Activities & best things to do in Hokitika

Just 20 minutes from Hokitika, you can experience life in a gold rush town. Shantytown tells stories of fortitude and pioneering spirit through a mix of experiential activities and displays. The Hokitika Museum, opposite the Hokitika Fire Station Apartments, gives you a detailed look into the lives of gold miners during the gold rush as well as the region’s wider natural and societal history, covering everything from traditional Maori use of pounamu (greenstone) to white baiting.

You can try your hand panning for gold at nearby Ross or check out the Gold Room in Hokitika to get up close and personal with a real gold nugget while looking at the unique jewellery that captures the beauty of natural gold nuggets and flakes.
Once you’ve had enough of gold, there’s whitewater kayaking and rafting and scenic flights on offer for the more adventurous.