Latest fromWest Coast

Man shot dead neighbours at close range
A West Coast man is on trial for murdering his elderly neighbour and the man's intellectually handicapped grandson.

West Coast: Digging into the past on the wild West Coast
A new venture in Denniston allows visitors to step back 100 years to experience life in the coal mines, complete with ghostly visions and echoes of another era, writes Jim Eagles.

Pike River operation cost $10.9m
The police-led rescue and recovery operation launched in the wake of the Pike River tragedy has cost nearly $11 million, according to figures in a detailed breakdown released this afternoon.

Govt to contribute $3.5m for Greymouth events centre
The centre will be named the West Coast Memorial Events Centre in memory of the Pike River and other mine disaster victims.

Pike River families: officials kept footage from us
Families of the Pike River miners have rejected a claim that police leaked previously unseen CCTV footage of the disaster to TVNZ.

Get in or get out, Pike receivers told
On the eve of a preliminary hearing into the Pike River disaster, Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn has warned the collapsed mine's receivers to get in and get the dead miners' remains, or stand aside so someone else can.

Westland: A rare and feathery wonder
In a secret spot, restricted to visitors, Jim Eagles marvels at the elegant, isolated beauty of NZ's only flock of endangered white heron.

Pike River inquiry timeframe too short - Monk
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Pike River disaster will need more than 15 weeks to examine key issues, a families' spokesman says.

Prince William meets Pike River families
Prince William has met families of the victims of the Pike River Coal mine disaster in Greymouth tonight.

<i>Tony Kokshoorn</i>: Broken, but not beaten
As the West Coast prepares for the visit of Prince William today, Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn reflects on the four tough months since the Pike River tragedy.

Book Review: <i>Hokitika Town</i>
Charlotte Randall is an award-winning New Zealand author whose novels reflect someone utterly in love with the potential of language.

'Unsolicited approaches' to buy Pike River - receiver
A number of parties have already shown interest in buying the Pike River Coal mine, even though it's not yet officially for sale, says Receiver John Fisk.

Pike River families to receive at least $190k
The families of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mine disaster will each receive a minimum of $190,000 from the Pike River Disaster Relief Trust.

Quake puts off Pike River inquiry preliminary hearing
The Christchurch earthquake has delayed the preliminary hearing of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into last year's Pike River Coal mine disaster, which claimed the lives of 29 men.

Greymouth: Taking the tube
Jim Eagles discovers crazy heart-pumping, breath-taking thrills on historic rivers, mining tunnels and shafts on the West Coast.