Not having been to the West Coast region, I decided to spend a few days in Franz Josef village and then head back up to Hokitika. It’s pretty tricky to do this by public transport, so I ended up hiring a car from Rad Car Hire who gave me the car at Hokitika airport and I dropped it back there on my way out, four days later. After driving my electric car for a few months it was strange driving a petrol one again, but I managed.
After a quick stop for groceries, I headed south to Franz Josef. The drive is gorgeous, winding through steep mountains and coming out to huge wide valleys. I was really lucky with the weather – it was clear and blue the whole time I was there.
I arrived at the Alpine Glacier Motel where I’d be staying for a couple of nights, and checked in. I’m glad I went for the “mountain view” room – it looked out on the mountains just outside of town and was spectacular.
After dropping off my stuff, I headed out of town to Te Koha Pounamu, where Jan taught me and a couple of Spanish travellers the basics of jade carving. We all ended up with necklaces we were really happy with, and Jan (and her two dogs) were really friendly and welcoming.
The next day I’d signed up for a nature walk up to the Franz Josef glacier lookout with Glacier Valley Eco Tours. A group of about 10 of us were led around the lookout area by Cliff, our genial guide who was full of info about the flora and fauna of the area as well as some great dad jokes. We visited the reflection pool before heading into the bush near the main track, then heading up to the viewing point and stopping for a hot cuppa. On our way back we again dived into a private track to go see the riverbed.
I stopped at Alice May Restaurant for lunch, trying the whitebait omelette (yum!) and a Montieth’s cider. (They have GF items marked on the menu.)
My next foray into walking trails was to visit Lake Matheson. I’d planned to do the shorter easier walk to the first viewing spot, but accidentally turned the wrong way and headed around the lake instead. A happy accident, because the views were even better on the other side of the lake looking towards the mountains.
I also tried out Full of Beans cafe for a burger (again, GF options marked on the menu.) The burger was huge and immensely satisfying after all that fresh air!
Driving north again to Hokitika, the clouds started rolling in. I’d bumped into one of the guys I’d met on the walking tour who’d let me know that there was big rain expected and it looked like it was on the way. The weather app on my phone was saying Franz Josef was going to be receiving something like 400mm in 48 hours! I was glad to be heading out of it… even though I was happy to experience rain after our long dry summer in Perth, 400mm seems a bit of overkill! Hokitika was looking much less dramatic: more like 100mm in two days, and I think it ended up getting less than that.
I’d hoped to visit Hokitika Gorge while I was there, and when checking in at the Shining Star Motel, the staff were telling me I’d better get out there then and there, as I wouldn’t be out there the next day i the rain. Lucky I did, because the tracks were all closed the next day as predicted! It’s a half hour drive towards the edge of the valley, and the track is gorgeous, winding through forest and going across a suspension bridge, which I bravely forced myself across. The gorge is beautiful, with the turquoise blue of “glacier flour” — the ground up minerals brought down by the melting glacier. I just managed to get to the end of the track and back before it was fully dark, and it was certainly a bit gloomy and alone amongst the trees on my way back to the carpark!
The Shining Star has lots of animal company – my cabin was next to the goats and the alpacas, and I met the cat when I was heading to the laundry. It’s also across the road from the Glowworm Dell, so I was able to go visit them on my first night, too.
While in the area I popped up to Greymouth to visit the Montieth’s Brewery, walked along the beach in the rain and wind, headed to the local cinema, the Regent. I also wandered around the craft and tourist shops, picking up a pair of merino socks for a gift for C from the Sock World shop which also had sock knitting machines and sold socks knitted on the premises!
When the time came to catch the flight to Christchurch and then Queenstown, everyone was a little leery about whether the flight would happen. The day before, flights had been cancelled, and the people at my accommodation had said that the Hokitika airport could be “tricky”. But, the incoming flight landed, our flight headed out, only a few minutes late. The flight was pretty bumpy, and I was happy to land in Christchurch to see that the plane to Queenstown was bigger, so hopefully would be less turbulence. Unfortunately not, but we landed safe and sound and I was happy to head out into the dark and wet to catch the bus to my last lot of accommodation – the Alexis Motel.
This place has gorgeous views across the lake to the mountains, in the times that the rain isn’t obscuring it. While my scenic flight to Milford Sound was cancelled because of the weather, I was happy to have a day of wandering around Queenstown. I checked out the Botanic Gardens, located a dedicated GF fish’n’chip shop where I tried deep fried feijoa (definitely an acquired taste!), bought some jade and paua souvenirs and found a cute arts n crafts shop selling local “cool stuff” including possum and merino yarn.
It was great to see a bit more of the South Island, and next time, I think I’ll hire a car to get around rather than bouncing around on planes so much.
Two Weeks Away 