Make your fortune on the gold fields at Shantytown. This preserved 1860’s goldrush town will step you back in time with it’s bush steam train, gold claim and cancan girls in at the saloon where you can also get a fine beer.
 
Shantytown is where New Zealand retells the inspirational stories of the hardy, treasure seeking  immigrants who battled through the harsh conditions of the most challenging of the 19th century’s great gold rushes to become West Coasters.
 
For 50 years now we’ve been recovering relics and buildings from abandoned goldrush towns  in the bush and restoring them at the 1860’s gold claim and town of Marsden, now known as  Shantytown.
 
This is a working gold claim town where you can get married in the church, ride a stage coach, make a killing at the gold claim and have local delicacies for lunch or enjoy a coffee. Then take a ride on the Climax, one of the steam trains puffing through the rain forest to the saw mill.
 
The West Coast has a strong history of Chinese miners and going into their gold workings at Shantytown will astonish you at how hard they had to work to survive.  
 
And if you need a break from the kids leave them at the Shantytown School where they will have to do their spelling on a slate, clean clothes in the creek with a wash board and say yes sir & no sir. They will love you for that wont they…. But it’s all worth it as there is a great flying fox zipline ride that will entertain them for hours.
 
This fascinating look back at our pioneering past  will leave you wondering at the tenacity and strength of your own ancestors as some probably came to NZ from your part of the world during those tough days of the 1800’s

PLUS...To make sure you really are getting good value, we will give you a voucher for discounts & free stuff at places around the West Coast. You can pick up an absolutely FREE Big Mac, FREE Email, FREE Goldpanning at Shantytown, a FREE Beer/wine, a FREE Dessert at a local restaurant with your meal, discount hostel beds & heaps of other stuff. Worth up to $428. Click here for more info on our West Coast Bonus Saver Pass.