The best things to do in and around Hokitika
Last updated on November 18th, 2025 at 08:40 am
There’s definitely plenty to do for a small place as you can see from this list of the best things to do in Hokitika!
Hokitika, or “Hoki” if you are a local, for me is by far the best town to spend time in on the West Coast – so stay for a night if you can and enjoy at least some of the things to do below.
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Plan for your trip
Insurance – Click here for travel cover with SafetyWing. Almost any nationality, its ok if you are already traveling, up to 64 years old. Or click here for cover with EKTA – any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling!
Accommodation – book a hotel with booking.com or Tripadvisor, or, a hostel with Hostelworld
Internet – get a highly rated yesim eSim before you go – click here for yours
Tours and Activities – book with Viator, or GetYourGuide. Top recommendations are:
1. The Kiwi House – see tuataras, eels, whitebait and of course kiwis!
2. The West Coast Treetop Walkway or the Zipline and Treetop Walkway combo
3. The Hokitika Gorge and Tree Top Walkway
Buses, trains, ferries and Flights – 12Go is now my first option for this, but for flights you can also find a good deal through Kiwi.com
Car rental – compare prices and get the best deals with Rentalcars.com
Hiking – use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – know where you are on the trail!
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1. Visit the Glow-worm Dell
Its got a sign on the main highway, its well-known, its free to see, and its worth a little visit! A very short walk just on the edge of Hokitika takes you to a dell with hundreds of glowworms hanging on the cliffsides. I went during the day first to see what it was like, and later at night. It’s worth doing both if you have time.
2. Go on the Hokitika Gorge Walk
30 mins and 28km out of town is the Hokitika Gorge Walk. It’s a 45 min loop walk and very popular – for a reason! On a sunny day (not like the day I was last there) the water is a stunning blue. Add to this lovely rocks, bridges, forest and, for me anyway, the absolute bonus of finding a delicate blue mushroom or two. (This is the mushroom you see on the NZ $50 note.) Keep your eyes peeled for them but please leave them alone to reproduce!
PS If you like the idea of the Treetop Walk (No. 8 below) then you can take a tour that includes both this gorge walk and the Treetop walk!
3. See the “Hokitika Sign”
Its a simple sign (on Beach Street) made of driftwood but its become as insta-famous as any place in NZ! In winter the sun sets perfectly within the ‘o’ of the sign and that’s what got it famous. But now its become a ‘thing to see’ in its own right. Pretty cool for a bunch of sticks – right? Its also a good place to start a little walk along the wild west coast beach. Definitely no swimming though!
PS. Its the sign in the picture at the top of this post!
4. Enjoy sunset and the views at Sunset Point
Its the thing to do – you wont be alone! People gather in “Hoki” to watch the sun set. At Sunset Point near the river-mouth you also get great views up the river to the mountains, and can walk along to see the Tambo Shipwreck Memorial.
There is a walkway all along the beachfront so plenty of room, and its perfect for that sunset stroll.
5. Wander in town
Walk around town to see greenstones displays and quirky shops, the clocktower, and some fine old buildings like the museum building on Hamilton Street. The museum is currently closed due to earthquake strengthening work. Visit the well rated Hokitika Craft Gallery for an eclectic mix of local crafts – a good place for a memento! And, do walk through Weld Lane to the Hokitika Sign on the beachfront and see the art display in the lane.
6. Swim and walk at Lake Kaniere
On a good day you can get a beautiful reflection of the mountains in the lake, and in summer its great for a swim. There are walkways around the lake and a firm favourite is the tiny 2min walk to the pretty Dorothy Falls – also a good swimming spot.
7. See a Kiwi and Tuatara
If you are not going to get the chance to see a kiwi in the wild, or elsewhere, then Hokitika has a good option for you. Its old school and a bit worn, but does have kiwis in a simulated nocturnal environment, as well as resident tuataras. The bonus is the freshwater crayfish, whitebait and eels on display as well – probably the only time you will see whitebait outside of a fritter. You can feed the eels at 10.00am, 12.00pm and 3.00pm every day. Get a ticket here to time in with the eel feeding.
8. Walk in the Treetops
15 mins, 17km south of Hokitika is the West Coast Treetop Walk and zip line. To be honest, I’ve only done the treetop walk, which was great, but I haven’t done the zipline as it seemed a little pricey for what you get. But do decide for yourself.
Click here for tickets to the Treetop Walkway and for the Zipline and Treetop Walkway combo!
There is a tower with views to the mountains and sea – on a good day! It really depends if you have done this before or not as to whether you should go or not!
9. Walk and take a dip at Lake Mahinapua
10 mins, 11km south of town is Lake Mahinapua – a pretty lake good for a swim and going on one of a few short walks around the lake. On Sundays the local yachting club meet there and visitors are welcome! There is also a great DoC campsite there with plenty of wekas to keep you amused.
10. Spend a half day in Ross
Visit the small but very well done Ross Goldfields Information & Heritage Centre, and go gold panning (hire a pan from the centre). Walk the 1 hour Ross Goldfield Water Race Walkway, then visit the Chinese Miner Memorial Garden and lastly drive past no 27 Moorhouse St and look at the curious collection of teapots adorning the driveway!
11. Go to a Festival
There are two key festivals that you shouldn’t miss if you are around at the right time.
The big one is the Wildfoods Festival, held every year in March that celebrates all things wild and local in the food department! You can sample a huge array of food, some quite palatable, like wild boar and smoked eel pate, but others….. well lets just say I’ve done it once and that was enough! The added bonus is the Feral Fashion show with all kinds of ‘wearable art.’
The other, more low key, but very impressive festival is the Driftwood & Sand Festival held every year at the end of January. Adults and kids fashion all sorts of imaginative sculptures from driftwood and sand that is plentiful on the beach. Its an absolute treat to see all the sculptures which are left for the seas and storms to take away over the next weeks or months.
12. Eat a whitebait pizza
– now you know I don’t usually talk about food. But Hokitika has a surprisingly good food scene for a small town! My favorite and a local ‘must do’ is Fat Pipis Pizza. They even have whitebait pizza when the whitebait are available. (So I had to add this as a thing to do!)
Fat Pipis is not the only good place though – check out Thatcher and Small for excellent food, and Stumpers for a good solid pub meal. The Priya Indian is really good from all accounts too.
Comment below if you tried the pizzas and do let me know which of these things to do in Hokitika you enjoyed the most!
Where to stay in Hokitika
A firm favorite is the Beachfront Hotel – book an ocean view room! Note – the bar has a view in case you miss out!
Stopforths Motel is not beachfront but has the top reviews – but you do need to book for two nights!
If you are on a tighter budget try the Hokitika Pioneer Hotel which is also popular.
For backpackers, try the Hokitika Holiday Park!
For good value for a group – there is the The Black Bach on Bealey.
Nearby at Lake Mahinapua you can stay at the Lake Mahinapua Hotel – it has rooms, family rooms, and a dorm for backpackers!
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