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Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
Greymouth
Māwhera
One night is enough: arrive on the TranzAlpine at 12:45, do Shantytown or the flood wall walk, sleep, drive on. Two nights only if you want the trails.
Greymouth is the West Coast's largest town and the western terminus of the TranzAlpine, one of the world's great train rides. It is a staging post, not a destination: most travellers use it for one night between Christchurch and the glaciers, or as a base for Shantytown, the river trails and Punakaiki. The town itself is small, walkable and quiet, with a working port, a gold-mining history and a brewery.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Local name
- Māwhera
- Best months
- Nov–Apr; Feb–Apr for the driest, warmest window
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (wet, cold, short days); the West Coast is one of the wettest places in New Zealand year-round
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$70–120 excl. bed · Mid NZ$120–200 excl. bed · High NZ$200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | NZ$5–7 |
| Café lunch or bakery pie | NZ$10–20 |
| Pub main (fish and chips, burger) | NZ$25–38 |
| Draught beer in a pub | NZ$9–13 |
| Mountain bike hire, one day | NZ$50 |
| Taxi, town transfer | Around NZ$15 |
| Shantytown adult entry | NZ$39 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GMN · Greymouth Airport
- No scheduled flights; charter only. Most travellers arrive by train, bus or car.
- HKK · Hokitika Airport
- About 40 min south; two flights a day from Christchurch, with connecting shuttle to Greymouth (check)
Typical fares
- TranzAlpine Christchurch → Greymouth
- departs 8:15AM, arrives 12:45PM; return departs 2PM (check fares and seasonal timetable)departs 8:15 AMAM, arrives 12:45 PMPM; return departs 2PM (check fares and seasonal timetable)
- Taxi, town transfer
- around NZ$15
- Taxi to Shantytown
- NZ$45 one way, NZ$70 return
Get around
The centre is flat and walkable: train station to Mawhera Quay is about 5 min on foot. For anything beyond that you need a car, taxi or tour. Greymouth Taxis is based on Mackay Street, about 50 m from the station, and runs town transfers (around $15) plus trips to Shantytown ($45 one way, $70 return) and Punakaiki. Rental car counters sit at the train station (Hertz, Budget and discount agencies); book ahead in summer. Several tour operators pick up from accommodation and return you in time for the 2PM train.
See and do
Known for
- TranzAlpine train terminus
- Shantytown Heritage Park
- Monteith's Brewery
- West Coast Wilderness Trail
- Pounamu (greenstone) carving
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shantytown Heritage Park | Drive or taxi south on SH6 to Paroa, about 10 min; or cycle the West Coast Wilderness Trail section | About 3–4 h including the site |
| Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks) | Drive north on SH6, about 45 min | About 2–3 h return |
| Hokitika | Drive south on SH6, about 40 min | About 2–3 h return |
| Brunner Mine Historic Area | Drive east on SH7 to Taylorville, about 20 min | About 1.5–2 h return |
| Reefton | Drive east on SH7, about 1 h | About 3 h return |
| Fox Glacier / Franz Josef | Drive south on SH6, about 2.5 h to Fox | Half a day each way |
Sleep
- Town centre (Mawhera Quay / MacKay Street)
- Walk to the train station, cafés, bars and the river trail. Best for one night without a car.
- Cobden
- Across the Cobden Bridge, quieter, close to the lagoon and breakwater walks; needs a car or taxi.
- Paroa / Rutherglen
- South of town on SH6, next to Shantytown; motels and the Paroa Hotel. Best if you are driving on to the glaciers.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Kia ora — hello / thank you | Kia oraKEE-ah OR-ah |
| Thank you very much | Ngā mihi nuingah MEE-hee NOO-ee |
| Where is the toilet? | Kei hea te wharepaku?kay HAY-ah teh FAR-eh-PAH-koo |
| How much is it? | E hia te utu?eh HEE-ah teh OO-too |
| Can I pay by card? | Ka taea te utu mā te kāri?kah TAH-eh-ah teh OO-too mah teh KAH-ree |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Aroha maiah-RO-hah my |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- The West Coast gets rain on most days of the year: pack a waterproof shell, not an umbrella.
- Sandflies are bad near the river mouth and lagoon at dusk; bring repellent.
- Do not cross the railway tracks at the station to reach the supermarket car park — walk around.
- One-lane bridges on SH6 and SH7: slow down and give way as signed.
- Petrol stations are sparse between Greymouth, Hokitika and the glaciers; fill up in town.
- The TranzAlpine departs Greymouth at 2PM: be back in town by 1:30PM if you are catching it.
Greymouth is a small, quiet town and feels safe day and night; the real risks are weather and driving. The West Coast is wet and the roads are winding with one-lane bridges — allow more time than the map suggests and watch for sandflies at the river mouth.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Greymouth yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- TranzAlpine train terminus
- Shantytown Heritage Park
- Monteith's Brewery
- West Coast Wilderness Trail
- Pounamu (greenstone) carving
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Department of Conservation — Greymouth area tracks: www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/west-coast/places/greymouth-area/
- Shantytown Heritage Park: shantytown.co.nz/
- Grey District Council — Southern Breakwater: www.greydc.govt.nz/our-district/current-project/completed_projects/sth_breakwater/Pages/default.aspx
- Wikivoyage: Greymouth, revision 5259008 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5259008
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
GreymouthMāwhera
Ki tēnei wāhi, koa
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Greymouth; the nearest consulates are in Christchurch and the embassies are in Wellington. Check your country's official list before you travel.
Māori phrases are given as a courtesy; English is spoken everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/greymouth). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.