</ref>
|-
| [[Karoro, New Zealand|Karoro]] || style="text-align:right;"|6.50 || style="text-align:right;"|1,017 || style="text-align:right;"|156 || style="text-align:right;"|408 || 47.1 years || $37,000<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|karoro|Karoro}}</ref>
|-
| [[Paroa, West Coast|Rutherglen-Camerons]] || style="text-align:right;"|11.72 || style="text-align:right;"|1,332 || style="text-align:right;"|114 || style="text-align:right;"|513 || 46.5 years || $37,500<ref>{{NZ census place summary 2018|rutherglen-camerons|Rutherglen-Camerons}}</ref>
|-
! New Zealand !! !! !! !! !! 37.4 years !! style="text-align:left;"| $31,800
|}

===Rural area===
Greymouth Rural statistical area, which stretches between Greymouth and [[Lake Brunner]], covers {{Convert|338.07|km2||abbr=on}}.<ref name="Area"/> It had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Greymouth Rural|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Greymouth Rural|y}}|R}}/338.07|1}} people per km<sup>2</sup>.

{{Historical populations|2006|564|2013|663|2018|693|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Greymouth Rural|source=<ref name="Census 2018 GR"/>}}
Before the 2023 census, Greymouth Rural had a larger boundary, covering {{Convert|340.00|km2||abbr=on}}.<ref name="Area"/> Using that boundary, Greymouth Rural had a population of 693 at the [[2018 New Zealand census]], an increase of 30 people (4.5%) since the [[2013 New Zealand census|2013 census]], and an increase of 129 people (22.9%) since the [[2006 New Zealand census|2006 census]]. There were 285 households, comprising 363 males and 330 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.1 males per female. The median age was 47.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 114 people (16.5%) aged under 15 years, 105 (15.2%) aged 15 to 29, 369 (53.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 108 (15.6%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.4% European/[[Pākehā]], 10.4% [[Māori people|Māori]], 0.4% [[Pasifika New Zealanders|Pasifika]], 0.9% [[Asian New Zealanders|Asian]], and 2.2% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

The percentage of people born overseas was 9.5, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 59.3% had no religion, 30.7% were [[Christianity in New Zealand|Christian]], 0.4% had [[Religion of Māori people|Māori religious beliefs]], 0.4% were [[Hinduism in New Zealand|Hindu]], 0.4% were [[Buddhism in New Zealand|Buddhist]] and 1.7% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 69 (11.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 144 (24.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $32,100, compared with $31,800 nationally. 93 people (16.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 315 (54.4%) people were employed full-time, 90 (15.5%) were part-time, and 21 (3.6%) were unemployed.<ref name="Census 2018 GR">{{NZ census 2018|Greymouth Rural (310800)|greymouth-rural|Greymouth Rural}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Loading coal, Greymouth (V1-FL73823960).jpg|thumb|Coal being loaded onto ships at Greymouth in the 1900s]]

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 (today it has only six).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Joanne |date=9 March 2018 |title=Greymouth is decaying – can it be saved? |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101471467/greymouth-is-decaying--can-it-be-saved |access-date=8 September 2020 |website=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |language=en |archive-date=5 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405044624/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/101471467/greymouth-is-decaying--can-it-be-saved |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020 most of the coal mines have now closed yet at there were once ten coal mines in the Brunner Field. Brunner (1861–1935), Tyneside (1876–1954), Wallsend (1894–1932), Coal Pit Heath (1877–1893), Coolgardie (1894–1932), Pig and Whistle (1900–1944), South Brunner (1906–1907), St Kilda (1907–1921), North Brunner (1908–1920), Dobson (1920–1968).<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Kerridge |first=Peter |title=Glimpses of Greymouth and District |publisher=125th Jubilee Committee of the Grey District Council |year=1993 |isbn=0473023679 |location=Greymouth |pages=65}}</ref> The 10 mines produced over 8 million tonnes of coal.<ref name=":7" /> The coal reserves in the district including - measured, indicated, and inferred total 164 million tonnes.<ref name=":6" /> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Greymouth bar braved by experienced fisherman – NZ News – Video |publisher=3 News |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Greymouth-bar-braved-by-experienced-fisherman/tabid/309/articleID/195031/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=16 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420013725/http://www.3news.co.nz/Greymouth-bar-braved-by-experienced-fisherman/tabid/309/articleID/195031/Default.aspx |archive-date=20 April 2012}}</ref>

