The replacement Hokitika Gorge suspension bridge is officially open!
Iconic views of the lower Hokitika Gorge are once again back on offer with the formal opening of a new swing bridge back in late May. It comes after 18 months after the original 90-year old bridge was closed due to safety concerns.
The Hokitika Gorge Walk
Distance: 2 km loop track
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Easy access short walk
From the car park, follow the walking track for a few minutes through dense podocarp/hardwood forest before emerging onto a viewing platform. From here you can look down to the stunning Hokitika Gorge and out to the lush farmland of Kowhitirangi. This part of the track is accessible for wheelchairs.
From the viewing platform, continue for another 6 minutes along the curving boardwalks and you will reach a swing bridge. Here there are excellent views of the blue-green waters of the Hokitika River as it makes its way through the rock sided Hokitika Gorge.
For good views further up the gorge, cross the swing bridge and when you come to the end of it turn left. The track continues for another 10 minutes through the bush, crossing a small bridge to a second viewing platform that looks out to the gorge upstream of the bridge. Access to a small beach is also available here. Be sure to take time to read the warning signs and close the gate after you.
To continue further up the gorge, return to the junction just before the platform and turn left. Curved boardwalks take you past small waterfalls with the blue-green river glimpsed through the trees. The track continues to wind through mature forest with river views.
After 5 minutes of easy walking, the 90-metre suspension bridge crosses the main channel of the Hokitika Gorge before entering the forest. The bridge offers spectacular views of the Hokitika Gorge, mature forested surrounds and the foothills of the Southern Alps.
Following the bridge, it’s an easy undulating 30 min wander back to the carpark through mature nature forest. A viewpoint on the way overlooks the river and farmland land of the upper Hokitika Valley.
Times and distances (one way)
- Hokitika Valley viewpoint: 650 m, 15 min
- Upper Gorge suspension bridge: 900 m, 30 min
- Lower Gorge viewing platform: 1.2 km, 45 mins