Paroa | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 42°30′39″S 171°10′9″E / 42.51083°S 171.16917°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | West Coast |
District | Grey District |
Ward | Southern |
Electorates | |
Government | |
• Territorial Authority | Grey District Council |
• Regional council | West Coast Regional Council |
• Mayor of Grey | Tania Gibson |
• West Coast-Tasman MP | Maureen Pugh |
• Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
Area | |
• Total | 12.12 km2 (4.68 sq mi) |
Population (June 2024)[2] | |
• Total | 1,510 |
• Density | 120/km2 (320/sq mi) |
Local iwi | Ngāi Tahu |
Paroa is a settlement on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, just south of Greymouth. State Highway 6 and the Hokitika Branch railway both run through Paroa.[3][4] This railway was originally a bush tramway that opened to Paroa from Greymouth in 1867 and was extended to Kumara in 1877.[5] It was converted into a railway in 1893, and this time, ran from Paroa to Hokitika rather than Kumara.[6]
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "broad fortified village" for Pāroa.[7]
Shantytown, to the south-east of Paroa, is a recreation of a typical 1880s West Coast gold mining town, built in 1971 and operating as a commercial tourist attraction.[8]
Area
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).