Glory days of gold and coal shaped this historic town’s character

This riverside town is proud of its history, brewery and broad-minded attitude to drinking hours that sprang from gold rush days of the 1860s. You can toast the Coaster’s independent attitude on the tour of Montieth’s traditional Brewery, or find greenstone jewellery being shaped at numerous galleries throughout the town. Try panning for your own gold at nearby Shantytown, or travel north on one of the most scenic stretches of coastal road in the world to Punakaki or Pancake Rocks.