Beginning in the 1960s, forestry and coal mining began to decline on the West Coast. The planned opening of the [[Pike River Mine]] in early 2008 spurred new investments in upgrading port facilities at the town.<ref name="PIKE">''How the West was won:Pike River on track'' – ''New Zealand Construction News'', Volume 2, Issues 3, July 2007</ref> The opening of the new mine, as well as the planned Spring Creek mine, was called the biggest investment happening in the area for a hundred years; coal barges travelling to and from reshipment facilities in Taranaki would have carried containerised cargo to the town and saved the port from closure.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10419076 |title=Pike River coal mine goes ahead on DOC land |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=14 January 2007 |first=Pam |last=Graham}}</ref> On 19 November 2010, there was an explosion at the [[Pike River Mine disaster|Pike River Mine]], trapping 29 miners.<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_4368062">{{cite news |date=21 November 2010 |title=Timeline – Pike River mine explosion |work=[[The Press]] |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/south-island/4368062/Timeline-Pike-River-mine-explosion |access-date=2 October 2011 |archive-date=12 January 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112115346/http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/south-island/4368062/Timeline-Pike-River-mine-explosion |url-status=live }}</ref> Attempts to rescue the trapped miners were repeatedly delayed due to high levels of methane gas, until a second explosion on 24 November dashed all hope of survival for the miners.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beswick |first=Angela |date=24 November 2010 |title=Second explosion, no survivors |work=TV3 News |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Pike-River-second-explosion-no-survivors/tabid/423/articleID/187811/Default.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=30 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211123618/http://www.3news.co.nz/Pike-River-second-explosion-no-survivors/tabid/423/articleID/187811/Default.aspx |archive-date=11 February 2012}}</ref> [[Pike River Coal]] went into receivership in the wake of the disaster and was purchased by [[Solid Energy]], which closed the Spring Creek Mine in 2012 with the loss of 220 jobs and went into [[voluntary administration]] in August 2015.

After the decline in coal mining and forestry, the West Coast economy has become increasingly dependent on [[ecotourism]]. Thousands of coal mining jobs had declined to just 60, and hundreds of tourism jobs had replaced them.<ref name=":1" /> During Greymouth's boom years, much of the centre of town was built up in brick Art Deco building on leased land in the Mawhera Reserve. This land was administered for many years by the [[Department of Maori Affairs]], but was returned to the control of the iwi in 1976. At that time Mawhera Inc's total assets were worth $2m, but had grown to $123m by 2018. Mawhera Inc is now the town's largest landlord, with 1600 shareholders.<ref name=":1" /> After regulations were tightened following the [[2010 Canterbury earthquake]], many of Greymouth's heritage buildings were found to be unsafe, and the combination of earthquake-strengthening costs and being on lease land makes many of them uneconomic to restore and occupy.<ref name=":1" />

Greymouth is also known for its [[pounamu]] ("greenstone", a form of [[jade]]) carving industry which goes back to Māori origins. The town's local brewery, [[Monteith's]], has produced beer since 1868 which is now sold nationwide.<ref name="GREYBLACK" />

==Education==
{{Main|List of schools in the West Coast, New Zealand#Grey District}}

Greymouth has several state primary schools offering education up to year 8, and [[Greymouth High School]] and [[John Paul II High School, Greymouth|John Paul II High School]] providing secondary education. There are also state-integrated Catholic primary and secondary schools.

[[Tai Poutini Polytechnic]] has its head office based in Greymouth. It also has campuses in Auckland, Christchurch, Hokitika, Reefton, Wānaka and Westport.

