Paroa, West Coast

Infobox Settlement
name = Paroa
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = New Zealand
subdivision_type1= Region
subdivision_name1= West Coast
subdivision_type2= District
subdivision_name2= Grey District
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position = right
latd = 42
latm = 30
lats = 39
latNS = S
longd = 171
longm = 10
longs = 9
longEW = E

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. [cite book|title=Reed New Zealand Atlas|year=2004|id=ISBN 0-7900-0952-8|author=Peter Dowling (editor)|publisher=Reed Books|pages=map 69] [cite book|title=The Geographic Atlas of New Zealand|year=2005|id=ISBN 1-877333-20-4|author=Roger Smith, GeographX|publisher=Robbie Burton|pages=map 156] This railway was originally a bush tramway that opened to Paroa from Greymouth in 1867 and was extended to Kumara in 1877. [cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/K/KumaraWestland/KumaraWestland/en|title=Kumara, Westland|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of New Zealand (1966)] It was converted into a railway in 1893, and this time, ran from Paroa to Hokitika rather than Kumara. [cite news|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WCT18930525.2.10|title=Hokitika-Grey railway|publisher=West Coast Times|issue=9537|date=25 May 1893|page=2]

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. [cite web|url=http://shantytown.co.nz/Shantytown/HISTORY_OF_SHANTYTOWN_IDL=11_IDT=1492_ID=9045_.html|title=History of Shantytown|accessdate=2008-07-29]

Education

Paroa School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 172. [cite web|url=http://www.tki.org.nz/e/schools/display_school_info.php?school_id=3472|title=Te Kete Ipurangi - Paroa School, Greymouth|Paroa School|publisher=Ministry of Education] The school originally accepted year 1-6 pupils only, but changed to include year 7 and 8 students in 2001. [cite web|url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/ERO eppub.nsf/Institution/291E233B4F60F92ECC256ED10016960C/$File/3472.htm|title=Education Review Report - Paroa School|publisher=Education Review Office|date=June 2004]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.shantytown.co.nz/ Shantytown]