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Major city · New Zealand

Hokitika

Stop one night on the West Coast drive: the gorge, the glowworm dell and a pounamu workshop fill a day; two nights if you want Lake Kaniere.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
NZD
Best months
Dec–Mar; Feb–Apr for the clearest glacier and gorge days
avoid Jun–Aug (wet, 8–12 °C days); the coast gets 2–3 m of rain a year
Airports
HKK · CHC
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • Oceania ↗Oceania's island states guard their farms and reefs at the border: tick 'yes' on the arrival card for any food, plant, animal product, soil or used outdoor gear, and let the officer decide.
  • Oceania ↗Across the tropical South Pacific, cyclones are possible from November to April: choose insurance that covers weather delays and keep one spare night before a long-haul departure.
  • Australia and New Zealand ↗Both countries drive on the left, with long distances between fuel stops in the outback and on New Zealand's back roads; fatigue causes more visitor crashes than speed.
  • New Zealand ↗Visa-waiver visitors need an NZeTA (with the tourism levy) before travel, including many transit passengers; others need a visa. Apply only through Immigration New Zealand or its official app, and check the rules for your passport.
  • New Zealand ↗Declare all food, plant and animal products, and used outdoor gear such as hiking boots and tents, on the New Zealand Traveller Declaration; undeclared risk items bring instant fines.
  • New Zealand ↗Drive on the left; give way as signed at one-lane bridges; an English-language licence or one with an approved translation or International Driving Permit is required.
  • New Zealand ↗Freedom camping is restricted: sleep in a vehicle only where signed as allowed, and in many places only in certified self-contained vehicles.

Hokitika is a small gold-rush town on the Tasman Sea, 3 h from Christchurch over Arthur's Pass and 40 min from Greymouth. Almost everything sits on the crooked main street, Revell Street, so you can park once and walk. It works as a single overnight between the glaciers and the north, or as a wet-day base when the coast rain sets in.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Hokitika, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeNZ$5–7 (≈ US$3–5)
  • BeerDraught beer in a pubNZ$9–12 (≈ US$6–8)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a weekNZ$20–40 (≈ US$12–25)
  • Budget bedHostel or shared-room bed, a night, per personNZ$40 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedMotel or B&B double room, a night, per roomNZ$170 (≈ US$100)
  • High-end bedMotel or B&B double room, a night, per roomNZ$280 (≈ US$170)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget NZ$90 (≈ US$55) · Mid NZ$180 (≈ US$110) · High NZ$320 (≈ US$190)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Hokitika Gorge and its swingbridgeGlowworm DellPounamu (West Coast jade) carvingWildfoods Festival in MarchDriftwood beach sign
Airports
HKK Hokitika Airport (Air New Zealand flights from Christchurch; the terminal is a 5-min drive north of the centre) · CHC Christchurch Airport (Most travellers drive from here: about 3 h via Arthur's Pass on SH73)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Hokitika: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

21°C

12°C

12 rd

Feb

21°C

12°C

10 rd

Mar

20°C

11°C

12 rd

Apr

17°C

9°C

13 rd

May

15°C

7°C

15 rd

Jun

13°C

5°C

15 rd

Jul

12°C

4°C

15 rd

Aug

13°C

5°C

15 rd

Sep

15°C

6°C

15 rd

Oct

16°C

8°C

16 rd

Nov

18°C

9°C

14 rd

Dec

20°C

11°C

13 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The town is flat and small: Revell Street, Weld Street and Tancred Street hold nearly all the shops and cafés, 10–15 min on foot end to end. You need a car for the gorge, Lake Kaniere, the treetop walkway and the glowworm dell. No local bus network worth planning around; taxis are few, so arrange a pickup if you go out at night.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Hokitika Gorge

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way, plus 30–45 min on the track

Drive SH6 east then the gorge road; 33 km, sealed the whole way

Swingbridge and viewing platform, 15 min walk in. The water is turquoise after rain clears; go early to beat the coach groups.

Lake Kaniere and Dorothy Falls

go

Door to door: 20–30 min each way

Kaniere Road east from town, then the lakeside road

Picnic spots, short walks and a multi-step waterfall. Sandflies at the lake edge.

West Coast Treetop Walkway

go

Door to door: About 20 min each way

Drive SH6 south to Woodstock-Rimu Road

450 m steel platform 20 m up in the canopy. Adult NZ$32 (2026 estimate); last entry mid-afternoon.

