As of 2015 , there are about 8,000 annual track users . Westland District expects 10,000 users in 2016 , and 15,000 annual users within a few years . The West Coast is facing hard economic times , with the Pike River Mine disaster having taken its toll by not just having lost many lives , but also the closure of that mine . World coal prices are declining , and state coal miner Solid Energy was put into voluntary administration in August 2015 . Many hotels and pubs on the coast are struggling , and some have recently been closed . An exception is the Kumara 's Theatre Royal Hotel from 1876 , which changed owners in 2010 and has been fully restored in anticipation of trade from the cycle trail
Pike River Mine disaster
Pike River Mine disaster
West Coast Wilderness Trail