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ALBUM - Blackball Transformation.
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Description This town tucked away under the spectacular Paparoa Range has a special chapter to play in the working class struggle and political history of New Zealand.
The close-knit mining community bred many national sports stars with boxing and rugby league to the fore on many occasions. I can still remember the big day out bussing to Blackball from Greymouth to play league on the domain against tough opposition accompanied by rowdy supporters.
The mines closed in the 1960s. The miners left to find work elsewhere and the hippies moved in. For 30 years the town declined and the word on the grapevine was "If you wanted to be on the dole, move to Blackball".
During the early 2000,s, Blackball was finally rising from the ashes with a new direction around tourism and a lifestyle area, drenched in history from the gold, coal and sawmilling eras. The townsfolk have installed a new sewerage scheme, work opportunities are aplenty in the valley and a new chapter in the colourful history of Blackball has emerged.
Map[1] ContributorTony Kokshoorn
The close-knit mining community bred many national sports stars with boxing and rugby league to the fore on many occasions. I can still remember the big day out bussing to Blackball from Greymouth to play league on the domain against tough opposition accompanied by rowdy supporters.
The mines closed in the 1960s. The miners left to find work elsewhere and the hippies moved in. For 30 years the town declined and the word on the grapevine was "If you wanted to be on the dole, move to Blackball".
During the early 2000,s, Blackball was finally rising from the ashes with a new direction around tourism and a lifestyle area, drenched in history from the gold, coal and sawmilling eras. The townsfolk have installed a new sewerage scheme, work opportunities are aplenty in the valley and a new chapter in the colourful history of Blackball has emerged.
Map[1] ContributorTony Kokshoorn
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From Facebook
Date Created2nd May 2023CommentsGrant Callaghan
Actually I take exception to your very inaccurate comments tony..although they probably say a bundle about you.in actual fact the hippies were an important factor in keeping the town alive at that critical time.they bought and renovated houses.the house I bought for two thousand dollars hadn't been lived in for twenty years.it had no running water or power initially.others got on the school committee.,etc ,helped to support two general stores in the town..saved many other buildings..most notably the Hilton,up and running thanks to the suspiciouly hippie mike graham in the late 1980s not the early two thousands.it may have been taken over by jane wells around then but it had been restored and running sinse the eighties and I think had a huge impact in bringing new blood to the town. As for the dole.. there was no one on the dole in blackball in the early years..there was no dole to be on that I knew at that time.some worked on the new bridge at Greymouth ,or as technitians,groundsmen at the hospital.many on the town were possum trappers,or worked for the P and t...also dominion brewerys,shall I go on..lol..it is sad how a little lazy thinking can unravel reality .if it wasn't for the dreaded hippies blackball would have been in a much sorrier state today
Tony Kokshoorn
Grant Callaghan Hi Grant .It was not a put down of the hippies by me. I was stating a well used cliche of that era. As stated I actually like Blackball and the residents living their.
Grant Callaghan
Tony Kokshoorn it wasn't a put down?...when you say when the hippies moved in ..the dole comments..and that for another 30 years the town declined..if that's not a put down I don't know what is..even the thirty years of decline is nonsense .self serving nonsense perhaps in that it implies the town continued to decline until around the time you got into local government lol...even a quick glance at house prices alone throughout those thirty years will show the real picture.the house I bought for two thousand in around 1973 I sold for nine or ten thousand 6 years later..when it sold again in the mid 80s it had reached sixty thousand.that would be representative of house prices generally on the terrace,a slow increase.all this in spite of losing one general store to fire,the closure of the post office,and the axing of bus services.in future check your facts.at the time the hippies moved in fact was the beginning of a slow revival of the town.they were the frontrunners for a new group of people who chose to live there for the lifestyle rather than sheer necessity but who also valued it's history and heritage.they had to battle considerable red neck reaction too ,in fact your comments reminded me of this.they battled for the miners hall against the last of the committee members but he was determined the newbies would not use it..it was lost to the town.aother building that was saved with a lot of hippie input was the community centre.i am barking tony because in those few glib sentences you wrote off so much good work by so many people over so many years...it is best not to deal in cliches I find .
Sandy Pomeroy
Grant Callaghan Well said... I was only a youngster staying with my Granddad in the holidays but always remember it being a very family orientated community and most places were well looked after - the swimming pool was awesome!! I am looking at moving back "home" to the coast at the moment after 35 years away so if anyone is thinking about selling that has a good sized section please PM me
Peter Dellaca
Brought a ex stat
Peter Dellaca
Brought an ex mine house there in the early 70s it was fully furnished, it was our holiday home for 4 years, great place and great people should never have sold it.