Greymouth and Shantytown

go

Door to door: About 40 min each way

SH6 north, 40 min to Greymouth; Shantytown is on the way

Greymouth is the West Coast's biggest town and the railhead; Shantytown is a gold-rush heritage village.

Punakaiki blowholes

caution

Door to door: About 1 h 30 min each way

SH6 north past Greymouth

A long return for a short walk; better as a stop on the drive north than a day trip.

Franz Josef and Fox glaciers

overnight

Door to door: 2–2.5 h each way

SH6 south, 2 h to Franz Josef, 2 h 30 min to Fox

Too far for a return day; sleep at the glaciers and continue south.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Revell Street and the town centre

Motels, B&Bs and the pubs; walk to dinner and the beach. Book ahead in March for the Wildfoods Festival.

Beachside, north end of Revell Street

Holiday park and motels near the beach sign; quieter, 15–20 min walk to the shops.

Kaniere Road

3–4 km inland toward Lake Kaniere; cheaper units, you need a car.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
NZ$90–140 (≈ US$55–85) excl. bed
Mid
NZ$160–250 (≈ US$95–150) excl. bed
High
NZ$300 (≈ US$180)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Motel or B&B double room1 × 1 night × NZ$170NZ$170
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × NZ$180NZ$360
Powered campervan site, one night1 × NZ$40 · checkNZ$40
West Coast Treetop Walkway, adult2 × NZ$32 · checkNZ$64
Pounamu carving workshop, per person2 × NZ$120 · checkNZ$240
eSIM, about a week of data2 × NZ$30NZ$60
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeNZ$93
Trip total≈ NZ$514 per person per day, bed includedNZ$1,027≈ US$650

2026 estimate in New Zealand dollars; fuel and rental car excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

CoffeeNZ$5–7 (≈ US$3–5)
Café lunch or a toastieNZ$12–22 (≈ US$8–13)
Pub main (fish and chips, burger)NZ$25–38 (≈ US$15–25)
Draught beer in a pubNZ$9–12 (≈ US$6–8)
Supermarket self-catering, per person per dayNZ$20–30 (≈ US$12–18)
Petrol, per litreNZ$2.50–3.00 (≈ US$2) (check)
eSIM or data SIM, about a weekNZ$20–40 (≈ US$12–25)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

A small, quiet town and one of the safer stops on the West Coast. The real risks are weather and driving: wet, winding roads, one-lane bridges, and no phone signal on the gorge road or south of town.
  • West Coast rain is the norm: bring a waterproof shell and expect one wet day in three.
  • Sandflies at Lake Kaniere, the gorge and the river mouths; repellent is essential.
  • The Hokitika Museum has been closed for seismic work since 2019: check before you plan around it.
  • St Mary's Catholic Church has been closed since 2012 for earthquake risk; view it from outside.
  • One-lane bridges on SH6 and the gorge road: slow down and read the signs.
  • Cell coverage drops on the road to the gorge and south of town.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
111
Non-urgent police
105

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

HokitikaHokitika

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

Ki tēnei wāhi, koaTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance111
  • Non-urgent police105

Embassy

No embassies in Hokitika; the nearest consulates are in Christchurch, and embassies are in Wellington.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Hokitika → Greymouth by coach: about 40 min; InterCity coaches run the coast (check)
  • Hokitika → Christchurch by car: about 3 h via Arthur's Pass, SH73
  • Hokitika → Franz Josef by car: about 2 h on SH6

Say or show

  • Kia ora — Kia ora — hello / thank you (KEE-ah OR-ah)
  • Ngā mihi — Thank you (ngah MEE-hee)
  • Koa — Please (KOH-ah)
  • Kei hea te wharepaku? — Where is the toilet? (kay HAY-ah teh FAH-reh-PAH-koo)
  • E hia te utu? — How much is it? (eh HEE-ah teh OO-too)
  • Ka taea te utu ki te kāri? — Can I pay by card? (kah TAH-eh-ah teh OO-too kee teh KAH-ree)

Hokitika is small: fill the tank and buy groceries before 21:00, and book dinner in March when the Wildfoods Festival is on.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Hokitika. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Dec–Mar; Feb–Apr for the clearest glacier and gorge days · avoid Jun–Aug (wet, 8–12 °C days); the coast gets 2–3 m of rain a year · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 6 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for HKK: Air New Zealand Christchurch schedule, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: Revell Street, Weld and Tancred, the beach and glowworm dell, the gorge road.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Hokitika Gorge, treetop walkway, National Kiwi Centre, Lake Kaniere) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Wet-day and hostile-weather fixtures so gates A–D can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to New Zealand

Sources