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Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
Ross
Skip Ross unless you want to pan for gold or break a drive on SH6: 30 minutes is enough, no need to stay overnight.
Ross is a tiny gold-mining town on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, 1.5 h north of Fox Glacier and 30 min south of Hokitika. Its main draw is gold panning at a site off the main road, plus a cafe and a historic pub. Most travellers pass through in under an hour.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (cold and wet)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$30–50 (just a stop) · Mid NZ$80–120 (meal and a motel) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105 · Traffic *555
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Gold panning kit | NZ$10–15 |
| Pie at Roddy Nugget Cafe | NZ$6–9 |
| Beer at the Empire Hotel | NZ$8–12 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HKK · Hokitika Airport
- 30 min drive north; flights from Christchurch
- ZQN · Queenstown Airport
- About 4 h drive via SH6
Typical fares
- Hokitika to Ross (SH6)
- about 30 min drive
- Fox Glacier to Ross (SH6)
- about 1.5 h drive
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Ross is walkable. You need a car to reach it and to continue along SH6.
See and do
Known for
- Gold panning
- Roddy Nugget Cafe
- Historic Empire Hotel
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hokitika | Drive north on SH6, about 30 min | 30 min |
| Fox Glacier | Drive south on SH6, about 1.5 h | 1.5 h |
| Franz Josef | Drive south on SH6, about 1 h | 1 h |
| Greymouth | Drive north on SH6, about 45 min | 45 min |
| Punakaiki | Drive north on SH6, about 1 h | 1 h |
Sleep
- Ross town centre
- A couple of motels and the Historic Empire Hotel; limited options, book ahead in summer.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Kia ora |
| Thank you | Kia ora |
| How much is this? | E hia te utu? |
| Where is the gold panning site? | Kei hea te wāhi keri koura? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- Gold panning is a casual activity, not a guaranteed find; buy a pan at the site or bring your own.
- Limited food options after 3 pm; Roddy Nugget Cafe may close early.
- No petrol station in Ross; fill up in Hokitika or Franz Josef.
Ross is safe. The main risk is driving SH6 in rain or fog; check the weather and road conditions before setting out.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Ross yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gold panning
- Roddy Nugget Cafe
- Historic Empire Hotel
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- West Coast Tourism: www.westcoast.co.nz/
- Wikivoyage: Ross (New Zealand), revision 5242484 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5242484
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/ross-new-zealand). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.