Feb 26 Hokitika to Haast
I awoke at intervals in the night to hear water running around outside. so it was no surprise when I drew the curtains to see pools of water. By the time I had eaten, packed and checked out, however, the clouds were lifting and some blue sky was appearing.
I took some more photos on the beach, did a little shopping and set off south. In the past, I have ignored the signs to Lake Mahinapua but this time I turned off down a narrow, tree-lined track to emerge in a clearing by a beautiful lake.
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There was a small camp ground, some DOC information boards and a derelict paddle steamer in a shelter. The lake held pride of place, however, and I sat awhile and watched the ripples.
There were some short bush walks signposted so I ventured up one of them and took some photos. There were lots of birds singing in the background.
Once underway again, the sun grew stronger and I made my annual photo stop at Lake Ianthe. There were lots of people around but it is a pretty place. Unfortunately, if I did take any photos, I must have deleted them
I often cite Hari Hari as the sort of backwoods place in New Zealand where it is possible to get a decent coffee. In the UK you would be lucky to get Nescafe in somewhere as isolated. The Pukeko Café is welcoming and the coffee not bad although probably not as good as on my last visit.
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After Hari Hari, I followed the road over hill and down dale – no choice really as there’s nowhere else to go. The clouds hovered over the mountains but it remained dry and bright. I sailed through Franz Josef, which looked bigger and glitzier than ever. and scaled the pass which leads to Fox Glacier.The road is lined with trees and ferns and has steep embankments for much of the journey. |
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Either last year or the year before, I had an excellent bowl of soup at Fox Glacier so I decided to repeat the experience. It arrived in a small bowl, not piping hot but thick enough to stand a spoon in and full of flavour. Very good. Ironically, further thought on the matter suggests that last time’s soup was in the café next door. Never mind.
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Bruce Bay is a magnificent place, where the waves crash onto the beach and solitude reigns. Since my last visit, they must have become concerned that the waves were about to remove the road and have built a large rock wall for the waves to crash against.
As it was high tide, there was no beach to explore, except at the Northern end, so I had to content myself with a few photos there.
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Afternoon tea was at the salmon farm, on a flat area near the Paringa River. The coach party left as I arrived so I had reasonable peace and quiet in which to enjoy the coffee and the view. As I was preparing to depart, another coach party arrived. Perfect timing.
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Like everywhere on the West Coast, the Knight’s Point viewing area is becoming busier and more developed. The car park is larger and the toilets appear to have been rebuilt. The view, however, remains the same. I always come here and look at the beach way below.
By the time I reached Ship Creek, about 10 minutes later, the skies were closing in and odd spots of rain were falling.
I had a brief wander on the beach and then braved the ladders to scale the lookout. It has to be said that the view isn’t that much better than from ground level but, if you don’t look, you don’t find out.
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As I drove away, the drizzle became a little heavier and lasted the 10 minutes until I reached the hotel at Haast. The roads were reasonably busy but I managed to cross the bridge without meeting anything coming the other way.
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After checking in, I headed straight to the bar for a beer on the terrace overlooking the Jacksons Bay road. The rain had stopped and there was a little blue sky but not enough to encourage me to go exploring. After dinner in the bar it was nice enough to take the short walk to the end of the bridge to take some photos, after which I returned to the hotel for bed. |
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