Hokitika - Duncan Reed

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Hidden away from the hustle and bustle of city living is Hokitika, a small coastal town situated at the mouth of the Hokitika River, on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Westland District and is subject to the Westland District Plan. It is located is 40km south-west of Greymouth and 35km north-east of Ross. Christchurch is 245km south-east via the Arthurs Pass National Park.

Hokitika developed throughout the decades due to the gold mining, pounamu and dairy industries, with the aspect of tourism on the West Coast in areas such as Fox Glacier, Punakaiki and Greymouth drivers for the township we see today, as well as the world famous Hokitika Wild Foods festival, which brings in excess of 10,000 people to the area annually. The motto of Hokitika currently is “a place to stay for more than a day”, which aims to emphasise that there is a lot more to Hokitika than perceived by many, seeing it as a ‘transient’ township.
The success or failure of the town is based upon the fluctuating numbers in the township. In early years when Hokitika was a large gold mining area, there would be up to 50,000 people residing in the township at any one point, and tourism and events such as the Wild Foods Festival bring tens of thousands to the region every year.
Hokitika is a coastal town, with very little emphasis on the coastline. The township lacks visual permeability to the beach and has few points of accessibility from the township itself. The majority of the current commercial buildings are inward facing, meaning that the natural landscape is neglected, most likely and a reaction to the harsh nature of the West Coast climate.
The township occupies river terraces and is separated from the Tasman Sea by a narrow belt of sand hills. The surrounding country landscape consists mainly of alluvial flats and terraces, steeply rising into the dominant bush-clad foothills of the Southern Alps, around 20km from the township.

Vision: The design is to develop a landscape that promotes the sea and river, creating a stronger relationship between the two entities and the township, achieved by increasing permeability and accessibility to the beach from the township, allowing residents and visitors alike to enjoy the landscape and experience the coastal town from a new light. The reactivation of the Hokitika coastline will promote the township as a safe, enjoyable landscape that can be used by people of all ages for a range of activities such as walking, running and biking, creating a stronger connection with the West Coast as a whole and the range of walks and other scenic activities that are located within the area.