With its wide streets and historic buildings, Hokitika is certainly the West Coast’s most attractive small town. Smaller and quieter than Greymouth, it makes a more interesting overnight stop on the West Coast.
The self-guided Hokitika Heritage Trail includes 22 buildings and sights; most impressively the Carnegie Library built in 1908 and now home to the West Coast Museum.
Hokitika is also the country’s major center for the working of greenstone; the Arahura River, which reaches the sea just north of the town, is a traditional source of the jade (pounamu) which has become so iconic to New Zealand. Local artists carve jewelry and sculptures, and you can visit workshops and galleries to observe the process and purchase souvenirs. Other local handicrafts include wood and bone carving, glassblowing, pottery and gold jewelry.
Hokitika Wild Foods Festival
A celebration of the tastes of the wild West Coast, the annual wild foods festival has become a major event in New Zealand’s calendar. New wild foods are introduced every year and the list includes delicacies such as huhu grubs, fish eyes and venison tongue.
With a wealth of entertainment and live music alongside the stalls, the weekend-long event offers something for everyone and gets bigger and better every year.
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Places near Hokitika
- Arthur's Pass National Park 56 kilometers away
- Punakaiki 75 kilometers away
- Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers 114 kilometers away
- Mount Cook National Park 134 kilometers away
- Lake Tekapo 149 kilometers away
- Hanmer Springs 154 kilometers away
- Christchurch 164 kilometers away
- South Island 169 kilometers away
- Twizel 186 kilometers away
- Akaroa & Banks Peninsula 203 kilometers away
- Kahurangi National Park 213 kilometers away
- Kaikoura 226 kilometers away
- Nelson 251 kilometers away
- Abel Tasman National Park 259 kilometers away
- Lake Wanaka 266 kilometers away
- Collingwood & Farewell Spit 268 kilometers away
- Blenheim 281 kilometers away
- Picton 297 kilometers away
- Arrowtown 301 kilometers away
- Marlborough Sounds 313 kilometers away
- Glenorchy 316 kilometers away
- Queenstown 317 kilometers away
- Milford Sound 328 kilometers away
- The Otago Peninsula 352 kilometers away
- Wellington 353 kilometers away
- Dunedin 354 kilometers away
- The Kapiti Coast 392 kilometers away
- Te Anau & Manapouri 398 kilometers away
- Martinborough 408 kilometers away
- Greytown 415 kilometers away
- Wairarapa & surrounds 415 kilometers away
- Doubtful Sound 429 kilometers away
- The Catlins 456 kilometers away
- Whanganui National Park 461 kilometers away