Hokitika, New Zealand Vacations, Tours and Travel Packages
In the 1860's, during the heady days of the West Coast gold rushes, Hokitika was known as the 'Capital of the Goldfields'. The best place for visitors to inform themselves about the town's gold mining past is at the West Coast Historical Museum. It features a large collection of gold mining equipment, historic photos and scale models of the various methods used to extract gold. A leaflet is available here (also at the information office) which describes a walk to places of historic interest such as the old wharf along Gibson Quay and the Custom House.
Like Greymouth, the town is also a good base for outdoor activities such as white water rafting and kayaking. However, a nice lazy way to enjoy the local scenery is to take a paddle boat cruise along Mahinapua Creek to Lake Mahinapua. To get to the place where the paddle boat departs, take the Ruatapu Road a short distance south of Hokitika. If, however, a bit of exercise is called for, then one of the best walking areas in the vicinity is around the shores of picturesque Lake Kaniere, only some 11 miles (18kms) east of town.
Moving On
Continuing south from Hokitika the main road passes through Ross, yet another of those West Coast towns that can trace its history back to the goldrush days. It was near here that the largest gold nugget ever to be found in New Zealand was dug out in 1907. Two walkways, the Water Race Walk (1 hour) and Jones Flat Walk (1 1/2 hours), lead through historic goldfields close to town. Though the road winds inland after Ross the scenery loses nothing of its attractiveness and becomes, if anything, even more dramatic. On the northern shore of bush-clad Lake Ianthe a lovely picnic spot, with toilets provided, invites a break from driving. From here it is not much further to Whataroa and New Zealand's only breeding colony of white herons.
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