News

Outwest Tours have had a record number of visitors on their Stockton Mine tour for the month of January 2012. Outwest Tours is currently the exclusive operator of tours through Solid Energy's Stockton Opencast Mine site on the Stockton Plateau.

"Normally we would be seeing between 210 and 230 people for the month. To get 445 visitors is amazing. I thought I might have added the figures up wrong!" says Doreen Ryan, who runs the business with her husband Micky.

Doreen credits the influx in numbers to increasing awareness of the service within the West Coast tourism industry and a simplified pricing structure. The tour is free for school and tertiary education groups. For the general public it is $15 for adults and $5 for children. The proceeds of these tours are donated to the Solid Energy Rescue Helicopter.

Stockton Mine is the largest coal-producing mine in New Zealand, averaging 8,000 tonnes per 24-hour shift. Tour visitors get the opportunity to learn about mining processes such as removal of topsoil, blasting, removal of overburden and, importantly, site rehabilitation after mining is completed.

To learn more, or to book a tour, call 0800 OUTWEST or visit the website.