Scenic Flight from Hokitika

Ancient Mummykins and I are settling in nicely in Hokitika, and I am seriously impressed at how well the old bird has recovered from the trip. Her Ladyship, on the other hand, is still so jet lagged, she looks as if she’s on another planet. What a wimp!

We had barely landed when we got the opportunity to go on yet another flight. I was afraid Herself might baulk at the idea, but thankfully, she didn’t hesitate for a second when she heard it was a scenic flight from Hokitika over the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers and around the summit of Aoraki / Mount Cook. Wow! I tell you, you couldn’t see us for dust as we dashed off to the airport.

I’ve seen my fair share of beautiful coastlines and magnificent mountain ranges in my travels, but I have rarely experienced such a stunning landscape as in the West Coast Region on the South Island.  It was almost unreal. Vast fertile plains and endless, unspoilt  coastline giving way to lush rainforests, deep gorges, gorgeous valleys and countless waterfalls as we flew over the Southern Alps. The sights became even more dramatic as we progressed. Snow capped peaks, hanging glaciers, blue ice peeking through the cracks in the snow, turquoise blue Alpine lakes and rivers and fabulous views down the valleys towards the Fiordland in the south. Simply breathtaking!

I was pleased to hear our pilot say that he hasn’t noticed much melting of the glaciers in recent years. That, sadly, cannot be said about some glaciers in Europe. New Zealanders certainly take their conservation very seriously and do whatever it takes to protect their wonderful natural surroundings. Logging is no longer permitted in the rain forests here, there are vast areas where there are no roads at all, and not even hiking is permitted in certain parts.

A weird phenomenon, however, a strange reddish tinge in the snow, was a timely reminder of the dangers of climate change. Believe it or not, this was ash from the bushfires that were still raging in Australia, a good 2,000 km away. Our pilot said he’d never seen such a thing in all his years of flying – and that coming from a guy who was flying practically before he could walk. As a kid, he lived in such a remote location he used to have to fly to school.  Hah, I’ve heard of Austrian kids having to ski to school, but flying. Now that is taking school transport a step further!

I’d been wondering why on earth the Franz Josef Glacier is so called. What had an Austrian Kaiser got to do with New Zealand? Our pilot, a veritable mine of information, explained that the good old Kaiser gave a gift of a herd of chamois to the country. The Kaiser himself is long gone, but the herd has continued to flourish. It’s kind of odd to think that ungulates of Austrian heritage are roaming around the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Then again, a wooden seagull of Irish heritage is doing the pretty much the same thing.

Gosh, this part of the world would be the perfect location for a fantasy adventure movie. If I bump into any film producers here, I must suggest it to them!

It certainly took me quite a while to come back down to earth after the flight – in every sense. When we landed in quaint little Hokitika Her Ladyship had her eyes firmly focused on the cafés and restaurants. Mummykins, predictably enough, was raring to hit the shops. For once, however, I somehow prevailed and our first port of call was the beach.

And what a beach it is! The wild Tasman Sea looked incredible from the air but it is equally impressive as it crashes ashore here, bringing with it piles of driftwood which wash up on the sands.

I hear that Hokitika hosts an annual Driftwood and Sand Festival where entrants create sculptures out of their findings on the beach. I wonder if Yours Truly could enter the competition. Being wooden, I could probably qualify as a sculpture myself, and sure, I am always floating around the world, never quite knowing where I might wash up next.

If you get my drift.