About 30 km from the main road, the Hokitika Gorge is a dramatic scenic spot, a favourite for photographers and kayakers.  The glacier-fed river is a wonderful colour:

The guidebook says one should be sure to take insect repellent as the sandflies really love tourists. I met an Australian visitor who obviously hadn’t read that advice. He was a great asset as the swarms of sandflies around him attracted fantails. You need good light to get sharp photographs of those birds, they are so quick.  Just a dozen or so blurred images, no keepers.
Hokitika has a long history and some nicely preserved buildings. The former courthouse, known locally as Seddon House, was built in 1908.

There’s a fine statue in front of famous West Coaster Richard John Seddon, New Zealand’s Premier from 1893 to 1906.

Let’s hope they can find a tenant or buyer for the building.

Nearby there was a shop available for lease, not quite so showy:

Kowhitirangi Incident:  this memorial, around 20 km from Hokitika, commemorates a confrontation in 1941 which resulted in the deaths of seven people. You can read more about it in Wikipedia here.

The combined road-rail bridge over the Taramakau River north of Hokitika can be a scary experience for tourists.  Yes. this is the main highway!

There is not a lot of room! I wonder what it feels like crossing on a bicycle?