Hokitika

Monday, February 28, 2000:  Hokitika

We woke early to drive out to Lake Matheson in hopes of capturing photos of sunrise.  The area was very cold and eerily quiet.  We captured some great photos of View of Views and Reflection Island.

Back to Reflection B&B for breakfast.  Our hostess brought out of her refrigerator a bottle of orange juice, yogurt, butter and milk; and from her cupboard, mini boxes of cereal, bread and jam.  We felt more like family, than guests.  We ate our continental breakfast, paid her 50 NZ and thanked her for taking us in last night.

We drove up Cooks Flat Road.  Just as we passed a gate, Doug stopped the car to behold a view of Mount Cook in the clouds in front of us.  We walked into the field to wait for the clouds to clear from the peak for a photo.

From Fox Glacier, we proceeded to Franz Josef Glacier Village.  We stopped to walk through the glacier and take some fun photographs.

At 3 pm we had lunch at the Beaches Café.  We saw Sean, Heather and Jenny, our nurse friends who were on our Steamboat from Walter Peak Station and also joined us at the Winnie Bagoes pizza parlor.  Small world, small island.

We drove along the coast.  It was getting late; we needed to find somewhere to stay.  While in town, Doug saw a brochure for Hokitika (HO kee TEE ka)’s lodging.  Doug called the Shining Star.  The owner said he just had a cancellation, we’re in luck we can have a log chalet by the beach.

The log chalet (cabin) was amazing.  It was a clean, shiny new glowing redwood chalet with a deck on the beach.  It was self-contained with a little kitchen.  You’d think you were in the woods.  Doug was quite pleased with his gem.  We sat on the deck with a glass of wine watching the sun set and the waves bring in the foam on the surf.  We had a candlelight dinner in our own little chalet.