Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WESTLAND
The bottom third or so of the West Coast is known as Westland, a mix of farmland and
rainforest backed by the Southern Alps, which pop straight up in a neck-cricking fashion.
This region is most famous for its glaciers.
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Hokitika
POP 3000
Popular with history buffs and the setting for numerous NZ novels - including the 2013
Man Booker Prize-winning
The Luminaries
by Eleanor Catton - Hokitika's riches come in
many forms. Founded on gold, today the town is the stronghold of indigenous
pounamu
(greenstone), which jostles for attention amid many other arts and crafts, drawing rafts of
visitors to the town's wide open streets.
