West Coast · Easy · Circular

Hokitika Gorge swing bridges loop

Over two swing bridges above the milky turquoise Hokitika River and back through the rainforest, half an hour from Hokitika.

Distance
2.2 km (1.4 mi)
Ascent
60 m
Time
About 45 min
High point
125 m
Grade
Easy

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.

0 km1 km2 km125 m89 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Hokitika Gorge swing bridges loop
Michal Klajban · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

From the car park follow the smooth track to the first viewing platform, then the track and boardwalks to the lower swing bridge across the gorge. Cross it, take the short side track to the second viewing platform, then follow the signs to the upper gorge, past small waterfalls, to the 90 m upper suspension bridge over the main channel. Beyond it the track winds back through rimu, miro and kāmahi forest to the car park, with a view over the valley farmland on the way.

It is 2.2 km round with 60 m of ascent; allow about half an hour. The grade is Easy: well-made tracks and boardwalks with two swing bridges.

The river is swift, cold and dangerous in all conditions, people have drowned here, and DOC advises against swimming. The rocks by the water are slippery and parts of the track have drops beside them. On dry, sunny days the water is a milky turquoise; after heavy rain glacial silt turns it grey. The sandflies can be fierce, and there is no mobile coverage beyond the car park.

Parking is free. The gorge is about 30 minutes' drive from Hokitika, signposted from SH6 by way of Kaniere Road, Kaniere-Kowhitirangi Road and Whitcombe Valley Road; we found no public transport.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • On dry, sunny days the river runs a milky turquoise; after heavy rain glacial silt turns it grey
  • The first swing bridge across the gorge opened in 1933, and the reserve was set aside in 1953
  • DOC opened the 90 m upper suspension bridge and the loop in 2020
  • The forest is rimu, miro and kāmahi, about half an hour's drive from Hokitika

Getting there

Start: Hokitika Gorge car park. -42.95655, 171.01976

Directions to the start

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Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.