Hokitika

Where is it?

Hokitika lies on a strand of beach just south of Greymouth on the west coast at the mouth of the Hokitika River

What's it like?

Smaller than its northerly neighbour, Hokitika is another overnight-stop-break-your-journey kind of a place but some would argue that it has rather more going for it than Greymouth. Hokitika is another town owing its life to the 1860's
gold rush. For a brief time its flame burned bright and the port was one of the busiest in the country but this soon died away to leaving it as a coastal town earning a living from cattle and forestry. Now, Hokitika is a major centre for the greenstone (jade) industry. For good deals on buying greenstone products you are advised to shop around to find best value for money.

What to see and do.

To get a perspective on the Gold Rush, visit the West Coast Historical Museum. This covers the boom years but also has some carved greenstone artefacts of interest. The town has a Heritage Trail round some notable sites from the towns past. Elsewhere you can book white-water rafting, visit an aquarium-cum-Kiwi centre or go walking on some half decent tracks and trails through nearby woodland. For more scenic tramping head the short distance to Lake Kaniere.
The main event on the Hokitika social calendar is the Wildfoods Festival in mid March. Up to 20000 people, all desperate to eat something slimy, descend on the town for this celebration of all things icky. If you like eating grubs, bugs, eels and other such delicacies this is the place.

Eating, Sleeping and Drinking

Wildfoods Festival apart the town restaurants are very good and there are a variety of traditional style bars. You won't have too much trouble finding a place to stay except during festival time. There is the usual assortment from hostel and campsite to hotels with views over the ocean.