![]() ![]() Discovered near the Buller River in the mid-1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. After that time, the population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist had become established.įollowing greenstone and gold, the next valuable mineral was coal. The West Coast Gold Rush between 18 created numerous gold rush towns such as Okarito, which at one time was the largest town on the West Coast but quickly almost vanished as miners moved on. The West Coast / Te Tai Poutini is virtually the only region of New Zealand where coal mining is still widely practiced.Ĭlimate data for Noname Road, Grey District (averages Jan 2015 - Mar 2021, records Sep 2013 - present)įox Glacier, a popular visitor destination on the West Coast The region was also heavily sought after by nuclear weapons states in the 1950s for its abundant resources of uranium, which many West Coasters found objectionable. The region was subsequently settled by thousands of Irish Catholics after the Irish Famine, who constitute the majority of the population, alongside the indigenous Kāi Tahu and those who come from admixing between the two populations. Īfter the arrival of Europeans, the region became famed for its vast and mostly untapped gold reserves, which historically had not been highly valued. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern New Zealand dollars' worth of the stone across Aotearoa, making Te Tai Poutini one of the wealthiest regions in the country. First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 CE, the area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal. The region has a rich and important history. With a population of just 32,000 people, Te Tai Poutini is the least populous region in New Zealand, and it is the only region where the population is declining. The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. ![]() The West Coast ( Māori: Te Tai Poutini, lit.'The Coast of Poutini, the Taniwha') is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. ![]()
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