==Arts and culture==

===Left Bank Art Gallery===
[[File:Left Bank interior MRD 02.jpg|thumb|Left Bank Art Gallery, interior]]
Founded in 1992, the [[Left Bank Art Gallery]] in Greymouth is located in the former [[Bank of New Zealand]] building on the left bank of the Grey River. It is operated by the West Coast Society of the Arts and exhibits the works of artists from Karamea to Haast and holds the National [[Pounamu]] Collection.

===Art in the Park===
In 2007 the first Art in the Park event was organised in Greymouth at Dixon Park by Linda and Ashley Morley, South Africans living in New Zealand. They brought the concept from South Africa.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Keppel |first=Jo |date=23 August 2007 |title=Art vision in reality |page=6 |work=[[Greymouth Star]] }}</ref> In 2008 inclement weather meant the organisers sought an alternative venue that was more sheltered from rain. The 2009 Art in the Park was held at [[Shantytown Heritage Park|Shantytown]], and remained there for a couple of years before locating to the Greymouth High School gymnasium.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}

===Greymouth Operatic Society===
In 1944 the Greymouth Operatic Society was formalised, following a number of successful patriotic reviews and concerts during the war years. The first production in 1945 was "The Country Girl" with Beverley Patterson in the lead role of 'Marjorie Joy'.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Glimpses of Greymouth and District |publisher=The 125th Jubilee Committee of the Grey District Council |year=1993 |isbn=0-473-02367-9 |editor-last=Kerridge |editor-first=Peter |location=Greymouth |pages=136}}</ref> In 2021 the Greymouth Operatic Society is a thriving operation, providing the opportunity for local performers, musician and stage crews to learn all things theatre. The aim of the Society is to support, educate, and nurture local talent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Greymouth Operatic Society |url=https://greyoperatic.weebly.com/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 December 2021 |archive-date=5 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205051343/https://greyoperatic.weebly.com/ }}</ref>

==Suburbs==
*'''Inner suburbs:'''
**[[File:Greymouth Southern Breakwater 4.jpg|thumb|Southern Breakwater in Blaketown]] [[Cobden, New Zealand|Cobden]] – reflects the English origins and political awareness of its founders. Many of the streets are named for English political rebels and reformers of their times. [[Richard Cobden]] (1804–1865) was a radical politician involved in repealing the [[Corn Laws]], emancipating the worker and encouraging free trade. Some of his contemporaries such as [[John Bright]] and [[Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell|Edward Cardwell]] also have streets named after them. Other more recent streets honour some of Cobden's significant citizens.<ref name=":3" />
**[[Greymouth Central]] – Māwhera to Māori but renamed 'Grey' to honour the then Governor of New Zealand [[George Grey|Sir George Grey]]. The earliest street names honour pioneer residents, explorers and prominent local Māori, while others pay tribute to English literary figures and politicians. Later developments recognise the achievements of local residents who contributed significantly to civic and local body affairs.<ref name=":3" />
**[[Blaketown]] – named for its founder, Isaac Blake who, according to his contemporaries, although unable to read was a wily and ambitious character. He came as a gold prospector but soon saw that there was more money to be made as a trader and storekeeper. In its early days, Blaketown was bigger than Greymouth. Blaketown shows the influence of early politicians in its street names.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Buckley |first=Frances |title=Greymouth street names: a short history |publisher=Grey District Library |year=2004 |isbn=0-476-00294-X |edition=2 |location=Greymouth}}</ref>
**Wharemoa
**[[Karoro, New Zealand|Karoro]] - the meaning in Māori is 'blacked-backed gull' or 'seagull'. The streets of Karoro, which are mostly the result of more recent subdivision, reflect the names of developers or landowners in the area. Some are named for geographic features and native trees.<ref name=":3" />
*'''Outer suburbs:'''
**South Beach
**[[Paroa, West Coast|Paroa]] – the meaning in Māori is 'long fortified village'. The area around the Saltwater Creek was so named in 1866 when upwards of two thousand men were prospecting in the area. The streets of Paroa are mostly named for prominent citizens and landowners.<ref name=":3" />
**Rutherglen
**Gladstone
**Camerons

