Things to do in Hokitika
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Cafe de Paris
This oh-so-French café is very popular, but we were underwhelmed when we visited for dinner. Breakfast, lunch or coffee and delicious cakes at any time are excellent, but later at night their Gallic culinary aspirations can exceed their abilities in the kitchen. On Saturday nights there's live music from 19:00.
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Bonz ‘N’ Stonz
You can dabble in jade carving with Steve Gwaliasi at Bonz ‘N’ Stonz. Design, carve and polish your own jade, bone or paua masterpiece. Prices vary with materials and design complexity, and bookings are recommended in summer – allow four hours to create your wearable art.
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Fat Pipi Pizza
Vegetarians, carnivores and everyone in between will be salivating for the pizza made with love right before your eyes. If you’re in town during whitebait season (September to mid-November) try the Fat Pipi whitebait pizza. Plan to take away – there’s no seating to be found here.
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National Kiwi Centre
The rather tired National Kiwi Centre has seen better days, but at least you’ll see a kiwi – peer into the dimly lit enclosure and see what’s rummaging about. There are also turtles, tuatara, and 150-year-old eels that get fed every day at 10am, noon and 3pm.
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West Coast Historical Museum
This Museum has old photos, Maori artefacts, river and pub-life displays, and the southern hemisphere’s biggest Meccano set (a gold dredge replica). The Mana Pounamu exhibition is the ideal primer before you hit the shops looking for greenstone treasures.
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West Coast Wine Bar
No, you’re not seeing things. Upping the posh factor to unseen West Coast heights – they also have cheese platters and marinated olives to nibble on. Don’t be scared; they also have beer, if all that sounds too decadent.
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Hokitika Cheese & Deli
This airy and open cafe and cheesery is a fine place to start the day. Brunch and light meals are the main forte with fresh coffee and aged cheese at the ready. The chicken and mushroom pies alone are worth a visit.
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Sweet Alice’s Fudge Kitchen
Treat yourself with a slice of Alice’s handmade, all-natural fudge. Your biggest decision of the day could be which flavour to choose. Go for the uberclassic mint-chocolate or spice it up with ‘boozy fruit and nut’.
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Sports World
A good range of mountain-bike trails lurk nearby amid old forestry and mining trails. You can hire bikes and get trail maps and get advice from Sports World.
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Te Waipounamu Jade
Te Waipounamu is scrupulously authentic, selling only NZ pounamu handcrafted into both traditional and contemporary designs – all with an aesthetic flavour.
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Hokitika Glass Blowing Studio
Specialising in glass art and covering a continuum from garish to glorious. Wear a T-shirt if you’ve come to watch the glass-blowers; it can get a tad toasty.
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Gold Room
This shiny room does a healthy jade trade, but is better known for gold jewellery. Most items avoid crossing over to the Land of Kitsch, but not all.
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Traditional Jade Co
This family-run studio distils the jade hype into something meaningful. Watch talented artists carving classic Maori greenstone designs.
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Crooked Mile Talking Movies
Vintage building, plus old couches, plus organic chocolate and house bar, plus art-house films, equals – perfect night out.
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Jagosi Jade
Carver Aden Hoglund produces traditional and modern Maori designs from jade sourced from around the South Island.
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Genki's
Plump panini and homemade burgers duke it out with good sushi at this corner spot with outdoor tables.
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Centennial Swimming Pool
If it rains, get really wet in the heated Centennial Swimming Pool.
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Wilderness Wings
Has four-hour flights over Hokitika, Aoraki (Mt Cook) and the glaciers.
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Stumpers Cafe & Bar
Eating at Hokitika’s pubs is pretty uninspiring, but Stumpers is the best of them with a cafe-style atmosphere and a (slightly) more imaginative kitchen dishing up colourful food from blue cod to green-lipped mussels.
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Scenic Waterways
Runs 1½-hour paddleboat tours on Mahinapua Creek, 10km south of Hokitika.
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Glowworm Dell
Just north of town, a short stroll from SH6 leads to a Glowworm Dell. Evening darkness maximises the show.
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Gibson Quay Heritage Waterfront
Pick up the free Hokitika Heritage Walk leaflet from the i-SITE and wander the Gibson Quay Heritage Waterfront, imagining when the wharves were choked with old-time sailing ships.
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