We loaded our loot into the Camry and headed south towards Hokitika.
Our original intention was to go to Franz Josef Glacier for 4 days but decided to split the journey into two - 2 days Hokitika and 2 days Fox Glacier so that we could cross our friends in Fox Glacier while experiencing a little more :)
Day 8
Travel distance: 94km
From: Punakaiki - Hokitika
So after a short 1.5 hour drive, we were probably the first guests to check into our destination, the Annabelle Motel (check out our experience).
Stumpers Bar & Cafe (Restaurant)
Lunch was at this family-friendly place, complete with a box of toys to entertain our babies. My wife had the salt & pepper calamari and I had a wrap with fries. They serve some very decent food though it takes a while to arrive. Overall, a very pleasant place for us to have a meal.
We took a break at our motel for the rest of the afternoon. Our toddlers are actually used to a nap and they hadn't had one in a while so siesta it was.
Cass Square (Place to Visit - Free)
A short walk toward the town centre brought us to Cass Square, a great place for children to run around to play. There are two playgrounds, a skate park and a running track.
Hokitika Beach (Place to Visit - Free)
This is where Hokitika's 'landmark' resides - some folks put some sticks together to spell the name of the town. I have absolutely no idea who that bright spark was but it's helluva tourist attraction given the number of people we saw taking photos there (ourselves included). It was a good place to hang out in the evening where once again, our toddlers could just go crazy on the beach.
New World (Supermarket)
Where else to get groceries but the biggest supermart in the vicinity - a New World. This was our first visit but it's definitely of a decent size to stock up on food (and wine of course). So around 8.30PM, we called it a day and headed back to the motel.
Day 9
Travel distance - 66km
From: Hokitika - Hokitika Gorge - Hokitika
Hokitika Gorge (Place to Visit - Free)
We set off for 32km drive to Hokitika Gorge and it's a mighty peaceful drive 'cos there's barely any traffic heading there apart from the occasional tourist. So after stopping at the roadside, on the way, to greet some cows, we found ourselves at the carpark leading to the Gorge.
We were half thinking whether to take out the pram but since we saw that the first stretch was accessible to wheelchairs, we decided hey, let's do it. Out came the pram and looking back, I guess it was not such a wise idea to do so. Most of the track heading to the Gorge is gravel and it goes up and down and up again.
The Hokitika Gorge itself is a beauty. The river waters are practically turquoise in color. It's an incredibly scenic location to just take in the park surroundings. There's a bridge that allows you to cross, though allowing only 6 folks at a time. Totally understandable as the whole thing started shaking when navigating the pram across.
The end of the track leads to a boardwalk viewing point where you can open a gate that leads to a rocky spot where you can take more scenic shots. So obviously, the babies were really keen to run up and down the rocks to play with the waters. So we duly obliged in allowing them though we took turns to go down.
So the afternoon was spent at the Annabelle Motel. We proceeded to Cass Square again to let them the kids run amok then visited...
Porky's Takeaways (Restaurant)
This is located around the town centre. It's a great place to get fish n chips to takeaway. The hoki is a good choice though there's a queue around 7pm so it took about 10 minutes to get our food.
Our original intention was to go to Franz Josef Glacier for 4 days but decided to split the journey into two - 2 days Hokitika and 2 days Fox Glacier so that we could cross our friends in Fox Glacier while experiencing a little more :)
Day 8
 |
| A family shot at Hokitika Beach |
Travel distance: 94km
From: Punakaiki - Hokitika
So after a short 1.5 hour drive, we were probably the first guests to check into our destination, the Annabelle Motel (check out our experience).
 |
| Annabelle Motel |
Stumpers Bar & Cafe (Restaurant)
Lunch was at this family-friendly place, complete with a box of toys to entertain our babies. My wife had the salt & pepper calamari and I had a wrap with fries. They serve some very decent food though it takes a while to arrive. Overall, a very pleasant place for us to have a meal.
 |
| Stumpers Bar & Cafe, Hokitika |
We took a break at our motel for the rest of the afternoon. Our toddlers are actually used to a nap and they hadn't had one in a while so siesta it was.
Cass Square (Place to Visit - Free)
A short walk toward the town centre brought us to Cass Square, a great place for children to run around to play. There are two playgrounds, a skate park and a running track.
 |
| Cass Square, Hokitika |
Hokitika Beach (Place to Visit - Free)
This is where Hokitika's 'landmark' resides - some folks put some sticks together to spell the name of the town. I have absolutely no idea who that bright spark was but it's helluva tourist attraction given the number of people we saw taking photos there (ourselves included). It was a good place to hang out in the evening where once again, our toddlers could just go crazy on the beach.
 |
| Hokitika Beach |
New World (Supermarket)
Where else to get groceries but the biggest supermart in the vicinity - a New World. This was our first visit but it's definitely of a decent size to stock up on food (and wine of course). So around 8.30PM, we called it a day and headed back to the motel.
Day 9
Travel distance - 66km
From: Hokitika - Hokitika Gorge - Hokitika
Hokitika Gorge (Place to Visit - Free)
We set off for 32km drive to Hokitika Gorge and it's a mighty peaceful drive 'cos there's barely any traffic heading there apart from the occasional tourist. So after stopping at the roadside, on the way, to greet some cows, we found ourselves at the carpark leading to the Gorge.
 |
| Hokitika Gorge |
We were half thinking whether to take out the pram but since we saw that the first stretch was accessible to wheelchairs, we decided hey, let's do it. Out came the pram and looking back, I guess it was not such a wise idea to do so. Most of the track heading to the Gorge is gravel and it goes up and down and up again.
 |
| Hokitika Gorge |
The Hokitika Gorge itself is a beauty. The river waters are practically turquoise in color. It's an incredibly scenic location to just take in the park surroundings. There's a bridge that allows you to cross, though allowing only 6 folks at a time. Totally understandable as the whole thing started shaking when navigating the pram across.
 |
| Hokitika Gorge |
The end of the track leads to a boardwalk viewing point where you can open a gate that leads to a rocky spot where you can take more scenic shots. So obviously, the babies were really keen to run up and down the rocks to play with the waters. So we duly obliged in allowing them though we took turns to go down.
So the afternoon was spent at the Annabelle Motel. We proceeded to Cass Square again to let them the kids run amok then visited...
Porky's Takeaways (Restaurant)
This is located around the town centre. It's a great place to get fish n chips to takeaway. The hoki is a good choice though there's a queue around 7pm so it took about 10 minutes to get our food.
 |
| Cass Square, Hokitika |
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