Collingwood is a town in the north-west corner of the South Island of New Zealand along Golden Bay / Mohua. The town is an ecotourism destination due to its proximity to Kahurangi National Park and Farewell Spit Nature Reserve. History The town was originally named Gibbstown after the local settler and politician William Gibbs (1817–1897), who arrived in the area in 1851. The settlement was later renamed Collingwood after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, Lord Nelson's second-in-command at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Following the discovery of payable gold deposits in the Aorere Valley in 1856 the town's population surged. The population peaked at an estimated 2500 gold miners. In 1857 police buildings were built. In 1859 there were 3 merchants, 2 shoemakers, a tailor, 2 butchers and 7 inns. Fire damaged the town in 1859. In 1860 the gold rush was over and the miners had moved on to the West Coast of the South Island. In the late 1870s coal mining created a second mining boom for Collingwood. A suggestion was made that Collingwood should become New Zealand's capital. In 1864, three Australian commissioners were tasked with recommending a more central location for the capital and they did visit Golden Bay (then still known as Massacre Bay) but their recommendation was for Wellington. The town has been damaged by fire several times, being almost destroyed in 1904 which started in the bakery and then spread to the general store. Every building on Tasman Street was destroyed. In 1930 eight buildings were destroyed in a fire including the Collingwood Hotel and the Presbyterian Church. A fire in 1967 started in the Post Office Hotel and destroyed the hotel and the Memorial Hall. A replacement memorial hall was built in 1972 and contains the Collingwood Library. Geography Collingwood is located along the western shore of Golden Bay at the mouth of the Aorere River. The town is the endpoint for State Highway 60. The road leaving the town to the southwest goes into the Aorere Valley. The road to the north leads to Cape Farewell via a number of small settlements. Demographics Collingwood, comprising the SA1 statistical areas of 7022515 and 7022516, covers . It had a population of 258 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 12 people (4.9%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 12 people (4.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 117 households.