Morning Walk at Hokitika Gorge

15 March 2025

Blue lake and rocky shore
I will return once more
Boom-diddy-ah-da, Boom-diddy-ah-da, Boom-diddy-ah-da, bo-oo-oom

The lyrics of the above Canadian folk song (Land of the Silver Birch) that I used to sing at campfires when I was a Boy Scout immediately came to mind when I walked upon the suspension bridge over Hokitika Gorge.

Below me, I could see the turquoise water with white rocky limestone cliffs and lush green rainforest on both sides. With views like this, I was glad that we included the Hokitika Gorge Walk into our itinerary.

Hokitika Gorge as viewed from the suspension bridge.

Getting to Hokitika Gorge

Hokitika Gorge is located some 33 kilometres or 40 minutes drive inland from Hokitika town. It was an easy and scenic drive through the plains and farmlands.

Morning drive to the gorge from Hokitika town.

My son did the driving so I had the opportunity to enjoy the views and shoot some photos of our journey. I particularly like the views with the low clouds and mist that hangs over the farmland. 

Hokitika Gorge Walk

There is a large car park at the gorge and it was surprisingly crowded. Autumn morning was quite chilly, so we were decked out in our jackets. It was a good thing to cover ourselves as the place is known to have the black flies or sandflies.

We applied sandfly repellent to exposed parts of the hands and face at the car park.  The distance from the car park to the gorge where we could get to the water is about 1.2 km one way and should take about 45 minutes, according to the sign put up by the Department of Conservation (DOC).

The estimated timing is mostly accurate for the average walker.

Previously, the hiking trail at Hokitika Gorge was a loop trail over 2 suspension bridges over the gorge. One of the suspension bridge is now under maintenance, so the trail became a out and back trail. We have to take the same trail back to the car park. 

Map showing the current trail.

The trail is generally flat and it was an easy walk. The first 900 metres of the trail is through a fern forest with plenty of ferns. Breath in the crisp fresh air and enjoy the greenery.

First part of Hokitika Gorge trail.

Although ferns are common in my home country, I particularly like the tall tree ferns which are rare back home.

Tree ferns in NZ that can grow up to 20 metres in height.

We soon came to a suspension bridge where I first caught sight of the blue lake and rocky shores.

The suspension bridge is a little bouncy and this is the first of many that we would be crossing during this trip.

My son enjoying the views from the middle of the bridge.

The water of Hokitika Gorge appears turquoise blue due to the presence of glacial flour in the water. Glacial flour is a fine, silt-like sediment that is created by the grinding of rocks by glaciers. The sediment is suspended in the water, causing the sunlight to scatter and reflect off the particles, creating a striking blue-green hue that is both stunning and unique.

After crossing the bridge, the trail follows the edge of the gorge with a number of viewing platforms.

View of the gorge and suspension bridge that we crossed earlier.

We caught up with a local tour guide who was guiding a couple of tourists. As we passed them, we heard a loud splash. Apparently, a young man had dived into the blue pool from the rock face opposite us.

The rock face which was at the end of the trail.

The local guide muttered "What an idiot!".

I agree with her.

We soon reached the end of the trail with an observation deck. Access to the beach and rocks below is via stairs on the left side of the deck.      

Observation deck with good views of the gorge.

View of gorge from the observation deck.

There is a warning sign warning about the dangers in the gorge.

Despite the warning signs, there are young people diving from the rocks and swimming in the waters.

My son and I went down to take some photos on the rocks. There were sandflies near the water. The insect repellent we sprayed on was effective and they don’t bother us.

We could see the suspension bridge that is out of service. If it was in service, we would not have to go back the way we came.

We drove back to Hokitika town where we topped up the petrol in our car before continuing our road trip down the West Coast to the small glacier towns of Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier. Petrol is probably cheaper here than further down the remote coastal highway.

Lunch at Hokitika

We also topped up our stomach with a good lunch at a restaurant called the Thatcher and Small. We reckoned that there are also more restaurants in Hokitika than in the smaller town of Franz Josef Glacier.

This restaurant serves good food and coffee and is a good place to eat when in Hokitika.

NZ Beef steak with delicious fries and salad.

The fish and chips, made from blue cod, in New Zealand is really good with light crispy batter and sweet cod fish. This is miles better than the typical fish and chips we have back home.