Lake Kaniere

The West Coast

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Lying at the heart of a 7000-hectare scenic reserve, 18km southeast of Hokitika, beautiful Lake Kaniere is 8km long, 2km wide, up to 195m deep, and freezing cold (as you'll discover if you swim). You can camp or picnic at Hans Bay, peer at Dorothy Falls (4km south of the campground), or undertake one of numerous walks, ranging from the 15-minute Canoe Cove Walk to the seven-hour return gut-buster up Mt Tuhua.

The historic Kaniere Water Race Walkway (3½ hours one-way) forms part of the West Coast Wilderness Trail.

Note: the road from Hans Bay to Dorothy Falls is narrow and unsealed, and hence not suitable for motorhomes.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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Nearby The West Coast attractions

1. Hokitika Gorge

10.73 MILES

Water this turqouise doesn't come easily. Half a million years of glacial movement sculpted Hokitika's ravine; the rock 'flour' ground over millennia…

2. Clock Tower

12.31 MILES

Iconic only to West Coast locals, Hokitika's attractive clock tower was unveiled in 1903 to commemorate King Edward VII's coronation and to memorialise…

3. St Mary's Catholic Church

12.34 MILES

This handsome Catholic church, completed in 1928, could only be admired from the outside when we passed through, due to earthquake-strengthening…

4. Glowworm Dell

12.35 MILES

At nightfall, bring a torch (or grope your way) into this grotto on the northern edge of town, signposted off SH6. The dell is an easy opportunity to…

5. National Kiwi Centre

12.37 MILES

Tiptoe through the darkened kiwi house to watch the birds rummage for tasty insects, or stare a tuatara – a reptile unchanged for 150 million years – in…

6. Hokitika Museum

12.39 MILES

Housed in the gorgeous, recently strengthened Carnegie Building (1908), this museum has displays on greenstone, gold mining, history and whitebait fishing.

7. Sunset Point

12.59 MILES

A visit to Sunset Point is a quintessential Hokitika experience: watch the day's light fade away, observe whitebaiters casting nets, munch fish and chips,…

8. Lake Māhinapua

12.75 MILES

Serene Lake Māhinapua lies 10km southwest of Hokitika, screened from SH6 by its surrounding forest. The scenic reserve, gazetted in 1907, has a picnic…