Motoring West – A five-day epic ‘roadie’ on SH6
Our itinerary: Nelson to Punakaiki – between Westport and Greymouth (two nights). Punakaiki to Franz Josef (one night). Franz Josef to Hokitika (two nights).
Every time I drive to the West Coast I daydream about living there. I imagine buying a small place right by the sea and having the sound of thundering waves crashing onto a West Coast beach as the soundtrack for my life.
As someone born on the East Coast the wildness of the West Coast always takes my breath away. Its beaches have both spectacular beauty and an undertone of danger. I have the warning never to turn my back on the sea on the West Coast in my mind even though I couldn’t tell you where that warning came from.
There are certain stretches of road around New Zealand that make me feel exultant. The drive from the turn-off south of Westport through to Hokitika is one of them. The feeling of being ‘elsewhere’ is reinforced by the difference in the trees on this side of the South Island. Their shape and positioning is evidence of the forces that shape them – rainfall, wind, and blazing sunshine on a good day.
Pies, purpose and pounamu
Leaving Nelson we made our usual stop at the Bakery at Wakefield for a pie. Clem chose his usual Pepper Steak but I chose Louisiana Chicken – best described as KFC chicken mixed with potato and gravy in a pie. Delicious, but I won’t be making habit of it as my cholesterol levels would not thank me!
I always enjoy the drive through to Kohatu thinking about the times I’ve run in the area, especially through the Spooners Tunnel (worth stopping for a visit if you’ve never been through it – taking a torch is recommended).
In Murchison we ambled into Hohepa Barrett’s Māori Carvings and Art shop in Fairfax Street and enjoyed listening to him talk about his carving experiences, current commissions, and aspirations. He has a real sense of purpose behind his venture and a willingness to share knowledge with others about carving and Te Reo Māori.
I found a lovely piece for my father and to express my gratitude I sang a song called “Faces In The Water” written by my friend Ariana Tikao that she and I sang and recorded many years ago when we were performing together in a group called “Pounamu”. The song was originally written by her to honour a carver of pounamu that she knew. The encounter with Hohepa felt like a blessing for our journey ahead.
Breathtaking Buller Gorge
We headed through the Buller Gorge with the river in all its glory and force, fed by recent rainfall. We had plenty of time to stop and take photos and to watch the traffic passing underneath the overhanging rock at Hawks Crag. I’ve made two trips on the back of a motorbike through the Gorge and felt a bit envious when we ran into a group of older men having a blast negotiating the sweeping corners in perfect road conditions.
This road reminds me of the three half marathons I’ve run here, as part of the annual Buller Marathon. This time we didn’t turn towards Westport in a hurry to pick up a race pack however, and took a lefthand turn and headed towards Punakaiki.
Punangairi asserts its power
I didn’t know until this trip that the name Punakaiki is probably a mistake made by an early European visitor Charles Heaphy who misheard Punakairi – the Ngāti Waewae/Ngai Tahu dialect version of Punangairi – or pools of stormy water). This makes absolute sense when you watch the sea in action here amongst the famous dolomite rock formations and the blowholes which bring many thousands of tourists here every year.
We stayed at the Scenic Hotel in a beautiful unit with a lovely view of the sea (thanks to Clem’s excellent negotiating skills). The guest lounge was a comfortable and attractive place for a pre-dinner drink. Dinner itself was excellent. Venison ribs for me and lamb shank for Clem accompanied be a lovely merlot from Hawkes Bay. Extremely friendly staff and a helpful tunnel underneath the highway so you can walk safely from your unit to the restaurant without crossing the road. It also helps to keep you dry if there’s a burst of West Coast rain.
We slept well with the sound of the surf in our dreams. The insect covering over the window meant we could leave the window open all night and enjoy the waves without worrying about being bitten. The room also featured a porthole window (which coul be closed with a solid wooden cover if you didn’t want the natural light coming in). We loved leaving it open though and enjoyed being woken up as day began.
Breakfast was very well presented – good value for money, especially if you opt to include breakfast in advance. We were very impressed that guests could have anything at all from the cooked and continental breakfast options for the same fixed price. Even the coffee from the machine was better than most! We were able to sit next to the feature window with a stunning view of the Tasman Sea as we ate. Magnificent!
One measure of my level of relaxation is whether I feel compelled to pick up my guitar and play and sing. Our room made me feel positively inspired and I found myself writing and playing guitar and enjoying reading. Clem walked into town while I let my creative energy take me where it wanted to.
About 1100 words later I walked into Punakaiki to meet Clem at the Punangairi Visitor Centre where we enjoyed the spectacular Paparoa Experience. This is an extremely well put together visitor experience with interactive elements and high-quality audio-visual content that has appeal for visitors of all ages. You certainly feel the force of nature (literally on a couple of occasions) and get a sense of the region’s natural history and culture.
Across the road we walked around the Dolomite Point pathway. We’d picked an excellent time for it with the surging incoming waves providing bursts of spray coming up through the blowholes. Due to the time of the year there weren’t too many people on the pathway and we were able to take plenty of photos and immerse ourselves fully in this impressive natural display.
After a relaxing day we returned to the hotel restaurant. Clem had lamb shank for the second time (which tells you everything you need to know about how good he thought it was!) and I had ribeye steak. Both meals were excellent and we decided to share a dessert in front of the fire in the guest lounge.