Debbie Cogger Griffin
Thanks Tony love your photos and the history you share
Lois Iacoppi
I lived in blackball for the first 15 years of my life and can not imagine it this crises with shops, haistys is the only one on that side now, wow what a brilliant photo
Lois Iacoppi
Crowded with shops
Valda Spicer
Our family left Blackball in 1956. We lived in Kilgour St. (Stephen family.)
Lois Iacoppi
Our house /shop/tab was bought by rock hounds from Christchurch I believe for about $500
Lois Iacoppi
In 1969/70
Suzanne Clark
Have to say though it was a lot of the weekend warriors from CH CH that caused a lot of drama / break ins etc , that the hippies got the blame for
Actually I take exception to your very inaccurate comments tony..although they probably say a bundle about you.in actual fact the hippies were an important factor in keeping the town alive at that critical time.they bought and renovated houses.the house I bought for two thousand dollars hadn't been lived in for twenty years.it had no running water or power initially.others got on the school committee.,etc ,helped to support two general stores in the town..saved many other buildings..most notably the Hilton,up and running thanks to the suspiciouly hippie mike graham in the late 1980s not the early two thousands.it may have been taken over by jane wells around then but it had been restored and running sinse the eighties and I think had a huge impact in bringing new blood to the town. As for the dole.. there was no one on the dole in blackball in the early years..there was no dole to be on that I knew at that time.some worked on the new bridge at Greymouth ,or as technitians,groundsmen at the hospital.many on the town were possum trappers,or worked for the P and t...also dominion brewerys,shall I go on..lol..it is sad how a little lazy thinking can unravel reality .if it wasn't for the dreaded hippies blackball would have been in a much sorrier state today
Tony Kokshoorn
Grant Callaghan Hi Grant .It was not a put down of the hippies by me. I was stating a well used cliche of that era. As stated I actually like Blackball and the residents living their.
Grant Callaghan
Tony Kokshoorn it wasn't a put down?...when you say when the hippies moved in ..the dole comments..and that for another 30 years the town declined..if that's not a put down I don't know what is..even the thirty years of decline is nonsense .self serving nonsense perhaps in that it implies the town continued to decline until around the time you got into local government lol...even a quick glance at house prices alone throughout those thirty years will show the real picture.the house I bought for two thousand in around 1973 I sold for nine or ten thousand 6 years later..when it sold again in the mid 80s it had reached sixty thousand.that would be representative of house prices generally on the terrace,a slow increase.all this in spite of losing one general store to fire,the closure of the post office,and the axing of bus services.in future check your facts.at the time the hippies moved in fact was the beginning of a slow revival of the town.they were the frontrunners for a new group of people who chose to live there for the lifestyle rather than sheer necessity but who also valued it's history and heritage.they had to battle considerable red neck reaction too ,in fact your comments reminded me of this.they battled for the miners hall against the last of the committee members but he was determined the newbies would not use it..it was lost to the town.aother building that was saved with a lot of hippie input was the community centre.i am barking tony because in those few glib sentences you wrote off so much good work by so many people over so many years...it is best not to deal in cliches I find .
Sandy Pomeroy
Grant Callaghan Well said... I was only a youngster staying with my Granddad in the holidays but always remember it being a very family orientated community and most places were well looked after - the swimming pool was awesome!! I am looking at moving back "home" to the coast at the moment after 35 years away so if anyone is thinking about selling that has a good sized section please PM me
Peter Dellaca
Brought a ex stat
Peter Dellaca
Brought an ex mine house there in the early 70s it was fully furnished, it was our holiday home for 4 years, great place and great people should never have sold it.
Debbie Cogger Griffin
Thanks Tony love your photos and the history you share
Lois Iacoppi
I lived in blackball for the first 15 years of my life and can not imagine it this crises with shops, haistys is the only one on that side now, wow what a brilliant photo
Lois Iacoppi
Crowded with shops
Valda Spicer
Our family left Blackball in 1956. We lived in Kilgour St. (Stephen family.)
Lois Iacoppi
Our house /shop/tab was bought by rock hounds from Christchurch I believe for about $500
Lois Iacoppi
In 1969/70
Suzanne Clark
Have to say though it was a lot of the weekend warriors from CH CH that caused a lot of drama / break ins etc , that the hippies got the blame for
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West Coast New Zealand History (3rd May 2023). ALBUM - Blackball Transformation.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 1st Apr 2026 01:56, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/32273