HISTORY

Westland Region.

Westland

To most New Zealanders, the west coast of the South Island seems a land apart from the rest of the country. It is an isolated and remote region, albeit one of outstanding beauty, and its inhabitants have an identity which is very much their own. For this reason, it is simply known as "The Coast", and its inhabitants are called "Coasters", almost as though it is the only region in the country to have a coast. The isolation of the North Island's East Coast region similarly gives it the nickname of "The East Coast", again, as though there is no east coast to other parts of the islands.
 
The West Coast was home to Maori, who valued it for the taonga (a treasured thing) of  pounamu (greenstone) which was found there in abundance.
 
Westland was only occasionally visited by early Europeans until the discovery of gold near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Maori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. By the end of the year there were an estimated 1800 prospectors on the West Coast, many of them around the Hokitika area, which, in 1866 became briefly the most populous settlement in New Zealand.

A major goldrush took place between 1864 and 1867 creating numerous gold rush towns such as Okarito. It became one of the largest towns on the West Coast until it was deserted, as miners moved on. After the goldrush the Westland population dwindled, but the main towns that still exist on the coast had become established.

Following pounamu and gold, the next mineral to make the West Coast valuable was coal. Discovered near the Buller River in the mid 1840s, mining began in earnest during the 1860s. By the 1880s, coal had become the region’s main industry, with mines throughout the northern half of the region, especially around Westport. Many of these continued in operation until the mid 20th century, and several survive today.

Timber has also long been a major industry in the region, although in recent years there has been an uneasy balance between forestry for wood and forestry for conservation. Much of the region is public land administered by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the region has some of the best remaining stands of native forest, along with a wealth of rare wildlife. Ecotourism is now a focus for the region which goes hand in hand with the conservation efforts.