Hokitika Beach

How many pubs in the world can you walk in the front door to buy an ale and walk out the back to the beach?

Or where the same goes for the bank, or the jewellery store, or the jade factory?

Harking back to its early days as a gold-mining town where everything came and went from the river mouth by coastal steamer and Hokitika was the busiest port in the country, the town runs along a strip of world-class surf beach where the sand dunes blow almost on to the main street and the low rumble of waves can be heard from the supermarket carpark. Right up to the northern end of town where the motels and van park open straight on to this exposed piece of coast, the beach is a focal point.

Locals wander along, even in the worst weather, wrapped in thick coats and wearing their white fisherman’s gumboots. Huge piles of driftwood build up after a run of strong weather and seals can often be found sheltering beside them, hiding from the gale force winds that sweep up from down south. Other days the beach is quiet and soft, the surf becomes a slow roll that breaks quietly on to the sand.

To the south the unbroken chain of the Southern Alps rises and falls as it heads south to the giants, Mounts Cook and Tasman. In between lie miles of temperate rainforest and acres of flax-filled wetlands. But recently a ripple of excitement broke through these waves with the discovery of the remains of a 19th century ship that had been brought up through the sand by a recent storm.

Although the portion of ship is small it is estimated to weigh around two tonnes and is believed to be a section of the bottom of the ship because it is sheathed in bronze to protect it from worm infestation. It was built possibly of cedar or Baltic pine and was fixed together with wooden pegs. Locals and marine archaeologists alike are very excited by the find.

The demise of the ship would have been a common story along this notoriously rough stretch of coastline where shipwrecks were far too common. But like most of them, the remains were swallowed up by the beating waves and shifting sands, and if not for yet another violent storm we would never have learnt about this new piece of New Zealand’s maritime history.

© Sue Farley 2005