==Notable people==
<!-- list in alphabetical order by surname -->
*
*[[Mary Anderson (New Zealand politician)|Mary Anderson]] (1887–1966), politician and founding member of the Greymouth branch of the [[New Zealand Labour Party]]
*[[Julie Christie (producer)|Julie Christie]] (born 1962), television producer who grew up in Greymouth
*[[Paul Coll]] (born 1992), squash player born in Greymouth
*[[Arthur Guinness (New Zealand politician)|Arthur Guinness]] (1846–1913), lawyer and politician
*[[Kevin Hague]] (born 1960), politician and chief executive who lives in Greymouth
*[[Arthur Harding]] (1878–1947), [[rugby union]] player for [[Welsh national rugby union team|Wales]] and [[British & Irish Lions|Great Britain]], was a station-master at Greymouth 
*[[Amy Johnston (dentist)|Amy Johnston]] (1872–1908), dentist born in Greymouth
*[[Tony Kokshoorn]] (born 1955), politician, activist and publisher born and lives in Greymouth
*[[Janice M. Morse]] (born 1945), medical researcher who grew up in Greymouth
*[[Bill Pearson (New Zealand writer)|Bill Pearson]] (1922–2002), writer born in Greymouth
*[[Mark Priest]] (born 1961), cricketer born in Greymouth
*[[Gaylene Preston]] (born 1947), filmmaker born in Greymouth
*[[Yvonne Rust]] (1922–2002), artist and art teacher
*[[Blair Tennent]] (1898–1976), politician who grew up in Greymouth
*[[Leigh Hart]] (born 1970), comedian and radio announcer born in Greymouth
*[[Jackie Thomas (singer)|Jackie Thomas]] (born 1990), singer born in Greymouth

==Notable buildings==
<!-- list in alphabetical order by first word of name-->
*[[Bank of New Zealand, Greymouth|Bank of New Zealand]] (1 Tainui Street), now home of the [[Left Bank Art Gallery|Leftbank Art Gallery]]
*[[Revington's Hotel]] (45–49 Tainui Street), now demolished
*Grey Harbour Board building (1884)
*Regent Theatre (1937)
*The Greymouth Railway Station is included in an historic precinct, which also incorporates the signal box, the former Government buildings, former State Insurance office.
<gallery widths="160">
File:Greymouth Speights Alehouse 003.JPG|The former Greymouth Government buildings
File:Greymouth Courthouse WCWPAL MRD 01.jpg|Greymouth Courthouse building
File:Left Bank Art Gallery, Greymouth MRD 02.jpg|[[Left Bank Art Gallery]], in the old Bank of New Zealand building
File:Greymouth Grey County Chambers.JPG|[[History House Museum|History House museum]], the former Grey County Chambers
File:Greymouth Hannahs Buildings.JPG|[[Hannah's building, Greymouth|Hannah's building]]
File:Greymouth Royal Hotel 002.JPG|Greymouth Royal Hotel
File:Dispatch & Garlick building MRD 01.jpg|Dispatch & Garlick Foundry
File:Greymouth Town Clock.jpg|Town clock
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Regions of New Zealand]]
*[[Territorial authorities of New Zealand]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Greymouth}}
{{Commons category|Greymouth}}
*[http://www.greydc.govt.nz/ The district council's website]
*[http://www.zoomin.co.nz/nz/grey/greymouth/ Greymouth Street Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619101950/http://www.zoomin.co.nz/nz/grey/greymouth/ |date=19 June 2013 }}
*[https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/Gov04_11Rail-fig-Gov04_11Rail026a.html Photo of the road and rail bridges c1930]
*[https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/ReeWasI-fig-ReeWasIP023a.html Photo of SS Opouri off Greymouth bar c1948]
{{The TranzAlpine train stops}}
{{Grey District}}
{{Grey river}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Greymouth| ]]
[[Category:Grey District]]
[[Category:Populated places in the West Coast Region]]
[[Category:Mining communities in New Zealand]]