Granity
Encyclopedia
Granity is a small town on the West Coast
of New Zealand
's South Island
, located 28 kilometres north-east of Westport
on State Highway 67
. Karamea
is 68 kilometres further north.
Lying in lush forested countryside between the Tasman Sea
to the west and steep mountains to the east, the town is the largest in this sparsely populated part of New Zealand. Long known as a coal
mining
town, the population has declined as the industry has waned. The population was 216 in the 2006 Census
, a decline of 27 from 2001. Several neighbouring towns, such as Denniston, have become virtually ghost town
s.
The name Granity was given to the town by gold prospectors, in reference to the large quantity of granite
in the area.
of 4 and a roll of 47.
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, located 28 kilometres north-east of Westport
Westport, New Zealand
-Economy:Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming. Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today . However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton...
on State Highway 67
New Zealand State Highway 67
State Highway 67 is a New Zealand State Highway located in the northern parts of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 51.2 km long and connects State Highway 6 with the settlement of Mokihinui. It used to be 96 kilometres long and ran the entire length of the road to Karamea...
. Karamea
Karamea
Karamea is a town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.It is the northernmost settlement of any real size on the West Coast, and is located 96 kilometres north-east by road from Westport. There is no other connecting road to the town - the road north ends at the Kohaihai River some...
is 68 kilometres further north.
Lying in lush forested countryside between the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
to the west and steep mountains to the east, the town is the largest in this sparsely populated part of New Zealand. Long known as a coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town, the population has declined as the industry has waned. The population was 216 in the 2006 Census
New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, however, and legislation introduced to hold the next...
, a decline of 27 from 2001. Several neighbouring towns, such as Denniston, have become virtually ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
s.
The name Granity was given to the town by gold prospectors, in reference to the large quantity of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
in the area.
Education
Granity School is a coeducational full primary (years 1-8) school with a decile ratingSocio-Economic Decile
Decile, Socio-Economic Decile or Socio-Economic Decile Band is a widely used measure in education in New Zealand used to target funding and support to more needy schools....
of 4 and a roll of 47.