Wandering Around: West Coast, South Island, NZ

January 7-10, 2016

It was a long drive from Dawn's to the west coast, but once the ocean pulled into view, we felt exhilarated. Our first stop was at Greymouth, located, not surprisingly, at the mouth of the Grey River. The town itself seemed a bit old and down at the heels at first. It was built on jade hunting, gold and coal mining, and forestry, as well as commercial fishing. On a clear day, you supposedly can see Aoraki Mt. Cook to the south, but it was a grey day when we visited:

River walk, Greymouth, NZ

Evidence of new commercial life in Greymouth: an art gallery

I liked the spirit and the colour.

Don't know what business this is (not coffee), but it's colourful.

Heading south along the west coast, we stopped several times to enjoy the ocean view:

Along west coast highway south of Greymouth, NZ

Farther south, we stopped at Punakaiki, or Pancake Rocks. The rocks have been layered somehow, and there are blowholes in them that send sea water spouting skywards as the waves crash against them.

Interesting layers in the rock

pancake rocks

Walking out to Pancake Rocks

Pancake Rocks

A West Coast beach

Farther south on the West Coast, we came to Hokitika, a small beach town we liked quite a bit. It had an interesting thrift store--Leah had a great time and bought a necklace--some impressive architecture, and, just outside town, one of our favorite bachs (rental apartments or houses) in New Zealand:

Carnegie Library, Hokitika, NZ

This impressive building is one of something like 2500 Carnegie Libraries in the English-speaking world. Andrew Carnegie, 19th century US industrialist and once the richest man in the world, helped build libraries not only in the US, where he built 1689, but in the entire English-speaking world. What a legacy. On the other hand, he presided over among the worst labor disputes in US history. Read about him and his libraries here.

Grocery store front, Hokitika, NZ

Ocean front hotel, Hokitika, NZ

Garage, Hokitika, NZ

We actually visited Hokitika twice: once on the way south to Queenstown, and again on our way back north to Picton and Auckland, where we flew back to LA. On the way back north, we stayed for a few days in what I called Hokitika-by-the-sea, a bach we rented...right on the beach.