The intervening days have rushed by, much of the time spent with my
parents who turned up from Greymouth early Friday morning and set up camp
beside us in Hokitika’s NZMCA Park. We drank copious cups of coffee, consumed
several bottles of wine, a few packets of crisps and shared three evening
meals, all between much talking and exchanging of news, ideas and solutions to
the woes of the our own world and that beyond. From time to time we wandered
off separately or at least in our own coupledom to discover the wonders of
Hokitika, the remnants of bygone days and that on offer today. On Sunday, Chris
and I went to the cinema, the old refurbished 1935 Art Deco Regent Theatre, an experience
all in itself. We went to see the Second
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, having seen and loved the First, and excited about all the hype for the second. Alas, we were
disappointed; the build-up had been too much for reality. While we did enjoy
the film, we were able to report back to my parents that they would do better
to pick up the DVD of the first film, before bothering with the second, if at
all.
Our walking about the town, along the river bank and the sea shore
reminded us of the history of Hokitika, already gleaned from a past visit to
the museum, and subsequently reinforced by Jenny Patrick’s historical novel set
in the area. Nowadays it is hard to imagine the size and importance of the
port, especially as you consider the bar and the mass of shallow islands right
across the entrance.
A signal station was first built at the entrance to the Hokitika River
in 1865. It used a combination of raised balls, coloured flags and painted arms
to inform waiting ships of the prevailing conditions and guide the safely
across the hazardous sand bar. A series of signal stations continued to
function here until the 1950s and a signalman was employed right through until
1952. But by this time maritime traffic had dwindled and the era of ships
crossing the Hokitika bar was drawing to an end.
Separately, or rather, in tandem, a lighthouse was built on the hill at
Seaview to help guide ships to safety. The lighthouse ceased operating in 1924
but the structure still remains at Seaview today.
Along with the shifting sand bar at the river entrance came periods of
coastal erosion. Serious erosion occurred in 1914 when the sea destroyed a
number of buildings along Revell Street. From the late 1870s a series of
breakwaters were constructed to fix and deepen the entrance to the river port.
These were extended during 1911-1914 but were later left to deteriorate; little
remains of these today.
Apart from the various
interpretative panels and ship memorials, there is a plaque that remembers the
forty two vessels lost on the Hokitika River Bar between 1965 and 1982. One of
the panels explains how the arrival at Hokitika was more perilous for the
miners moving from the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo, than the voyage
across the Tasman Sea; every ten days or so in the period 1865 to 1867, there
was a collision, grounding or shipwreck. Out of 108 mishaps, thirty two vessels
were totally wrecked, twenty one of them in 1865. Hokitika by 1966 was
averaging one wreck every ten weeks.
Some vessels stuck fast going out, many were grounded coming in, while
others were beached due to pilot error, or by tow-lines attached to the busy
tugs breaking as the ship was being towed over the bar. Schooners which lost
the wind at a critical moment were soon flung up on the spits; steamers with
fires doused by heavy seas met the same fate. Some losses were the result of
human error or the use of unsuitable, unseaworthy craft. Most were due to the
almost north / south river entrance which forced ships to enter almost
broadside to the sea.
We were also reminded of the history of our camp on the south side of
the River. Once an aerodrome, it was a pioneer centre of West Coast aviation
from 1932 to 1952. The first aircraft to visit Hokitika was Maurice Buckley’s “Blazing Arrow” in 1923-24 which used the
Hokitika beach. Land for the aerodrome was gifted by the Renton family and the
first aircraft landed in January 1932. The aerodrome was subsequently enlarged
and improved through various unemployment schemes. The Hokitika Aero Club was
established here in 1932. Southside was the first base for Air Travel (NZ) from
1934 to 1947 and national Airways Corporation from 1947 to 1952. These airlines
provided a scheduled air service to South Westland and, for a period, to the
Nelson province. Hangers were built and engineering facilities provided during
the 1930’s. The house near the aerodrome site was built by the Rentons for Air
Travel’s Chief Pilot. The remains of the hangers and original embankments can
still be seen around the site. In 1952 the aerodrome closed and was replaced by
the existing Seaview Airport.
