Hokitika The Cool Little Town on the Coast

The West Coast celebrates untamed, natural wilderness, authentic experiences and friendly characters. Hokitika is all that and more!

Hokitika claims more galleries and studios per capita than anywhere in New Zealand. Wander around town and watch artists at work, talk to  pounamu and bone carvers, photographers, painters, glass blowers, sculptors, wood turners, potters, jewellers, metal, stone and textile  artists.

Rest a while on the Take-a-Seat art installations around town. Hokitika’s extra wide town streets were never quite paved with gold, but they  were built on the back of the 19th century gold rush that brought thousands of hopeful fortune seekers from around the world — and helped  set the town off with style.

Long before gold was the object of desire, Māori traders from all over Aotearoa New Zealand came seeking pounamu — the treasured greenstone / NZ jade used for adornment and weapons and found only on the West Coast.Just north of town lies the Arahura River, considered the birthplace of pounamu, and there’s nowhere better than Hokitika to learn about the stone and watch it being carved and  polished into fabulous jewellery and pieces of art.

Find the famous Hokitika driftwood sign and start with the beach. Take a walk along the waterfront or down on the sand to admire the  incredible sculptures from the last Driftwood & Sand Sculpture Festival (every January) and, if you’re feeling inspired, have a go at building  your own. There’s lots of photographic inspiration here, too.

On the beach, the ocean and mountains by day, sunsets and bonfires by night. And a glow worm dell to visit at night. Out of town, discover  cycle trails and walking tracks, including the stunning Hokitika Gorge with its iconic surreal turquoise blue waters. There’s fun to be had on  the trails and waterways around Lake Mahinapua and a walk or a zipline in the forest treetops.

Visit www.westcoast.co.nz