The Barber

One of the things people associate with Greymouth is ‘the Barber’. The Barber is a katabatic wind that blows down the lower Grey Valley and over parts of the town. Katabatic wind is the name given to a phenomenon that occurs when air in contact with upper level ground is cooled by radiation, increases in density, and flows downhill and along the valley bottom.

Katabatic winds occur in various parts of the world, most notably in Antarctica, but the Barber has some features that make it almost unique. It occurs when there is a southeasterly wind-flow over the South Island. The wind coming down from the mountains picks up fog that has formed over wetlands and farmland in the Grey Valley and channels it toward the coast. It then meets a significant barrier in the form of the Twelve Apostles Range (Rapahoe Range) and Peter Ridge between which the Grey River punched its way in the distant past. The wind pushing the fog blows through the gap and spills out over parts of the town near the river. It also pushes it over the top of the ridges where it appears like a tsunami of fog.

The wind blowing into town is bitterly cold. Why is it called the Barber? I’ve heard two slightly different explanations. The first is that the wind can cut you to the bone like a barber. Personally I’ve never encountered a barber who cuts to the bone (thank goodness) so I prefer the explanation that it is sharp enough to shave the hair off your head. Walking or cycling over the Cobden Bridge crossing the Grey River where one is exposed to the wind as it is funnelled through the gap in the hills can be a most unpleasant experience with the combination of bitterly cold wind and damp, clinging fog.