Hokitika is a coastal city that's very compact making it great for adventurous walkers and cyclists.
Walkways
Hokitika township
Hokitika township is located near the beach and is very compact. This means easy walking to explore our beach town. It’s also surrounded by the Hokitika River to the South, the Tasman Sea to the West and the Southern Alps to the East so the view on your walk can be awesome in all directions.
The area is also home to New Zealand’s newest Short Walk at the Hokitika Gorge in the Hokitika Scenic Reserve. This one hour loop takes visitors over the Hokitika Gorge over a 90m suspension bridge. The gorge’s magnificent blue/green colour is best seen after a few rain-free days.
See below for more information:
- Information from Hokitika.org — the ‘Cool Little Town’
South of Hokitika
With over 80% of the region given over to the Te Tai Poutini National Park, there are plenty of day walks and tramps to enjoy. Visit the DoC website to find out about walks in the district.
Hokitika is about smack in the centre of the West Coast road along the Southern Alps, New Zealand making it your perfect West Coast base. It’s easy days trips to Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks and Arthur’s Pass. Travelling further than that? It’s only 3 hours from Christchurch and only around a half day’s drive to Nelson to the North and Wanaka to the South.
Cycling — West Coast Wilderness Trail
The 136km West Coast Wilderness Trail is a four day cycling adventure which goes through dense rainforest and past glacial rivers, lakes and wetlands as the track travels from Greymouth in the north, through Kumara and Hokitika and then to Ross in the south.
Known in Māori as Ngā Haerenga (‘The Journeys’), the West Coast Wilderness Trail is one of 22 Great Rides and connecting Heartland Rides that are as diverse as they are beautiful, serving up an irresistible blend of scenic grandeur and striking natural wonders alongside rich culture and heritage, exciting outdoor activities, and delicious food & wine. There's no better way to enjoy & explore New Zealand.
The West Coast Wilderness Trail provides a unique immersion into the nature and the people of the West Coast. In the midst of the West Coast of the Southern Alps, lie a series of tracks carved by pioneering gold rush miners. This fabulous cycling adventure guarantees an outstanding landscape ride through dense rainforest, past glacial rivers and lakes and through wetlands, all the way from the snow-capped mountains of the Southern Alps to the ocean. And it is all accessed on one of the best cycle trail surfaces in the country. Arrive as a visitor and leave as a local when you spend the best days of your life on two wheels.
Today these old tracks, together with extensive water races, logging tramways and later short length railway lines, form the West Coast Wilderness Trail. The cycle trail can be ridden either in part as a day ride or in its entirety over four days. It is rated Grade 2 with some Grade 3 on road riding - 'Easy' to 'Intermediate'. Over 120km of the West Coast Wilderness Cycle Trail is off-road on an excellent gravel trail, with an ambient gradient and only a couple of short sections where you may prefer to walk. The incline from Kumara to Milltown is a little more challenging than the rest of the ride however the climb is easily managed by people with a reasonable level of fitness.
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