After another great night’s sleep we enjoyed a second tasty breakfast, this time the cooked food was made freshly for us from an a la carte menu. What a treat!
The weather cleared as we were leaving and we were treated to the sight of the sun on the white foam caps of the waves.
West Coast hospitality
The drive south provided epic views and showcased the wild and elemental nature of the landscape.
We checked out developments in Greymouth, which has benefited from significant investment and boasts a beautiful library.
Hokitika was quaint and welcoming and we stopped there for a couple of hours. Coffee at the art deco Regent Eatery & Bar which is part of the cinema complex was a real treat. Clem headed to the waterfront to take photos and I enjoyed checking out the secondhand shops.
Down at the waterfront the waves were crashing onto the foreshore. We enjoyed a promenade with the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair, running into fellow guests from the previous evening in Punakaiki.
A quick stop at the supermarket to stock up on supplies and we headed for Franz Josef. About 15 minutes out of Hokitika we both realised we’d forgotten to fill up on petrol. But that didn’t prove to be an issue as there were several places to refuel along the road south.
Curiosity took us off the main road at Ross. We stopped at The Historic Empire Hotel (the current building dates back to 1906) and had the best whitebait sandwich I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious! I remarked enthusiastically about the generous whitebait to batter ratio in the patty and the lovely host said “You’ve paid good money, you get a good amount of whitebait!”
In Harihari a sign for Willows Crafts caught my eye and we stopped and had an entertaining chat with the proprietor. The range of items was extensive and I left the proud owner of a hand-knitted scarf. I really loved that the name of the person who had made it was on the tag. Thank you, Molly!
As the mistiness of late afternoon descended, we wound our way into Franz Josef, receiving a very warm welcome from the young reception team at the Wild Kea Lodge. Wild Kea Lodge is basically a luxury backpackers and we had chosen a room with an ensuite and full kitchen set up. The down side was it was up three flights of stairs (and by now we had quite a bit of gear to carry up there) but the lovely receptionists insisted that they help us and between the four of us we did it all in one trip. For travellers on a tight budget the facilities are excellent with a very well set up and kitchen and lounge area and an outdoor spa and BBQ spa. Perfect for making new friends in a new country.
Our room was extremely clean and we had a view of a bushclad hill. There were three tūī singing from the top of the tree right by our window as we settled in for the night.
Glaciers and glow worms
The next morning we had a decision to make. Where would we stay tonight? We chose to head back to Hokitika but not before capturing some photos of the beautiful snowcapped peak that dominates the main street of Franz Josef which had revealed itself after some of the morning cloud had lifted. As fortune would have it we captured the departing Intercity bus heading to Nelson.
We headed south and over a bridge turning left towards Franz Josef Glacier. It’s about 10 years since I was last this way, and I was curious to see how far the glacier had retreated.
After a short drive we had our first peek at the glacier and I was surprised by how moved I was to see it, still impressive even in its much-reduced current state.
We took a short walk to a lookout and there an information panel showed how much the glacier has changed in the past 100 years. The panel itself must have been installed somewhere around 2010 as it postulated what the glacier might look like by 2100. It has already retreated further than the panel thought it might have in less than 20 years.
Back in Hokitika we returned for another excellent coffee and some lunch at the Regent Eatery and Bar and admired the beautiful binding work which surrounded the pounamu pendant the cafe assistant was wearing. We learned about this and other of his creative pursuits and a local place where his work was on display called Bonz n Stonz which I definitely want to return to in a future visit to work on a piece of pounamu under their guidance.
Just a short drive from the centre of town we arrived at Shining Star Accommodation, a collection of self-contained chalets with areas for powered and unpowered camping. It’s the perfect spot if you enjoy being by the sea and want to self-cater. Our unit had a king-sized bed and a deck with some chairs and a table with a great view of the sea. Less than a minute down the path and you’re walking along the beach. We had a very happy time searching among the stones and finding pieces of interesting stone, ever optimistic that we might find pounamu, given the beach’s proximity to the Arahura River.
Within the first hour of being there we had decided to extend our stay to two nights. I have a feeling we’ll be back again.
After a great night’s sleep – the beds are excellent and the best of our trip – we ventured into town for a look around. We found a second great coffee venue in Cafe 39 serving a contender for the best cheese scones ever.
With bad weather forecast we stocked up on supplies at the supermarket and I found some great bargains in the local secondhand shops – check out Vinnies!
We had a lovely walk along the foreshore and enjoyed the views and the wild surf.
Having a quiet day to relax and watch movies and listen to the wild weather arriving was fantastic and we felt warm and comfortable in our chalet. We borrowed a few DVDs and enjoyed the time together.
After dinner, and despite the rain, I managed to convince Clem to go across the road to the Glow Worm Dell which we’d been told about when we checked in. We both agreed it was the best glow worm display we’d seen, really beautiful and peaceful with a well-made path into the dell just off the main highway. We also managed to time our visit just before a big downpour!
Clem told me that the wild weather and the sound of the surf competed through the night but I slept right through it. The next morning we returned to Cafe 39 for coffee and a scone before heading north again to the turn off that would take us via Kumara and Arthur’s Pass to Christchurch.
Our journey from Nelson to Franz Josef to Hokitika over five nights reinforced just what an iconic journey this is. It encompasses dynamic and wild landscapes, offers opportunities to learn about Aotearoa and its natural and cultural history, and provides space and time to relax and connect, with each other, and with this beautiful country.
