When you reach Ikamatua on State Highway 7, turn right onto Atarau Road and head to Blackball. This small town has done a fabulous job over many years of staying alive while many other small rural ex-mining towns have wasted away. It is also an endpoint on New Zealand’s newest Great Walk, the Paparoa Track (multi-day hiking and cycling).
The Blackball Hotel and the salami maker probably got the ball rolling. The hotel was named the Hilton until the actual Hilton threatened to sue, proving all publicity is good publicity. The salami is superb for meat eaters. In addition, the town has a small outdoor museum that records its importance in the development of the NZ labour movement and political party in the early 1900s.
To top it off, check out the wall art around the town swimming pool. Not many small towns are this cool!
