"Just enough to do to fill a day in Greymouth" West Coast Things to Do Tip by Kakapo2

There is not a real lot to do in Greymouth if you do not have a car - but enough to fill a day.

In the town itself you can stroll along the Grey River, walk up the hill on a zig-zag track for great views of town, river, and sea (King Domain Walk, 1.5 hours return).

See more walks here: http://www.greydistrict.co.nz/greymouth/walks.asp

You can tour the Montheith's Brewery which is NZ's most famous one, they have several tours daily.

They also offer a lot of outdoor adventure tours from Greymouth, including caving, kayaking, rafting, 4WD tours, mountainbiking, etc.

Something hugely interesting is studying the history of coalmining on the West Coast, as this is this region's lifeline. Many people have died mining underground, you might see a few memorials along the roads. The latest mine disaster was the Pike River Mine explosion east of Greymouth, killing 29 miners in late 2010. A historic site also east of Greymouth is the site of the old Brunner mine where you can see everything from coal waggons to a cokery. It's a ten minute drive from Greymouth.

More on the Grey District website:

http://www.greydistrict.co.nz/things_to_do/

There is a shuttle service to Shantytown, a replica gold town of the 1860's. This shuttle leaves at the Greymouth i-site three times daily (but a minimum of two passengers is needed). They also service the Pancake Rocks (Punakaiki) - see extra tip - but here a minimum of three people is needed.

There are some great places very close to Greymouth but you would need your own transportation to get there, especially Lake Brunner and Blackball. Lake Brunner is a truly relaxing place. In Moana you can have coffee at the old railway station (Station Café) and go on very pleasant walks in the rainforest. Blackball is famous for its salami, the café/restaurant/hotel named Formerly the Blackball Hilton, and as the place where New Zealand's Labour Party was founded (see extra tip).

If you only arrive by train but would want to drive, there are several car rental companies which would deliver their cars right to the railway station.

Read more here.