Another of our wanderings took us to investigate the identity of the
high towered building a little to the north of the main street. This turned out
to be St Mary’s Catholic Church, now out of use because of earthquake danger.
Signs warned we should stay out of the building and even off the section,
however the interpretative panels by the main door explaining the history of
the building can only be read at close quarters, and so we trespassed long
enough to do this.
The foundation stone was laid for this massive tabernacle-like structure
in 1914, but war intervened and it was not until 1927 that the structure was
considered complete. Years and years later, in 1960, the church became the
first Catholic Church in New Zealand to be consecrated “in perpetuity to the
service of God”, a fact or rather, statement, that confused me. I thought all
churches were consecrated as part of their “opening” to be for the service of
“God”?
In 1978, the church underwent a massive refurbishment, and it obviously
had many years of use, “serving God” before the council or someone with similar
powers, decided that the building was a bit too dodgy, even for those under the
protection of “God”. It is a shame from
a historical point of view that the church is not open for inspection, or even
for the use it was designed and built. Its bulk is quite inspiring even if it
is, as Chris suggested, rather a monstrosity.
Interestingly a report in the local paper in januar reported that it
would take $1.6 million to bring St Mary’s up to earthquake resistant
standards. While the Christchurch dioceses is prepared to contribute $400,000,
the local parish are expected to pay the balance. I suspect the locals are all
hoping a major earthquake may rock on by and solve the whole problem!
This morning we fare-welled my
parents, or rather, they fare-welled us, because they left the camp for the
laundry and other household tasks before we were ready to move out ourselves.
We picked up fresh bread and set off for the Hokitika Gorge, sometimes referred
to as the Blue Gorge. The river
waters here in this wonderful ravine thirty three kilometres from the town are
an unbelievable turquoise colour, caused by the glacial flour.
The road to this wonder passes through the lovely wide dairying valley
of the Hokitika and Kokatahi Rivers, passing the tiny rural settlement of Kowhitirangi,
the scene of a massive twelve day manhunt involving the New Zealand Army in
1941. Unhinged farmer, Stanley Graham, shot four local policemen, disappeared
into the bush then returned to murder three others eventually being shot
himself. We had stopped here once before and I, more recently, read a longer
account of the massacre; interesting but very sad that such an infamous
character is remembered here, although some would say it is the dead who are
immortalised rather than the killer.
At the Gorge, we found the car park and track in had all been manicured
to a more tourist friendly standard; Chris was disappointed but I found the
scenes still as lovely as when last visited.
On the road back through Kowhitirangi, we passed the familiar Avan
motorhome and waved greetings at my parents who reciprocated in a similar mad
manner. They will stay in the area for a few days more before heading toward
Golden Bay. We are still a week or two from travelling through to that northern
region, which is a shame on one level; we could have joined them on a
helicopter ride over the north western corner of the South Island.
Today we came north to Lake Kaniere along a windy gravel road and
emerged here at Hans Bay, a glorious spot above the lake, enjoyed by fat heavy
wood pigeons along with numerous chaffinches, pukekos, but no wekas in sign
yet, although we have seen them on numerous occasions since the last post. It
has rained heavily from time to time during the afternoon, justifying our
decision not to undertake any walks. Instead I spent a couple of hours working,
justification for any future shoe shopping.
Lake Kaniere is quite beautiful, quietly sitting amid the heavy West
Coast bush, still relatively undisturbed by man, apart from the road, a few
homes near the camp, several picnic places and several short walking tracks. The lake is eight kilometres long, two wide
and as deep as 195 metres in places. The surrounding reserve is over 7,000
hectare including most of the land from the lake to the top of the peaks which
surround it. We are very satisfied with our view, if not the weather.
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