Hokitika and Ruatapu, West Coast

Day 3 finds us in the whitebait capital of the South Island, Hokitika. It’s whitebait season, the little fish are running, and the locals are excited. Our house is on the Hokitika River, where fishers lower a temporary pier into the river and set up camp for days at a time, hoping for a good haul and fine weather. According to our host, their catch is a closely guarded secret which some fishers refuse to divulge when asked.

In Hokitika, we find the West Coast Tree Top Walk and Tower Zipline. The weather is starting to set in as we make our way there.

The walk’s impressive steel walkway goes over and through a magnificent rimu forest. The walkway was made in Australia and brought over to the West Coast, where it was put together with cranes and 13,500 bolts! In Australia, you can find similar structures designed by the same engineer and architect team at Valley of the Giants, Tahune, Otway Fly and Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk.

Ziplining over the forest!

The West Coast Tower Zipline spans 425m in length, with a speed in excess of 60km/hr. The zipline height is 47m or 15 storeys above the ground, with a ride time of 40 seconds. Let’s go!

The windy, rainy weather really picked up while we were standing on the tower. The zipline was closed immediately after our run. Extra bragging rights for us adventurous souls!