Greymouth, New Zealand

The Grey River forces its way through a break in the coastal Rapahoe Range and over the treacherous sand bar to the sea at workaday GREYMOUTH, which ranks as the West Coast's largest town but still claims under ten thousand residents. Greymouth is hardly going to be a highlight on most visitors' itineraries, though there's some high-quality greenstone carving in evidence and a bunch of worthwhile adventure activities, while the kids will get a kick out of Shantytown, a replica gold town to the south. Best to do what you need to and move on, especially in winter when you might be plagued by The Barber, a razor-sharp cold wind that whistles down the Grey Valley and envelops the town in thick icy fog.