Day 19: Tiny towns

We made a leisurely exit from Franz Josef, heading up Rt 6, the only road on the west coast. It's very nice; impossible to get lost. We had debated going for a walk around Franz Josef, but weather.com informed me that it would be nicer later in the day, so we pressed on.

Hokitika took us by surprise. So far, towns on the west coast had barely been blips on the map, consisting of a few hostels, several cafe/bars, a grocery store, and a gas station. But Hokitika, coollittletown.com, is a happening place! Still no traffic lights (haven't seen one since Auckland, which is as lovely as it sounds. Roundabouts everywhere instead), but the town feels awake and alive. It's right on the beach, so after some greasy fish and chips we strolled out to take in the ocean.

Meanwhile, the sun finally vanquished the clouds for the day, and it was glorious.

We drove a bit out of the way to see Hokitika Gorge. Well worth it. More of that unnaturally gorgeous blue. 

And then back on the road, bound for Greymouth. We didn't know what to expect by this town either, but it's the biggest on the west coast (I think), so we figured it was probably a destination of sorts. Hm. Yeah, not really. It has two main streets, every store of which was deserted - I suppose because it was Sunday, but still. We only saw a handful of people outside of our hostel in the hours we were out and about.

At the advice of our hostel host, we did the short hike up the mountain-hill right next to town. The trail was the worst-kept we've seen - EXTREMELY muddy - and the views were only okay (er, perhaps I'm getting spoiled), but it was good to stretch our legs and get a little exercise after hours in the car.

Afterwards we were going to walk out to the beach before supper, but I thought that in a town this quiet we'd better check the closing times of the few places serving food on a Sunday. Good idea. One place, an Indian restaurant, was open until 10. (And the server was trying to turn people away at 9 because it was too close to closing......) Otherwise everything was closed Sundays, closed at 8, or was McDonalds//KFC//etc.

But we got in a short walk on the river (before eating Indian of course), and drove out to the beach after dinner. I didn't even try to take a picture, but I don't think I've ever seen so many stars in my life. Not to mention the Milky Way, clear as day. Amazing. I have to do that again at least once before I leave this beautifully unpopulated place.