01/09/2026
Blackball Cemetery – A Glimpse Into Blackball’s History
On our travels around the West Coast last weekend, as you know we love wandering through old cemeteries, and Blackball Cemetery is another place that tells an important story of the district and the people who lived and worked here.
Located at the top of the hill on the main road onto the plateau, the cemetery dates back to the early days of Blackball. In May 1899, the Grey County Council called for tenders to clear and fence the cemetery, with John Baybutt’s tender being accepted.
Over the following years, work continued to prepare the grounds. Drainage was needed to prevent graves from filling with water, timber was cleared, and by October 1901, drains were being cut and burial plots laid out. In December 1902, the Grey County Council handed the cemetery over to trustees appointed by the Government.
The story of Blackball
Blackball is around 47 km from Greymouth and has a fascinating history closely connected with both gold and coal mining.
Gold prospectors arrived in the area following the Moonlight gold rush of 1864–65. A gold nugget was found in Blackball Creek in November 1866, and soon payable gold was being worked in the upper creek. The area, initially known as Garden Gully and later Croesus, attracted increasing numbers of miners.
The plateau became an overnight stopping place for those making the difficult two-day journey from Greymouth to the goldfields. Huts, stores and small buildings gradually developed into a settlement.
Coal then became the foundation of Blackball’s future. Coal production began near the present township in 1893, with the name Blackball coming from the English Blackball Shipping Company, a major shareholder in the mining company.
Blackball was also to become famous for its strong labour movement. Following a successful miners’ strike in 1908, the town gained a reputation for having highly unionised and militant workers. Several of those involved went on to become important figures in New Zealand’s labour movement, and Blackball is often credited as the birthplace of the New Zealand Labour Party.
The mine workings were nationalised in 1941, becoming the Blackball State Mine. However, the coal’s high sulphur content made it difficult to sell, and the mine eventually closed in 1964.
Today, the cemetery provides a quiet reminder of the miners, pioneers, families and other people who helped shape this remarkable West Coast community.
West Coast South Island history West Coast, New Zealand
