Hokitika Gorge

The Hokitika River is in the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

It is about 64 kilometers (40 miles) long, beginning in the Southern Alps and flowing into the Tasman Sea next to the town of Hokitika. The Hokitika River, and its eastern tributary, the Kokatahi River, have formed the Kowhitirangi-Kokatahi alluvial plain; a fertile and productive land extensively used for dairy farming.

The entrance to the Hokitika River was once used as a harbour during the West Coast's gold rush; however, the sand bar at the river mouth created a treacherous and often fatal obstacle - resulting in many ship wrecks. After the gold-rush subsided, the use of the river as a harbour declined and is now no longer used. hokitika gallery 4(copy)

The visiting angler can expect a few quinnat salmon to be present in the Hokitika River from late December to April.

It is always worth casting for searun brown trout near the river mouth. There is very good access along both banks especially below the highway bridge.

Overall the Hokitika River is 64 kms long. It offers plenty of good fly fishing upstream. If you prefer the fly rod in the lower reaches for brown trout try a Parsons Glory or Yellow Rabbit. Up stream a Hare and Copper Nymph, Coch-y-Bondhu, or any brown beetle pattern is worth a try.

Wildfoods Festival

The Hokitika Wildfoods festival in early March each year is an extravaganza of gourmet bushtucker, based on The West Coast's natural food sources.

The emphasis is on novel, tasty and healthy wildfood.

The Wild Food Festival is a celebration of the unique West Coasts lifestyle, food and hospitality.

The Wild Food Festival is famous for the special West Coast food that is on offer. At the festival you will find possum pies, huhu grubs, ows’ udders, Chatham Island seagulls, paua titties (roe), bull, lamb and goat testicles, gorse flower wine and gourmet garden snails, and magpie pies. There is also plenty of West Coast whitebait for those not so keen to try the interesting wild foods.

To wash down the 'Wild Foods' there is plenty of the West Coast's most famous beer Monteiths on tap. There are three stages at the festival where there is living music and entertainment all day long..

Wild Food Festival Tickets

Tickets are limited to 18000 festival goers. Tickets can be purchased at your nearest Postie Plus Store, or from the Hokitika Information office - phone 03 755 6166 (Credit card and mail order booking only). A limited number of tickets may be available at the gates.

Punakaiki Pancake Rocks & Blowholes

Layered limestone rock formations on the coastal drive between Greymouth and Westport which is rated by Lonely Planet as one of the best 10 coastal drives in the world.

Just 1 hours drive from Hokitika this geological wonder is at it’s most spectacular around high tide and when the sea is rough.

Location

These are located at Dolomite Point, near the little settlement of Punakaiki which is located on SH 6, 40 minutes drive north of Greymouth and 50 minutes south of Westport.

Features

The Pancake Rocks are most spectacular in the Putai area. They were formed 30 million years ago from minute fragments of dead marine creatures and plants landed on the seabed about 2 km below the surface. Immense water pressure caused the fragments to solidify in hard and soft layers. Gradually seismic action lifted the limestone above the seabed. Mildly acidic rain, wind and seawater sculpted the bizarre shapes.

Plan and prepare

The famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are just a 20 minute loop walk from where you park your vehicle on the main highway at Punakaiki.

Because the return track suddenly emerges on the highway make sure children are not running ahead. A lifebelt near Sudden Sound Blowhole reminds us it is very dangerous to stray from the track and to take special care of children – keep to the formed path and do not go beyond safety barriers!

Dogs and other domestic animals are not permitted in this area.

Punakaiki is a small community on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, between Westport and Greymouth.

The community lies on the edge of the Paparoa National Park. The Punakaiki township has a National Park i-SITE Visitor Centre, café and tearooms, craft shop and plenty of car parking. The surrounding area is scattered with accommodation – upmarket hotel apartments, boutique bed & breakfasts, self-catering motel units, a campervan and camping ground, and backpacker accommodation.

The Pancake Rocks are a very popular tourist goal at Dolomite Point south of the main village. The Pancake Rocks are presently explorable by a number of walkways winding through the rock formations, parts of these wheelchair-accessible and others carved into stairways up and down the rock faces State Highway 6, the only through road on the West Coast, passes through the town.

West Coast Wilderness Trail

The 1st leg of the newly opened bicycle trail from Greymouth to Ross takes in coastal scenery before turning inland to the famous gold mining settlement of Kumara.here

From Kumara the trail heads into the real wilderness with a spectacular ride to Milltown beside the upper Arahura River renowned for the scource of Pounamu (Greenstone). From Milltown you cross the Arahura River and head across farmland, through rainforest to Lake Kaniere then back toward the sea coast arriving at Hokitika, the centre of the West Coast. From Hokitika the next leg takes you south following the old rail line to Ross and the historic Ross Goldfields.

At Fitzherbert Court Motel we cater for cyclists by having secure bike storing facilities as well as access to a shuttle service which will drop off and pick up at all start/stop points along the trail. This enables cyclists to base themselves in one place and enjoy home comforts by staying with us.