Family-run since 1954, the Paroa Hotel is a West Coast institution at 508 Main South Road in Paroa, just south of Greymouth. Hamner and Bernadine (Corrie) Monk arrived on 10 April 1954 to take over a hotel already renowned on the coast for exceptional food and genuine hospitality — and three generations on, Bernie's children Alan and Olivia still run it the same way, with the whole family often out on the floor.
The hotel has grown considerably over the years. It now encompasses two bars, a restaurant, a gaming room, a function room and 17 motel units, along with free high-speed WiFi, Sky TV and Netflix and an on-site laundry. The beach is only a short stroll away, and the doors open daily from 7am, making it an easy first stop for travellers and a reliable local hub.
The Monks happily share the hotel's colourful past — the era of six o'clock closures when a secret knock got you in and the local police would ring ahead. Today it's a warm, unpretentious place where locals and visitors eat, drink, stay and gather, offering much the same genuine West Coast hospitality Ham and Corrie did seventy years ago.
On 10 April 1954, Hamner and Bernadine (Corrie) Monk arrived at the Paroa Hotel from the Bealey Hotel with their first son Bernie, then just three months old. The hotel they came to was already renowned on the West Coast for exceptional food and genuine hospitality, and the Monks set about keeping it that way. Seventy years later, that reputation still stands — and you'll often see the whole Monk family out on the floor offering the same welcome Ham and Corrie did when they first walked through the door.
The early days were a very different time to run a pub. Licensing laws required the hotel to be closed by 6pm Monday to Saturday, and trading on Sundays was not allowed at all. Sometimes those rules were bent to accommodate West Coasters' thirst: a secret knock at the door would let you in, and the local police would often call ahead to make sure the premises were empty by the time they arrived. Those stories have become part of the hotel's legend — proof, if any were needed, of how central the Paroa was to its community.
Ham and Corrie's legendary hospitality was carried on by their son Bernie and his brother Winston, who ran the hotel until 2012. Bernie's children, Alan and Olivia, then took over the tradition, and today the family can often be found around the place doing what their grandparents did — welcoming locals and travellers with easy, unpretentious West Coast warmth. The family's interests have grown beyond Paroa, too: in 2019 Alan and Olivia established Sevenpenny in the Greymouth Town Square, and in 2023 they added Thatcher & Small in Hokitika. But the Paroa Hotel remains the heart of it all.
Over the years the hotel itself has expanded considerably. It now encompasses two bars, a restaurant, a gaming room, a function room and 17 motel units — a full-service country hotel by any measure.
For travellers, the motel units make the Paroa an easy base just south of Greymouth. Guests get high-speed free WiFi, Sky TV and Netflix, and there's a laundry on site — practical comforts that matter after a long day on the road. The hotel's own aim is simple: the best in comfort and quality, and a stay as pleasant as possible.
The bars and restaurant carry on the hotel's long-standing name for exceptional food, and the doors open daily from 7am, so early risers can always count on a welcome. A function room is available for gatherings and events, and the beach is only a short stroll away — an easy way to blow out the cobwebs between meals.
What strikes most visitors is the sense of continuity. This is a pub where the photos on the wall span the decades, where the stories of secret knocks and helpful policemen are still told, and where the person serving you may well be a Monk. It's hospitality as a family trade, practised in the same spot since 1954.
Practicalities are straightforward. The hotel sits at 508 Main South Road, Paroa, Greymouth 7805. Call (03) 762 6860 or email [email protected] with questions or to book; motel stays can be reserved online, and gift vouchers are available for anyone who'd rather let a loved one choose their own good time. Whether you're staying the night, settling in for a meal, or just passing through, the promise is the one Ham and Corrie made seventy years ago: genuine West Coast hospitality, no gimmicks required.