Paroa, West Coast
Paroa | |
|---|---|
Paroa Trestle on the old Hokitika Branch line | |
Interactive map of 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 2025) | |
• Total | 1,510 |
| • Density | 125/km2 (323/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. This railway was originally a bush tramway that opened to Paroa from Greymouth in 1867 and was extended to Kumara in 1877. It was converted into a railway in 1893, and this time, ran from Paroa to Hokitika rather than Kumara.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "broad fortified village" for Pāroa.
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.