A Week In Hokitika

The day after we arrived and settled in we visited the Hokitika River gorge. Doesn’t sound much but this part of the gorge is really something special. It’s the colour of the water, a sort of azure blue. Sort of but much more stunning. It’s typical of a glacier fed river with the ice grounded rocks producing  a powder that gives the water that tender pastil colour. You really have to see it. At the start of the track to the gorge lookout point parking was in short supply and much more crowded when we came out too. They want the tourists but they will need to pull their finger and provide for them! There is a good podocarp forest along the track to the bridge over the river and along a little upstream to come to another view point. One tourist even had a drone flying upstream taking photos. Back to the overflowing carpark and along the road to a memorial  to those that died at the hands of E. S. Graham. This tragedy occurred in 1941 when during World War 2, the government required people with firearms to surrender them for the war effort. Police were sent to seize his firearms but Graham turned violent  and in the end he murdered seven police and Home Guard personal. 

Hokitika Gorge

We went for a walk along the Ross Water Race Walkway, and all to do with gold. We passed some old gold mining relics here and there and followed the old water race with still some remains of structures standing. We stopped for lunch by an old restored miner’s hut. The track finally comes out into the open again through an old cemetery and back to our cars. Gold mining was done here from the 1860’s until 1910. Gold mining might not be over yet for Ross as they say the township is resting on $700 million worth of gold! One wonders if there are any secret tunnels under the village quietly extracting more gold. Maybe there’s only $600 million under it now?

A wander around the village inspecting a museum which was an old house fitted out with furniture as in those early days. The hotel/tavern was worth a visit too. With its old cash register, presume they did have EFPOS, and money notes tacked to the ceiling over the bar. Was this a way to entice patrons to hang around just in case one of the notes fell down? A sign on one of the hotels on our travels: Free Beer Tomorrow. 

Local hotel/tavern.

Hokitika has a name for sunsets so we went out on the beach, which was only about a five minute walk from our motel, several nights to watch the sun go down on the sea. One night we went down to the river mouth to watch the sun go down on an incoming tide. A number of fishermen were trying their luck and going by the bending rods and sea birds flying about, both the fishermen and birds were having a feed. 

White Heron.

No Explanation Needed.

Later we drove out to Lake Kanieri and walked along the Water Race Track for awhile returning to the lake for lunch. 

Formerly The Blackball Hilton.

On our way home we called into Blackball. Gold once more in this area. There is also a hotel The Blackball Hilton but that international chain found out and threatened financially, so taking a cheap option (sign writing costs money you know)  they put up a small sign in front of the original with the word; Formerly. 

We drove on past the Formerly The Blackball Hilton to a shop that makes Blackball Sausages and in our area, these are much better known that any Hilton hotel. We drove around slowly looking at the old houses and huts. I guess some people still lived in them. 

A Hokitika Beach Sunset.