Hokitika...It Should'a Been a Contender

Halfway up our West Coast drive we found the community of Hokitika. We rely heavily on an excellent travel book published by AA - the travel service equivalent of AAA. Surprisingly, this picturesque community is not among the recommendations in 101 Must-Do's for Kiwis., but it should be.




We stayed at the best Holiday Park of our entire camper van experience - right on the beach, cleanest community kitchen, convenient laundry, and the closest campsite to the ladies toilet. These are no small criteria.




But we found much more to like about this coastal spot than the Shining Star Holiday Park and the glow worm cave right across the road. For one thing, a 20 kilometer drive from town took us to Hokitika Gorge. A pretty wooded path and a walk across a swing bridge provided access to the gorge. If not for the rain, we would have seen brilliant, turquoise blue water instead of the stirred-up greyish water. It was impossible to be disappointed with what we saw.

Back in town, we learned why Hokitika has become internationally renowned as a center of creative arts. We watched artisans polishing and carving pounamu (greenstone or jade) and then make jewelry and ornamental works of art.