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The West Coast is truly a land
apart. Nowhere else in New
Zealand will you find the land's
pioneer past so close to the
surface of contemporary life.
The Coast's history is carved out
of greenstone, gold, coal and
timer, all of which still loom
large in the region's economy
today. The fastest growing use
of the huge natural resources
of the West Coast today,
however, is tourism. Coasters
have always been proud of their
ability to coexist with the wild,
primeval landscape on their
doorstep. Now this experience
is being made available to
visitors, as exciting new areas
and activities are being added
to the more established West
Coast tourist attractions.
There are endless opportunities
for beach and forest walking,
tramping, hunting, fishing,
horse trekking, canoeing,
rafting and caving. Wildlife
lovers can study seals, penguins
and a wide variety of bird life,
a large area of the Coast has
been accorded World Heritage
status; there are also several
national parks and scenic
reserves.
Accommodation throughout
the region includes exclusive
lodges, quality hotels, motels,
camping grounds and back
packer hostels. A hallmark of
these is modest pricing, which,
together with the outstanding
attractions the Coast offers,
provide a true value for money
holiday.
West Coast
HOKITIKA
A heritage walk takes in many
historic sites or use augmented
reality to view old images
on your mobile phone.
The
Hokitika Museum has an
excellent display of pounamu
and an audio visual show
highlights gold miners. Try
gold panning at the public
fossicking areas of
Ross and
Goldsborough.
Hokitika is small enough to
walk around. Visit
Sunset Point
to see a ship memorial and
mountain views. Look out for
interesting art seats throughout
town. At night, visit the
Glow
Worm Dell at the north end of
town.
Hokitika's
beach practically laps
at the main street. By day, walk
along admiring its driftwood
strewn beauty with awesome
views of New Zealand's highest
mountain, Aoraki / Mt Cook.
Hokitika is the birthplace of
pounamu. Also known as
greenstone or jade, pounamu
was highly prized by Maori.
Watch world-renowned carvers
at work in their studios or
even carve a piece yourself.
Educational tours are also
available.
The carvers are part of a large
artisan community which
includes photographers,
painters, gold and silver smiths,
glass blowers, sculptors, wood
turners and potters. Ruby Rock
gemstone is only found near
Hokitika.
West Coast
Hokitika is a cool little town loaded with good stuff. Its
a down to earth place with a rich history, beach town
centre, a large artisan community and great cafes and
galleries. Think of those fun-fi lled, relaxed holidays you
used to have but with better coffee!
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