Hokitika is the Jade and Greenstone capital
of New Zealand. There you will find many artisans carving Jade into contemporary carvings
of traditional NZ designs or modern designs, and beautiful
sculptures of whales, birds or just about anything that reflects the
area where these carvers live. Nephrite Jade, Greenstone or Pounamu has been recovered locally in the Westland or the South Westland area. There are many jade studios and shops in and around Hokitika town centre, the Jade Factory, Westland Greenstone, Traditional Jade, Ocean Paua and Tectonic Jade.
If you would like to try your hand at carving, contact Steven Gwaliasi at the Bonz n Stonz Carving Studio where you can have a go at either jade, bone or paua shell carving.
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what to see
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Arts
and Crafts in Hokitika
Along with all the jade, greenstone and pounamu
carvers, Hokitika is a haven for many other artists and crafts people.
These include wood turning, silk
painting, bone
carvings, hard stone and shell carvings. See ruby
rock or Goodletite gemstone
cutting,
pottery,
glass
blowing, and possum
fur, weaving, stone painters, gold
jewelers, copper art, pewter work, pen and ink artists and oil
painters.
Artisans creations can be found in the many
art studios or in the Hokitika
Craft Gallery in Hokitika.
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Outdoor
Activities
Experience our scenic wetlands and lowlands swamps
with the Paddle
Boat up the Mahinapua Creek to Lake Mahinapua. While in the area around Lake Mahinapua check out the Tree Top Cafe and then experience how the native birds see the forest 20 meters above the forest floor in amongst the Rimu trees on the Tree Top Walkway, even take a push chair if you have young kids to experience the 450 meter long walkway, see the lake from above and the Southern Alps through the trees from the 40 meter high tower. Later do a scenic drive through
farm lands to the Hokitika
Gorge, or through native bush to Lake Kaniere and enjoy the scenic
tranquil beauty of the lake, then drive the lakeside gravel road to Dorothy
Falls. Hire a bicycle and ride to Lake Mahinapua or Lake Kaniere, or ride
some of the popular mountain bike tracks. Get your eye in and have a go
at sporting
clay bird shooting or head to Cowboy
Paradise and step back in time in a old style range town and shoot
the guns of the wild west. Get a group together and go paintballing
in the bush at Mehrt's Place. Hook a brown
trout or salmon with a guided fishing
trip. Shovel, pick and pan in hand dig for gold in the creeks near
Hokitika. Ready for a change of pace go white
water rafting or, try the extreme
kayak or on some of the best wild west coast rivers. If its a really
clear day you can fly with Wilderness
Wings to the glaciers and Mount Cook.
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Hokitika,
stay, relax and enjoy.
Drive north to Shantytown
and Punakaiki
or south 2.5 hours to Franz
Josef Glacier or Fox
Glacier. If you really are brave, and want a really good rush, you
can jump from a plane and see Mount Cook from 12,000 feet at Fox Glacier
with Skydive NZ,
or take a scenic helicopter
flight over the glaciers. Maybe you can just take in the tranquil reflections
at Lake Mathieson, and take a native bush walk and hear native Bellbirds
and Tui's singing.
Later when back in Hokitika visit the Museum, see eels and kiwi's
at The National Kiwi Centre, or you can shop till you drop at the
Ruby
Rock Shop, The
Gold Room, TP
Goldsmith, Hokitika
Craft Gallery, Juergen Schacke, Ian Phillips Copper Artist, Westland Greenstone, Ocean Paua,
Hokitika Jade Factory, or ask the I-Site about the many other artists who have a studio at their home.
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Where to Eat and Stay in Hokitika
.In the evening
watch the sun set into the Tasman Sea from Sunset Point, and you can walk
along the wild enchanting Hokitika beach front. Or just relax in our many restaurants and cafes,
Cafe de Pari, Ocean View Restaurant, Millies Cafe, Eat-On Revelle Cafe, Stumpers
and experience some of the finest West Coast fare.
And to rest your head at night, you can sleep in style in hotels motels and home stays, or go budget in hostels or backpackers and holiday parks.
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Hotels: Beachfront Hotel and the Kokatahi Hotel.
Homestays: Teichelmann's,
Kapitea
Ridge, Aratuna
Homestead, and Prospect House.
Motels: Black
Sands Motor Lodge, Jade
Court Motor Lodge, Heritage
Highway Motel, Fitzherbert
Court Motel,
Shining
Star, and the Airport Tudor Motels.
Backpackers and Hostels: Drifting Sands Backpackers, The Birdsong and Mountian Jade Backpackers.
Camping grounds: Hokitika Holiday Park.
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Where is Hokitika?
You can find Hokitika on the Wild West Coast
of the South Island in New Zealand.
In March each year the town of Hokitika hosts
the very popular Wildfoods
Festival, and the population swells to over 20,000 for that weekend.
The town comes alive to music, wild bush food and West Coast Beer.
Hokitika is about 3 hours drive from Christchurch,
about 5 hours drive from Nelson or Picton and to drive from Queenstown
about 7 hours.
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Come experience a wild stay
in Hokitika.
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Getting
there and away
Atomic
Shuttles operate daily coach service between Hokitika to Christchurch.
Atomic Shuttles and Inter
City Coachlines and the Naked Bus serve destinations up and down the coast with services
to Nelson, Greymouth, Queenstown and beyond.
Inter City Coachlines and Atomic Shuttles meet
up with The Tranz
Alpine train to Christchurch.
Coaches terminate at the Hokitika Travel Centre
on Tancred Street. Air
New Zealand Link operate daily flights to and from Hokitika Airport
linking Hokitika to Christchurch Airport
and other main centers.
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Last update 13 December 2012 by Gordon Wells, Webmaster New Zealand website.
PS if you find a broken link or dead website please drop me a note at E-mail
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Hokitika the Jade and Greenstone
Carving Capital of New Zealand.
A Rock Hounding and Lapidary Paradise,
Hokitika Jade Country NZ
Aotearoa, the Land of the Long
White Cloud.
Now called Middle Earth and home
of The Lord of the Rings, and now The Hobbit in theaters from November 2012
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