-	All photographs of Hokitika

Hokitika is a coastal town on the West Coast in The South Island Of New Zealand. It is situated a couple of km north of the Hokitika River, which is 40 km south of Graymouth, on State highway 6, the only through road on the West Coast.

Hokitika can boast being the least windy place in New Zealand, but that probably has something to do with the 2800 mm of rain it receives every year.

The Maori’s have been visiting this region for almost 1000 years, to collect the green stone “Pounamu” from The Arahura River, which is their traditional source for the precious jade stone.
Hokitika was founded as a gold mining town in 1864. The towns population grew rapidly, in 1886 it had one of the highest populations in the country. In 1883 it became the capital of the Westland Province, until the eradication of provinces in 1876. The gold rush was short lived though, The few people who stayed in the area have created a lifestyle that is unique to this region, so as to adapt to the harsh and rugged country, which has developed the character that is the “Coastie” over the years.

Gold mining, forestry and coal mining have all been big contributors to the local economy over the years, but have dropped off since the late eighties. Today there is some what of a renaissance in the Greenstone trade. The local Jade factory is a major tourist attraction, with professional carvers on site, It’s a nice experience to wander through the shop and have a chat with the jade artists, while thay are at work. Dairy farming is also a strong local industry, with Westland Milk Products being one of the few national dairy companies still left in competition with the monopoly holding Fonterra.

Hokitika is the gateway to the South Westland World Heritage National Park. Situated only 20km from the Southern Alps, you can see mount cook on a clear day. South of Hokitika are two small, remote lakes. Lake Kaniere is a calm lake surrounded by snow capped mountains and a popular place for boating, water skiing, picnics and swimming. Lake Mahinapua, encircled by native forest, is ideal for sailing and has great camping facilities. Between Hokitika and Franz Josef is the settlement of Whataroa, where the rare white heron (kotuku) can be seen nesting between November and February.

There are stacks of things to see and do in this marvellous region. Hokitika's activities include, Surfing remote beaches, Horse treks, four wheel drive tours, helicopter flights and there are some great walks too. There is very good fishing in the area, you can catch big Brown Trout, Salmon, Perch and Whitebait. You have to ask a local for the whitebait fritter recipe it’s a Kiwi delicacy. The Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers are two hours drive south, Punakaiki Blowholes 90 minutes drive north. Dont forget to visit the glow worm dell and the Water World.

The accommodation options here cater for most tastes and budgets, from camping grounds, bed and breakfasts and backpacker hastels to apartments, cottages, holiday houses, motels, hotels, homestays, farmstays.....its all here.