Day 7 was a very photographic sort of day. Hokitika is that sort of place. Beachy, arty crafty. There was a market on in the town so we were out early in search of coffee to fortify us. Sign outside one quirky little shop said:
Life's too short for bad coffee. Sold!
Hokitika has been the centre of excellence for pounamu, also known as greenstone or NZ jade. It is prized for its beauty, strength and hardness and has been used for centuries for weapons, tools and personal ornaments. Many galleries here full of jewellery, with traditional Maori designs the most popular. There are different kinds of pounamu, with Kahurangi, the lightest, most translucent green being the most precious. I bought a simple pendant of Hokitika pounamu for myself and for someone I love very much, a traditional Maori twist design, symbolising eternal bonds of love and family loyalty, the continuation of life and healing. This rather special piece was made by a local carver out of kahurangi.
Something else we saw everywhere were things made with the local beach stones, such as these entry mats.
The beach is a dramatic black sand beach, scattered with beautiful smooth round rocks
Most of the rocks are grey or black but some are greenstone and some are pure white - quartz?
After doing justice to a few galleries plus the markets, we headed out of town for a local landmark - Hokitika gorge. There is something special about the topography and water chemistry here that produces this astonishing turquoise coloured water, milky with rock flour.
The walls are granite. Big fish could be seen in the eddies. Trout?
A swing bridge spans the water
The walk to and from the gorge passes through rainforest full of different sorts of ferns
David has discovered a new favourite tree - the rimu (dacrydium cupressinum). This ancient indigenous species has long, droopy cypress-like branchlets. Very pretty.
After Hokitika Gorge we were in the mood for more natural wonders, so took ourselves off to Lake Kaniere and Dorothy Falls. The play of light in the water of the rocky base pool was meditative and relaxing.
Then a little walk through remnant rimu and podocarp forest, again full of ferns. This area was called the Mananui Tramline and the track follows what was once a logging railway.
More ferns
Still more ferns
I never get tired of ferns
Sheep in a little paddock between the beach and Birdsong where we were staying. So green, so close to the water.
From the dining room window, a spectacular sunset unfolds itself to the west
And there it is, the sun dipping into the sea. Who needs to go to Cable Beach?
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