West Coast Region
West Coast is a region of New Zealand and is located on the west coast of the South Island. 23,000 km ² area is divided into the three districts Buller, Grey and Westland. The largest towns are Greymouth, Westport and Hokitika. With approximately 30,000 inhabitants, it is the most sparsely populated region of New Zealand.
" The Coast "
For most New Zealanders, the West Coast of the South Island is a detached from the rest of the country area. It is, despite its beauty, an isolated and lonely region and the residents have their own essence. That is why it is known as " The Coast " and its inhabitants are " Coasters " called, almost as if she were the only region in New Zealand that has a coastline. The isolation of the east coast of the North Island has the nickname " The East Coast " introduced her for the same reason, again, as if it would give on the islands no other east coast.
Geography
West Coast extends from Kahurangi Point in the north to Awarua Point in the south, a distance of 600 kilometers. Thus West Coast is geographically the third largest region in New Zealand. To the west is the Tasman Sea in the east and the Southern Alps. Much of the land is mountainous, although there are coastal plains, where most people live.
West Coast is bordered to the north by the region Tasman, to the east by Canterbury, Otago in the south and southwest of Southland.
Rugged cliffs, massive mountains and dense rain forests often determine the landscape that appears equally wild as picturesque. One of the most remarkable natural wonders include the Pancake Rocks and Cape Foul wind, Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier, as well as the areas around the Haast Pass and the Heaphy Track.
National Parks in the West Coast:
- Paparoa National Park
- Westland National Park
- Mount Cook National Park
- Arthur's Pass National Park
- Fiordland National Park
Administrative divisions
West Coast is divided into the following Territorial Authorities:
History
Charles Heaphy and Thomas Brunner explored the first Europeans to the area.
In the 1860s and 1870s led to a gold rush gold discoveries in the region, especially in the district of Westland.